Discover how storytelling shapes organizational memory, strengthens culture and ensures your message endures.
Why Stories Matters in Business
I was reflecting recently on the speakers who’ve left a lasting impression over the years. Interestingly, I often forget their names—but I remember their stories, and how those stories made their messages unforgettable.
Research shows people are 22 times more likely to remember information when it’s told in a story compared to facts alone. In one Stanford study, 63% of participants remembered the stories they heard, while only 5% remembered a statistic.
Stories are not just decoration—they are the carriers of meaning, culture, and memory.
So in the spirit of Storytelling here is a version of a story I was once told. (Her name escapes me now, but her story stayed with me. She was part of my onboarding at Herman Miller—and she was a water carrier.)
The Water Carrier: A Story for Modern Leaders
I rise with dawn, the morning air is cool and damp, carrying the smell of woodsmoke from fires that burned through the night. In my hands is the vessel—smooth, heavy, worn by years of use. Today, as every day, I walk to the river.
The path is familiar. When I reach the riverbank, I kneel and dip the vessel into the current. The water is cold, alive, moving with a rhythm older than memory. To some, it may seem that I am simply gathering water. But I know this is more than a task—it is a calling. I am carrying life.
On the walk back, the weight of the vessel presses into my shoulders. It is heavy, but I do not mind. The children often run beside me, curious, asking questions. They listen as I tell them stories: about the river, about the elders who taught me its importance, about how water connects us to the land and to each other. In those moments, I know I am not just carrying water. I am carrying memory.
When I return, the water is poured and shared. It nourishes the people, it cooks their food, it washes their hands. But it does something more—it reminds them who they are. Every time I bring water, I bring back a piece of our story. This is my role: to sustain the body, yes, but also to nourish the spirit of our community.
The Water Carrier’s Lesson for Modern Leaders
This reflection reminded me of a deeper truth: in business, stories aren’t just memorable—they’re essential to culture, leadership, and legacy. Every community, whether a village or an organization, has its own “water.” In business, this water is not drawn from rivers, but from stories:
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The story of why the company began.
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The struggles that shaped its resilience.
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The values that hold it together.
These stories are what nourish culture. Yet in many organizations, no one carries them. Leaders focus on numbers, strategies, and dashboards, but without someone to carry the deeper meaning forward, the culture runs dry. People forget not just what they are doing, but why they are doing it.
The modern water carrier in business is the leader who chooses to carry the story. They retell the founding vision so new employees understand their place in something larger. They celebrate not just milestones, but the resilience and collaboration behind them. They mentor others by weaving wisdom into stories, ensuring lessons are passed down and not forgotten.
Carrying Water in Your Organization
Finding water carriers for your workplace means:
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Honoring your origins so the past stays alive in the present.
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Sharing stories of transformation so people see how challenges lead to growth.
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Inviting many voices into the circle, so everyone becomes part of the flow.
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Embedding values into narrative so culture is lived, not just listed.
Just as the First Nations water carrier carried the vessel from the river each day and shared their wisdom, leaders must carry the stories that sustain their people. Through them identity, resilience and belonging flow with strength.
Who carries the stories in your organization? If no one does, perhaps it's time to pick up the vessel.
