Ideas That Move You Forward

I was working with a leadership team at a mid-sized organisation in Nairobi when the CEO said something that has stayed with me: "I keep hiring great people, and then something happens to them here." He was not being dramatic. He was genuinely confused. And he was not alone — this is one of the most common things I hear from leaders across sectors.

The problem, almost always, is not the people. It is the environment the leadership has — often unknowingly — created.

What Disengagement Actually Looks Like

• Meetings where the same two people talk and everyone else waits for it to end
• Team members who do exactly what is asked — nothing more, nothing less
• High performers quietly updating their CVs
• Conflict that never surfaces — because people have learned it is not safe to disagree

"You do not build a great team by hiring great individuals. You build it by creating conditions where great individuals can actually be great — together."

What the Research — and My Experience — Shows

The GiANT Worldwide Five Voices framework, which I use extensively in my team development work, reveals something fascinating: most team dysfunction is not about capability. It is about communication styles colliding without anyone understanding why. When team members understand their own voice and the voices of their colleagues, the dynamic shifts almost immediately.

The other intervention that consistently works is creating structured space for honest conversation. Not town halls. Not anonymous surveys. Real, facilitated dialogue where people feel safe enough to say what they actually think.

If your team is technically functioning but not truly performing, that gap is worth investigating. Our Team Development programmes are designed to close it.

I want to tell you about two pitches I witnessed in the same week. The first was from a founder who had built something genuinely impressive — the numbers were strong, the market analysis was thorough, the slides were beautifully designed. He presented for twenty minutes. When he finished, the room was politely appreciative. Nothing more.

The second founder walked in, put her slides aside after the first two, and said: "Let me tell you about the woman who inspired this business." For the next fifteen minutes, she told a story. Not a polished, rehearsed story — a real one. When she finished, three people in the room wanted to know how they could be involved.

Same calibre of business. Completely different impact. The difference was story.

Why Story Works — Especially in Business

• Story creates trust faster than credentials. When you share a real experience — especially one that includes a moment of struggle or uncertainty — people believe you. Credentials tell people what you know. Story tells them who you are.
• Story makes your message stick. Research consistently shows that information delivered through narrative is remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. If you want your message to travel beyond the room, wrap it in a story.
• Story is the language of influence. Whether you are leading a team, pitching to a donor, selling a product, or motivating your community — influence moves through story. Always has. Always will.

"The most powerful business tool in the world is a well-told true story. It costs nothing and changes everything."

For Entrepreneurs, This Is Non-Negotiable

In Kenya's entrepreneurship landscape, where competition is fierce and resources are limited, the entrepreneurs who break through are almost never the ones with the best product. They are the ones who can articulate why their product exists, who it serves, and what difference it makes — in language that a human being can feel.

If you are building a business and you have not yet invested in your storytelling ability, that is the highest-return investment available to you right now. Our Storytelling programmes and Entrepreneurship training are built to develop exactly this.