We talk about sustainability in terms of systems, metrics and reporting.
But we rarely talk about narrative sustainability.
Every organisation is sustained by a story. A story about why it exists, who it serves and what future it is helping to create.
When that story is coherent, people commit. When it fractures, no amount of language can repair the trust gap.
This is why storytelling is becoming a core skill for modern leaders.
Not because leaders need to be more charismatic.
Not because brand teams need better copy.
But because strategy, culture and social impact are all narrative constructs before they are operational realities.
If the story about growth contradicts the story about responsibility, employees notice.
If the story about purpose does not match lived experience, stakeholders disengage.
If the future being promised feels abstract or performative, credibility drains.
In Story-Centred Leadership, I argue that leaders are not just decision-makers. They are authors of the environments people inhabit - but don't forget that everyone in the organisation contributes to the story of 'how we do things round here'. That makes 'narrative sustainabiilty' and literacy a governance issue, not a communications add-on
I explore this further in my latest piece for Sustainable Business Magazine, which you can read Here.