Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader's arsenal.
While management philosophies may come and go and new approaches to running 21st century businesses and institutions are introduced, one thing may be immutable-the need to share stories that inspire, teach, and guide the organization. Without storytelling, it would be difficult to imagine how an organization could pass on collective wisdom, teach new members how to behave and what it means to belong, and convey the knowledge needed to succeed in the corporate world. Through our work, Storytelling Foundation International helps corporations and institutions use storytelling to enhance leadership, strengthen management practices, and, in the end, increase productivity and profitability. When the World Bank realized a few years ago that sharing information was as important as loaning money, the 15,000 employees of the massive international agency were reluctant to embrace the concept. Wanting to convince them of the wisdom of this shift in thinking, Stephen Denning, director of the World Bank's knowledge management program, tried charts and graphs, rational reports.