Power Through Storytelling (how to turn everyday updates into narratives that stick)

Leadership Cheat Codes issue #4

Many UX leaders drown in decks.

Metrics, charts, insights … all technically correct, all quickly forgotten.

Executives don’t remember data points.

They remember stories that prove data points.

In leadership, storytelling isn’t fluff.

It’s the delivery mechanism for influence.

A narrative shapes how others interpret numbers, how they defend your work, and how they talk about you when you’re not in the room.

Here are 5️⃣ cheat codes that turn updates into narratives that move through the organization.

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💥 Cheat Code #1:

Start With the Tension, Not the Timeline

Most people start with context, like this → “Here’s what we set out to do…”

But attention spikes when there’s friction.

When you open with the problem or conflict, you immediately create stakes.

Insider story:

A researcher I coached used to begin readouts with slides on “methodology” and “sample size.”

Executives tuned out.

I told her to start with: “Users are abandoning the signup flow faster than any other step in the funnel.”

Silence.

Attention.

Then she unpacked how they discovered it.

The same content as before.

But now it started with tension.

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🏆 Deploy this now

• Open your next presentation with a sentence that makes people sit up:

  “We found the moment users stop trusting us.”
  “Every team missed this pattern except ours.”

  Then earn the story backward.

⚠️ Risk of misuse

Don’t invent drama. Real stakes already exist → you just need to spotlight them.

💥 Cheat Code #2:

Make the Hero the BUSINESS (Not You)

The moment a story centers on you, executives tune out.

They don’t want to hear how smart the design team is → they want to hear how the business wins.

Insider story:
A design lead presented a case study with the line: “Our team created a new workflow that simplified navigation.”

The execs nodded politely.

Then she tried a different frame: “This cut average handling time by 23%, saving $2.4M a year.”

Same project, but now the hero was the business.

They approved the next phase instantly.

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🏆 Deploy this now

Before presenting, ask yourself: “Who’s the hero of this story?”

If the answer is “our team,” rewrite it.

Make the company, the customer, or the stakeholder win the central thread.

⚠️ Risk of misuse

Don’t erase your contribution entirely! The trick is to make the business the hero and you the trusted guide.

💥 Cheat Code #3:

Collapse Time

Executives think in outcomes, not process.

When you walk them through every sprint, they stop listening.

Instead, compress time: move from problem → insight → impact in 3 beats.