I’m just returning from our annual trip back home to Indiana for the July 4th holiday.
Each year, I spend the time hanging out with my mom and visiting family. This time included attending my great uncle’s funeral.
I didn’t know him well, but I feel like I got a good sense of the man from all of the heartfelt stories that people shared.
One by one, people stood to share small memories that captured who he was. These weren’t grand tales.
They were ordinary stories that revealed something extraordinary: the mark a person leaves behind through connection.
It reminded me how central storytelling is to our experience, both personally and professionally.
In workplaces, we too often skip over the stories and focus only on deliverables and results.
But story is how people remember, relate, and ultimately care.
Whether you’re leading a team, launching a campaign, or navigating change, storytelling isn’t fluff — it’s how we make meaning.
And sometimes, meaning is the most important outcome of all.
