Who Rocked the Boat?

Leaders who are adept at storytelling can help employees navigate disruptive change.

Storytelling is a reliably effective method for conveying the principles, practices and upheavals that affect people and organizations. Though major changes usually feel tumultuous and unpleasant, they follow a consistent pattern. Understanding how that process of change unfolds will help you manage transitions in various circumstances, whether you’re leading a company, taking charge of a team or forging a new direction in life.

Acknowledging how change unfolds makes you less likely to blame others for “rocking the boat” and creating chaos.Finding fault is counter-productive. Successful change occurs when people commit to collaborate on an effective strategy for the shifting currents ahead.

In this parable, a crisis upsets a serene voyage.

The captain and his mates were enjoying calm waters and pleasant surroundings as they floated down the river aboard their ship Results. They needed to navigate past a mountain to reach their destination and unload their cargo. The crew members had...