Leaders shape company culture. Their journeys, challenges, and lessons inspire employees, attract top talent, and reinforce your employer brand. By sharing leadership stories, you humanize your leaders and showcase the values that make your company stand out.

Leadership stories are a powerful communication tool. They not only highlight personal growth but also connect to larger company initiatives like mentorship, career development, and company values. 

Let’s explore the impact of leadership storytelling and how you can activate your own leader story series.

How Leadership Stories Promote Mentorship

Mentorship is an easy entry point for leaders to share personal stories. It’s a non-intimidating topic that focuses on gratitude—acknowledging the mentors who shaped them. Likewise, leaders can share their experiences mentoring others, reinforcing a culture of guidance and support.

This topic is especially compelling because mentorship is cyclical—89% of those mentored go on to mentor others. If your organization has a successful mentorship program, leadership storytelling can amplify its impact.

In this video, Kirsten shares a personal story about being mentored, explains how it shaped her, and connects it to AstraZeneca’s leadership development culture.

How Leader Stories Inspire Career Mobility

Leaders who share their career journeys help employees and candidates see what’s possible. Showcasing how they grew within an industry or company builds trust and encourages retention. Talking about one’s career is personal, yet approachable—making it a great way to ease leaders into storytelling.

We like this example from Mike, sharing how he “grew up” in the automotive industry.

Another key impact is “See It, Be It.” When employees see leaders with similar backgrounds or experiences, they believe leadership is attainable for them. If your company is committed to promoting diverse leadership, these stories become even more powerful.

Here is an example we love from a senior leader at Dropbox.

How Leader Stories Promote Company Values 

When leadership doesn’t model company values, employees can be confused or disengaged. Leadership storytelling bridges the gap between corporate messaging and real-life actions.

This is especially critical for programs like wellness and mental health initiatives. Leaders may hesitate to share their experiences due to vulnerability, but when they do, they make these programs feel authentic.

For example, when Trane Technologies launched a mental health anti-stigma campaign using employee stories, they knew they needed leadership participation. Ann stepped up, sharing her personal story and demonstrating full support for the initiative.

How Leader Stories Show Culture in Action

A leader is well-positioned to recap how their team reacted to a major challenge and connect it to a broader cultural message. Leadership stories highlight how company values translate into real actions.

When wildfires broke out near a Davidson Hotel Group location, several employees lost everything. The company rallied together, and leaders stepped up to support their teams. In a video, they tied this response back to their core mission: “That’s serving others with love, and that’s what we do.”

Bring Your Leadership Stories to Life

Your brand benefits when leaders share their experiences. Leadership storytelling communicates company culture in a new, engaging way—one that builds trust and inspires action.

Actionable tips to bring leadership stories to life:

• Identify compelling moments: When observing and interacting with leaders, look for challenges, turning points, or personal insights that connect to company values.
• Keep it authentic: Encourage leaders to share real emotions and experiences rather than corporate jargon. Ask questions about why something matters to dig deeper.
• Use multiple formats: Video interviews, blog posts, and social media snippets can all help tell the story effectively.
• Tie it to a business impact: Connect leadership stories to company programs, initiatives, or values to make them resonate.
• Encourage participation: When asking leaders to share their stories, provide loose talking points or a conversation guide to help them feel comfortable sharing.

See even more ways to activate your leaders’ stories in our leadership storytelling guide. 

Stories Inc. has helped hundreds of leaders uncover inspiring stories that bring company culture to life. Want to showcase the leadership stories in your organization? Get in touch to see how we can help.