Once Upon a Leader: Finding the Story at the Heart of your Leadership

Take charge of your leadership story—and write a new chapter

There are moments in just about every leadership journey when the path forward suddenly feels unclear. Struck by uncertainty and a lack of confidence, your sense of self—and your clarity of purpose—is out of balance. It’s as if you have ceased to be the hero in your own story. At times of periods of disruption and transition like these, you need a rewrite.

As a senior leader, what holds you back is often not a lack of skills or knowledge, but a fragmented and patchy leadership narrative that is frozen in time. A growing body of research suggests that many leaders are guided by a core narrative that defines not only how they see themselves, but that acts as a key source of personal motivation, drive and action. When your leadership stalls, it’s a sign that your story has taken you as far as it can—and it’s time to reauthor a new leadership narrative.

In this transformative guide to leadership development, executive coaches and leadership experts Rick Lash and Christine Miners illuminate how your internal narrator acts as the operating system of your mind—and how, like any OS, it can become outdated and overstretched (because it was mainly installed in your teens and early 20s). Through engaging stories, research-backed insights, and techniques, you’ll gain the tools to re-engage and update the story that you tell yourself, so you can operate at a higher, more effective level.

As you edit and upgrade your internal narrator, you’ll develop a personal story that is more grounded and anchored in your true self: one that is less fragile, more resilient, and able to withstand the relentless pressures of leadership—and life.