Nicole
Piotrowska
Connecting with people starts with seeing them — and letting them see you. That’s why stories matter. There’s no better way to get a sense of who you are than through the stories you tell. Stories don’t just describe reality; they shape how we understand it. Long before neuroscience confirmed it, advertisers already knew: we often feel first and justify later. A good story can inspire, challenge, and move people in ways that facts and slides alone rarely can.
During my twenty years in corporate America, I saw this again and again. At Walmart, stories helped communicate culture to millions of employees. Booking.com’s origin story had our CEO sleeping on conference room tables when the company was scrappily trying to get more hotel clients. When I look back at the moments that truly landed in my own career, they weren’t the programs or strategies I created — they were the stories I told.
One time, standing on stage in front of a full auditorium, I had to explain why Walmart’s Black Friday circular had to remain secret as long as possible. Searching for an analogy, I joked that it was a bit like a burlesque show — “you give a little shoulder, and you take some back.” I pulled down the corner of my sweater and did a little shimmy. The room erupted in laughter, and the message stuck. An authentic little story did the work.
Years later I was teaching 40 Master’s students in Consultancy and Entrepreneurship. The class wasn’t going well. I was presenting slides someone else had created, content-heavy slides with So. Many. Words… I was just transferring information from the slide deck into the ether. And everyone felt it. Phones came out. Energy drained from the room. We were all counting down the minutes.
“Alright — we’re done with this,” I told them. I turned off the screen and asked them to gather at the front of the room. No desks. Just a loose semi-circle. And I told them a story. A story about a young woman starting her career. The choices she faced. The mistakes she made. The lessons she learned. There was tension, disappointment, and joy — everything that makes a story worth listening to.
Afterwards, a student came up to me and said, “In my favorite television show, the writers gave their high school teacher a cameo appearance as a thank you for believing in them. I’ve always wondered what it must be like to have a teacher like that. I think you’re one of those types of teachers.” This compliment touched my heart but it wasn’t me, it was my story that earned this appreciation.
That’s the power of storytelling. It connects, clarifies and creates impact. So whether you’re leading a team, teaching a class, or shaping a strategy, enhance your ability to tell a story that people feel and remember. It is a true leadership superpower.