“Storytelling isn’t really my job.”
I hear it from finance leaders. From engineers. From HR. From the people who think story is just spin, fiction, or fluff you add at the end to make things sound nice.
But every job influences someone.
Finance is trying to get funding approved.
HR is trying to change behavior across an organization.
Engineering is trying to get a project across the finish line.
That’s all influence. And influence is storytelling. You’re moving someone from one belief to another. From one decision to a different one. From inaction to action.
That’s the work of a story.
You don’t need to stand on a stage or start with “once upon a time.” But you do need to understand where your audience is right now, where you need them to go, and what they need to hear to get there.
So if your job involves moving a human being from one behavior to another, then yes. Storytelling is your job.