Narrative Leadership Development

Andrew Rixon is a Senior Lecturer in Leadership at Griffith Business School with a PhD in Complexity Science. His work integrates leadership development, coaching, and narrative approaches to sensemaking in complex systems, with a particular focus on health systems leadership and leadership in emergency medicine.Linmin Zhang is the founder of IncluSmart, and a seasoned leadership coach and facilitator who specializes in using storytelling to inspire and connect with leaders. As the Director of Professional Development at the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), she believes stories can enhance understanding and drive meaningful change within diverse teams.

“This volume delivers a compelling roadmap for leaders who want to excel in today’s complex world. It shows how the most effective leaders critically examine, ethically shape, and collaboratively craft the stories that drive identity, connection, and organizational success. With rich insights into both the power and the “dark side” of leadership storytelling, this collection offers a dynamic, research‑backed guide to narrative leadership development. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an authoritative and inspiring resource on the science and practice of narrative leadership.”David V. Day, Professor of Psychological Science and Leadership, Claremont McKenna College, USA“In a world searching for new narratives and new forms of leadership, this is an important book that brings these two worlds together. It offers a stellar resource for practitioners who are serious about their work with stories.”David Drake, PhD, Founder, The Moment Institute“As a collective practice and learning afficionado, it might seem counterintuitive that I would endorse a book on storytelling. As readers will see, however, this important volume makes way for stories as sense-making vehicles promoting critical reflection and identity formation through engagement in practice. This focus on narrative reflexivity can help learners reconstruct leadership decentering it from essentialist and heroic notions of leaders to its development as an unfolding author-ship via dynamic material-discursive social processes.”Joe Raelin, Knowles Chair Emeritus, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA“As a business executive who has led three organizational turnarounds, I was drawn to the chapter “I Don’t Know Where We Are Going, But That’s Okay.” It treats storytelling not as inspiration or technique, but as an ethical discipline that asks leaders to tolerate ambiguity and resist premature closure. Grounded in lived leadership practice, it speaks directly to the realities of leading under genuine uncertainty. Highly recommended.”Rex Chiang, General Manager, APAC Commercial Markets, Avon Cosmetics (Taiwan) LTD.“This book is different as it addresses both the art and science of leadership. It emphasizes leadership skills for the current climate as opposed to ’same old’ from the past. It is helpful for both leaders and coaches working with leaders to empower them to enhance their leadership skills while meeting the needs of today.”Marion Franklin, MS, MCC, author of “The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching"“I help groups build their story through awareness of self and others. This book explores why this is critical. Story sharing and “Cultural humility” build capacity, I have worked in these for years but discovered new perspectives. Specifically helpful was the “The Dark Side” often neglected, has unintended consequences that are missed or diminished or even intended consequences that are destructive.” Lawrence Philbrook Director ICA Taiwan, CTF, CPF/Emeritus

• IntroductionPart 1 - Dark Side of Leadership StorytellingChapter 1 The Dark Side of Leadership Storytelling: Betraying Stakeholder TrustChapter 2 The Compassionate GapChapter 3 The Dark Side of Storytelling in Leadership: When Narratives FailChapter 4 Would I lie to you, honey? Now, would I say something that wasn’t true. Telling MetaphorsChapter 5 Resisting the dark side of leadership: Reflexive storytelling practices in leadership developmentChapter 6 Narrative: Unveiling Brave Spaces for Leadership DevelopmentChapter 7 Leadership Roles in The Story Telling Organisation: Moving between The Narratives We Have and The Stories We TellPart 2 – Leadership Storytelling for InclusivenessChapter 8 Who You Are Is How You Lead: Narrative Identity and Narrative LeadershipChapter 9 How Narrative Practices Transform Leadership Culture in an OrganizationChapter 10 Pedagogical Design for Leadership: Integrating Storytelling in Engineering EducationChapter 11 Understanding how undergraduate students construct their careers as ethical leaders and managersChapter 12 Evidencing inclusivity and diversity in leadership practices through narrative storytelling aligned with the Professional Standards FrameworkChapter 13 The Pursuit of Cultural Humility in Leadership DevelopmentChapter 14 Cultivating Belonging Through Story: A Foundation for Narrative Leadership DevelopmentPart 3 – Innovative Narrative PracticesChapter 15 Reading well, on and off the page: narratology and leader developmentChapter 16 Sense making and Sense Giving in Educational Leadership StoriesChapter 17 The Provenance of Leadership and Leadership DevelopmentChapter 18 I Don’t Know Where We Are Going, But That’s Okay: Examining Narrative Leadership Development in Light of Complex Problem-SolvingChapter 19 Leadership narratives of self through storying high velocity events: Implications for theory and practiceChapter 20 The role of Stories in Helping Leaders Learn about Leading and Leadership in a Complex WorldChapter 21 Working with intrapersonal conflict narratives as a tool to develop a strong leadership identityChapter 22 Narrative Self-Coaching: Creating and Mobilising Intrapersonal Identity Workspaces