I\u2019ve reviewed a lot of card decks that help you think differently.
But The Leadership Story Deck by David Hutchens goes a step further, it doesn\u2019t just spark ideas, it helps you find your own stories and share them in ways that connect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve ever struggled to explain why your work matters, or wanted to inspire your team without resorting to bullet points and charts, this deck is worth a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few years ago, a CEO asked my team a seemingly simple question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow can we make customers trust us again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After digging in, we realised the issue wasn\u2019t out there, it was in here.
Inside the company, we weren\u2019t speaking the same language about customer experience.
Before we could rebuild trust with customers, we had to rebuild it with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That story became a turning point for us and it reminded me how powerful storytelling can be in shifting how people think.
Sometimes conviction means challenging the question, not just answering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That idea\u2014connecting worlds that don\u2019t usually meet, is exactly what the Leadership Story Deck does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The set includes:<\/strong> Here\u2019s how I used it.<\/strong> In the end, my presentation came together around four key storie<\/strong>s. You can use the deck solo or with your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Individually, it\u2019s great for surfacing your own leadership stories. In a group, it becomes a discovery exercise: each person picks a few cards that resonate, then shares why those stories matter. The result is a library of lived experiences that bring company values to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To really test the tool, I used it to build an upcoming presentation. The structure helped me remember the flow without slides; each story became a natural cue. Hutchens also offers a Story Canvas, a downloadable or physical template to map stories visually.
\u2022 27 Theme Cards<\/em>, each representing a classic leadership story pattern like A Leader with Conviction, The Vision, or Bridge to Innovation.
\u2022 3 Narrative Recipe Cards<\/em>, which combine themes into larger frameworks for talks, workshops, or presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started with a theme that matched my project, then grabbed the suggested story cards and thought about real moments that illustrated the idea. Some cards didn\u2019t fit, so I swapped them out until the narrative felt right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each one was factual, grounded in the work, but together they bridged facts, examples, and emotion.
Not every story has to sound like a campfire tale, sometimes a good business story is simply a clear, human explanation with a bit of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Individual Reflection to Team Discovery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Building a Talk with Narrative Recipes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I followed one of Hutchens\u2019 Narrative Recipes \u201cSharing Knowledge or Fostering a Learning Organisation.\u201d
It suggested three story cards (8, 11, 22). When those didn\u2019t fit perfectly, I used alternatives (14, 17, 18) and was amazed at how well they still formed a coherent narrative arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when I realised: the deck doesn\u2019t just help you find stories; it helps you own them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTools Around the Deck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can use it in Mural, Miro, or on paper. And his book Story Dash expands the method further, showing how storytelling can drive engagement and action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n