Why your strategy needs a villain
Inspire through narrative-driven leadership
Have you ever wondered why some teams are filled with purpose… while others are simply “checking off the roadmap”? The difference rarely lies in talent. It lies in the story that unites them. And, like all good stories, there’s always a villain. Something the heroes must overcome. Because without conflict, there’s no epic.
The same goes for strategy. If you don’t identify the problems teams are solving, the roadmap turns into a list of tasks and metrics to improve… but not a battle worth fighting. What if, instead of thinking in terms of OKRs and deliverables, you thought in terms of “chapters” of an epic story? A story that clearly defines the problems you'll conquer that quarter or that year. That’s your narrative. A conflict that truly mobilizes teams.
In many organizations, strategy is confused with annual goals or a list of features. But… what’s the real purpose? How do teams know whether a decision contributes to meaningful impact? And most importantly: how do they know whether they’re writing a story, or just executing a roadmap? Remember: without emotion, there’s no engagement. Without narrative, there’s no shared vision. You need conflict, not just metrics. How do you expect your team to stay motivated through challenges if they don’t know why they’re doing what they do?
If you ever get the chance to shape strategy, turn your pitch into a story—with purpose, characters, and chapters. A strategy as an epic novel:
A starting point: Where are we today?
Resources and obstacles: What do we have? What’s holding us back?
The next chapter (in a quarter or a year): Where are we headed?
And an emotional purpose: Why is that destination worth it?
Now, how do you connect a novel to a data point, a metric, an OKR, or a KPI? A good strategy is about choosing the right story that moves the right metric. One that connects business, product, and user. A metric that simplifies, inspires, and aligns. So next time you’re designing a strategy, don’t start with the numbers. Start with the narrative. Because a team aligned around a story… will move far more metrics than you ever imagined