The Story Behind the Strategy: Turning the How Into Why

In communications, we often talk about storytelling as a creative tool: something used to highlight employee experiences, customer impact or the broader purpose behind a brand. It is typically viewed as a practice reserved for marketing, campaigns and keynote moments. 

However, inside organizations, especially during periods of transformation or uncertainty, storytelling plays a far more strategic role. Leaders often underestimate how critical it is to articulate a strategy in a way people can understand, feel and follow. And in my experience, this is where many organizations get stuck. 

When the story behind the strategy isn’t clear, people fill the gaps with their own assumptions. This can lead to swirl, frustration, slowed execution and eventually disengagement. But when leaders can communicate with a clear narrative that makes the work make sense, teams engage with far greater alignment and purpose. 

Strategic storytelling isn’t just a “nice to have.” It creates a shared narrative that helps people understand where they’re going and why. And in times of change, having that kind of clarity is often what determines whether a team moves forward successfully or ends up feeling lost. 

Why strategic storytelling matters

Good leaders communicate plans. Great leaders communicate the meaning behind them. Inside organizations, this kind of strategic storytelling requires leaders to do two things exceptionally well: 

1. _{Upward storytelling:} articulating the value of the work to secure alignment and resources. This happens when leaders explain why something matters, what impact it will make and why it should be prioritized. It’s how they communicate the strategy clearly and advocate for their teams and investments.
2. _{Enterprise storytelling:} helping employees understand where the organization is heading and why. This gives people the narrative they need to do their jobs with purpose. It helps answer: What are we building? Why now? What should I prioritize?  

Both forms of storytelling require clarity, empathy and the ability to translate complexity into something people can act on. 

The difference between a plan and the story of a plan

A plan outlines the how, in workstreams, metrics and milestones. A story explains the what and the why that puts meaning behind the work. 

When employees only see the plan, they may understand their tasks but not the broader purpose. When they have the story, they understand where they fit in and why their work matters. That sense of connection is key to driving engagement, confidence and alignment. 

When strategy isn’t landing: A common pattern inside organizations 

In many organizations, even when the strategy behind a change is strong, the story behind it isn’t being told clearly enough for people to understand it.  I’ve seen this happen across industries of every size.

Often the strategy makes sense on paper: Consolidate business lines, streamline operations and unify teams around a single vision. But inside the organization, employees may still feel disconnected or confused by shifting priorities. Leaders repeatedly hear things like: Where are we going? Why now? What does this mean for me?

When this happens, it’s rarely because people disagree with the strategy. More often, it’s because they don’t yet understand the bigger picture or how their work contributes to it. Without that understanding and a clear narrative, productivity slows, engagement dips and even the most well-intentioned efforts can feel chaotic. 

The strategy isn’t broken; the story just hasn’t been told in a way people can follow.

Finding (and telling) the underlying story

In situations like this, the work should always begin by listening. Across multiple organizations we’ve supported through large-scale change, we’ve seen a consistent theme emerge when we conduct stakeholder interviews, sentiment analysis, focus groups and communication audits: Employees don’t need more information; they need the right information delivered consistently and with context.

Leaders can reshape the transformation strategy into a clear narrative built around: 

• What the transformation is designed to achieve.
• Why now? 
• What does success look like? 
• What should teams focus on first?

Once leaders align on the narrative, you can develop tools to help cascade it throughout the organization. Language can become simpler. Priorities become clearer. People begin to understand not only the work, but the point of the work and the role they play in getting it done. 

And that’s when you start to see engagement rise, meetings become more productive and teams begin moving in the same direction again. Because when people understand the story, they can move the strategy forward together. 

How storytelling builds trust

During times of change, employees don’t expect perfection; they expect honesty. They want to understand the rationale behind decisions, even when the decisions are tough.

Strategic storytelling builds trust by offering clarity and consistency. It signals:

• You’re not being left out.
• You’re a part of what comes next.
• You’re being given the information you need to move forward.

Trust grows when people feel informed, included and considered. That only happens when communication becomes a true narrative rather than a series of disconnected updates.

Where to begin: Translating your strategy into a story

If you’re guiding a team through change, then here are some practical storytelling tactics I encourage leaders to prioritize:

1. _{Start from 100,000 feet.} Ask: What is the simplest possible description of what we’re doing and why? If leaders can’t articulate this clearly, then no one else can.
2. _{Repeat key messages far more than feels necessary.} If you think you’ve said it once, then you probably need to say it 50 more times, through multiple channels, consistently... and then louder for the people in the back.
3. _{Enable leaders at every level.} Give people leaders the tools and talking points they need to carry the story forward, so the message stays connected from top to bottom.
4. _{Watch for signs the story isn’t landing.} Recurring questions, slow execution, misaligned priorities or low sentiment often point to narrative gaps.
5. _{Close the feedback loop.} Ask for input, act on it and communicate back: Here’s what we heard. Here’s what we’re doing. Here’s why. This practice alone can quickly shift engagement.

The future of strategic storytelling

As organizations grow more complex and teams become more distributed, strategic storytelling will only become more essential. Leaders can no longer assume people “get it” because they mentioned something once in a meeting. 

Employees need clarity and context, not just direction, to move forward together. 

Great stories move people. Strategic storytelling moves organizations.