Family businesses are a trove of incredible stories. But often owners don’t take the time to reflect on and share these stories publicly. When they do, the impact is powerful. Not only as a marketing strategy, but to elevate the purpose of the company externally and to prepare the next generation for leadership. The first annual 2024 VISbility Ranking revealed that a majority of family businesses who are committed to being a force for good are missing key opportunities for sharing their stories (and their character and values) externally. In this article, we will hear from three of companies ..read more

According to Edelman Trust Barometer “Family business has always held a strong edge in trust over business in general.” But trust isn’t something family businesses can take for granted. Edelman reports that trust in family businesses has been eroding for years. A recent study saw a six point drop in trust for family business, while trust in general business is climbing. Why? Edelman sees that family businesses are not working to build trust with their customers: “Nearly 60 percent of companies do not communicate purpose externally. Eighty-four percent do not take a public stand on important i ..read more

Business women having a work lunch in a café, exchanging ideas and discussing their projects with a client. Young business team using a laptop as they sit around a coffee table. Stereotypes are tied to deeply entrenched narratives that fail to capture a more complex truth. These oversimplified ideas are reinforced by one-sided stories. Case in point: The stereotypes that women are bad with money and that girls are bad at math perpetuates itself with a male-dominated investment industry. Today, 98.6% of all asset management firms in the U.S. are run by white men. Even though stories can reinf ..read more

When it comes to leadership storytelling, most people imagine the “sage on stage” sharing personal stories to inspire and persuade their audiences. But leadership storytelling has another side to it: story facilitation. It’s equally important and impactful to listen and help draw out stories  from other people and give them the space to tell stories. Every story needs a listener. And some of the most urgent stories of our time need a story facilitator to draw them out. This is why some leaders invested in leading a change toward a more equitable world are learning to implement story facil ..read more

s According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, if economic trends continue as they are “the US will take 208 years to close its gender gap.” If we want to see this rate of change accelerated, we must commit to raising women leaders who can tell their own stories to increase the impact of their leadership. A powerful way to do this is through storytelling in mentoring. For many women business leaders, like Casey Foss, Chief Commercial Officer at West Monroe, storytelling in mentoring has become a core part of how they understand their role as a business leader. “Sometime ov ..read more

How do you champion a cause you deeply believe in, even when you feel like you don’t know how to? You allow yourself to be led by your passion and share your story. This is how women become storytelling leaders who create new narratives for women and girls everywhere. Shannon Nash, CFO at Wing Corporation, an Alphabet company, didn’t intend to become an award-winning movie maker. She simply saw the need for the stories to be told and she stood up to tell them. Women, like Nash, must be storytelling leaders to ensure that women’s accomplishments are continued to be built upon. In this article ..read more

Women are making history. In 2023, Fortune reported that women represented 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs for the first time. Despite gains like these, if women leaders don’t share their own stories, they risk being erased. Further, when women’s leadership stories are left untold it denies women and girls the chance to be inspired by and participate in new narratives. Meet four women leaders who’ve embraced storytelling as a key component of their success — all in different ways. Two executives embrace personal storytelling to uplift the people around them and scale impact. Two use story facilitatio ..read more

Join us in celebrating our new class of Story Facilitators!   The Power of Story Facilitation In a climate of conflict, polarization, and disconnection, leading effectively, authentically, and with connection is paramount. Leadership demands more than just industry expertise, it requires effective communication. Story facilitation We are excited to celebrate a diverse cohort of rising leaders– our 2023 class of Certified Story Facilitators! Story Facilitators are leaders in authentic communication who create space for connection and purpose. Our Certified Story Facilitator program, or CS ..read more

When women leaders tell their own stories, they expand the possible narratives for other women and girls. Even though storytelling is a powerful tool for challenging the status quo, many women choose not to tell their own stories. Men, especially men with power, do the most talking, and, therefore, most of the storytelling. Why? Women are penalized when they speak. A study by Yale professor Victoria Brescoll found that gender bias persists at all levels: “powerful women are in fact correct in assuming that they will incur backlash as a result of talking more.” Why Women Are Less Likely To Tel ..read more

Studies show that we learn and retain information best through listening to stories. Research by The London School of Business shows that most people only retain 5-10% of information when presented with facts, but if those facts are woven into a story, listeners will remember up to 70% of that information. Esther recently had the chance to connect with Patrick Pacheco, host of the In Good Companies podcast, to dive into leadership storytelling’s ability to transform the way you do business. They cover a variety of topics, from how much vulnerability leaders should exhibit through their storyt ..read more