Good leaders ask, “How do I tell better stories?” Great leaders ask, “Which stories do I need to tell?”

Does that mean how you tell a leadership story doesn’t matter? Of course not. But if you tell an irrelevant, unimportant, or self-serving story, it doesn’t matter how well you tell it. The story is more important than the delivery.

And although great leaders need hundreds of stories, not all stories are equally important. I’ve interviewed more than 300 CEOs, leaders, and executives in 25 countries around the world about their use of storytelling in business. Here’s my conclusion about the most important 10 stories any leader needs to be able to tell at a moment’s notice.

1. Where we came from (our founding story)—Nobody ever quit their job and started a company for a boring reason. Find that reason for your company’s founder and tell that story. It will infect everyone with the same sense of purpose and passion.

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