I've written about how a change story is the foundation for navigating the challenges of 2025. It’s an effective tool for aligning teams, clarifying decisions, and inspiring action. Let’s dig deeper into what makes a great change story work and how it sets the stage for what comes next: bringing your team along for the journey.
What’s a Change Story, Really?
A change story isn’t just a motivational speech or a presentation slide. It’s the daily narrative you and your team lean on to make decisions, maintain focus, and move forward on the bumpy road to a good place. Without it, change efforts often crumble under confusion, resistance, and that subtle (or not-so-subtle) belief that this trend will pass.
“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal” wrote Howard Gardner in Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership.
Why? Because stories help us understand complex ideas, connect emotionally, and inspire action. They make the abstract tangible, the daunting achievable, and the path forward clear.
I draw very heavily from the idea Public Narrative of Professor Marshall Ganz who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and developed frameworks to use storytelling to support change movements. Lots of resources about this are linked below.
How to Create a Change Story
Honor the Past
Before you can ask your team to embrace something new, you need to respect the journey that got them here. Acknowledge their hard work, the wins that laid the foundation, and the lessons learned along the way. Frances Frei and Anne Morris talk about the need to honor what has been good and not good about the past in their book Fixable. Have a listen to their podcast of the same name, it's worth your time.
Why this matters: People need to feel seen and valued before they’ll trust you to lead them into the unknown.
Point to the Future
Paint a clear, compelling picture of where you’re headed for customers and the business. It doesn’t need to be magical (though a “mystical garden of candy and awesomeness” sounds great), but it does need to inspire.
Why this matters: Teams need a vision they can get behind, something that makes the effort worth it.
Identify the Gap
Be honest about what’s holding you back. Whether it’s outdated processes, skill gaps, or shifting priorities, lay it out plainly.
Why this matters: Clarity about the challenges builds trust and gives people something tangible to work on.
Acknowledge the Challenge
Change is hard, awkward, and messy. There will be mistakes. Name that upfront, and reassure your team that you’re committed to seeing it through.
Why this matters: If you don’t take the challenge seriously, your team won’t either.
Extend an Invitation
Transformation isn’t something you impose; it’s something you do together. Invite your team to participate, shape the journey, and take ownership of the outcome.
Why this matters: When people feel part of the story, they’re far more likely to invest in its success.
Keeping your balance through transformation
Change stories must hold together seemingly conflicting ideas to succeed:
Clarity with Flexibility: Be clear about the objective while remaining flexible on how to achieve it.
Optimism with Realism: Inspire excitement about the future while being honest about the challenges ahead.
Openness with Resolve: Stay open to data and feedback to adapt, but remain firm on the necessity of change—it’s not a passing fad your team can wait out.
By balancing these elements, your change story becomes a credible, motivating guide through uncertainty.
Change Stories Take Development and Practice
Storytelling is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice and coaching to get good at it. As a longtime coach, I encourage you to lean into the “good awkwardness” that comes with breaking old patterns and trying something new. It might feel uncomfortable, but that’s where growth happens.
It’s also really hard to craft a good story which is why it takes years to get a story right at Pixar and months for a comedian to put five minutes of good material together. This story needs to be clear and memorable enough so that everyone can tell it.
What Comes Next?
Your change story is just the start. To truly drive transformation, you need to make compelling invitations that bring your team into the process. Invitations that empower them to act, clarify their roles, and build trust in the journey ahead.
In my next post, I’ll explore how to craft those invitations—what they look like, where they work best, and how to use them to turn your change story into action.
Your change story doesn’t need to be perfect right away. It’s a skill that grows with practice, feedback, and iteration. But the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see its power to unify, inspire, and transform.
Need help crafting yours? Let’s connect—I’d love to help you shape a narrative that makes your 2025 goals a reality.
Image: An experiment with liquid watercolors and string gel
Resources
Storytelling in Product Management and Design | Jessica Hall
Organizing: People, Power, Change PDF from Commons Library
Frances Frei and Anne Morriss
Ariel Group