Revealing the stories under the surface can be a game changer

When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft he wanted to signal a new more human and empathetic style of leadership for the company. He wanted to shift the culture. 

He saw an opportunity to show his values and drivers; to demonstrate clearly with examples that drew on his own personal experience. And he did this by sharing his personal stories. 

Through his book ‘Hit Refresh’ and a series of LinkedIn posts, Nadella speaks openly about his experiences and the learnings he takes from them. In 2017 he shared a post about having a son with special needs, and how that had been a turning point in his life. Sharing his story delivered a clear signal to the 182,000 people that worked there - and to the outside world - that he was open and vulnerable. It showed Nadella was going to lead by example; and it let everyone know what was important to him.

We’ve all got our stories. And for many of us in our work lives, they lay hidden beneath the water line. But when we reveal those stories - the tales of overcoming adversity, of how we got to here, of the setbacks and challenges along the way - it builds emotional engagement with our teams, with our peers, with our customers.

And that is the power of a story. It doesn’t need to be deeply personal. It doesn’t need to be about your children. But sharing your story in a work setting - making parts of you below the water line visible for the first time - can be a game changer.

Sharing personal stories is the best way of demonstrating who leaders are and what makes them tick. I find that time and again with the leaders I work with. When they share some deeper element of themselves, it engages teams and cuts through the noise.