From Stories to Strategy: The Case for Collective Sense Making

Unearth your narrative through collective sense making

Strategic narratives are revealed, not designed. Organisations are made up of people telling stories all day, every day. They are sharing stories of their business, customers, projects, teams and direction. There is much to be learned about an organisation in the language teams use to describe their work, and in the moments they share about…

The Best Work Happens When Ideas Feel Safe Enough to Misbehave

I have facilitated numerous workshops, strategy days, narrative sessions, and conference experiences. Regardless of the setting or participants, a consistent pattern emerges. Typically, the most senior, outspoken, or confident individuals are the first to contribute, filling the room with their perspectives. However, as the session transitions to deeper reflection, it is often a quieter participant who introduces a profound idea, causing everyone to pause and absorb the insight.

Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Why We Need Collective Storytelling Now

film stills of actors in the movie the martian and project hail mary

Recently, I wrote an article about why I don’t teach the Hero’s Journey; you can read it here. It got people talking. Not because people disagreed, but because people said they had a similar critique of the Hero’s Journey. In particular, as the default of what a story is in terms of point of view, form…

Why I Don’t Teach the Hero’s Journey

Why I don't teach the hero's journey in business storytelling — and why a framework built around one white male Western perspective was never universal.