The older I get, the more I realize great leadership and great storytelling have a lot in common.

The older I get, the more I realize great leadership and great storytelling have a lot in common. Both require vulnerability.

Recently, our family gathered in southern Indiana for a picnic. Burgers on the grill. Cornhole in the yard. Kids running around. Lawn chairs slowly forming a circle as cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandkids settled in for the evening.

And then Uncle Ron started telling stories.

He’s one of those rare storytellers who can make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. He shared stories from growing up as the youngest of 10 kids on a farm — stories involving mischief, close calls, and apparently a first-name relationship with the local sheriff’s department.

Even though I’ve heard many of those stories before, they somehow get better every time he tells them.

But what struck me most wasn’t the humor.

It was the shift.

Almost without warning, the laughter gave way to something deeper. Ron began talking about a recent medical diagnosis that left him wondering if he would ever walk again. He described the physical pain, the uncertainty, the anxiety, and the helplessness that came with it.

The circle got quiet.

Not awkward quiet.
Connected quiet.

Thankfully, after more testing and many prayers, the diagnosis proved incorrect and he made a full recovery.

But sitting there listening, I was reminded of something important about leadership:

It’s easy to lead when the stories are wins.

The promotion.
The fun vacation.
The successful business.
The record-breaking quarter.

Those stories inspire people.

But the stories that truly connect people are often the hard ones.

The season when cash flow was tight.
The marriage that needed help.
The anxiety no one saw behind the confident exterior.
The failure you thought might define you.

Vulnerability doesn’t weaken leadership.
It humanizes it.

And in many cases, it gives other people permission to stop pretending they’re the only ones struggling.

People rarely connect through perfection.
They connect through honesty.

As leaders, the stories we choose to tell shape the culture around us.

Not every story needs a polished ending.
But authenticity has a way of building trust faster than success ever will.

What stories are you telling?