I have seen roughly forty Christmases and, with some luck, may witness forty more.
Or, I might say I am standing at the crest of my personal, business, and family growth curve, with so much still to achieve.
Both statements are true. One is a conservative, rational narrative. The other is an optimistic, expansive one.
Yet each narrative leads the mind down a very different path. Our narratives are the lifeblood of our decisions. Sometimes we use them to arrive at a decision; sometimes we create them after the decision. These pre- and post-decision narratives can be entirely different—while we still convince ourselves we are thinking rationally.
This is why leaders must pay close attention to the narratives shaping their organisations. Setting the right narrative is not poetic fluff; it is a core responsibility of leadership. It sits at the heart of change management, risk management, and strategic momentum. Narratives can accelerate an initiative—or quietly undermine it.
