Narrative Leadership Development

This book explores narratives’ contribution to leadership development and how the development of narrative leadership provides leaders opportunities in an age of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Bringing together educators, researchers, coaches and practitioners, the book traverses the dark side of leadership storytelling, leadership storytelling for inclusiveness and innovative narrative practices. It introduces critical concepts such as narrative betrayal, narrative humility and narrative reflexivity, in order to examine storytelling not only as a source of inspiration and belonging, but also as a site of ethical tension, power, and responsibility. This book will deepen readers understanding of how and why storytelling is important in leader and leadership development contexts and gain practical tools and strategies for leadership development.

Ideal for leadership educators, facilitators, researchers, and organizational practitioners, this book provides essential tools and perspectives for developing leaders in today’s complex world. More than a toolkit, it is an invitation to reflect more deeply on leadership itself.

Andrew Rixon is a Senior Lecturer in Leadership at Griffith Business School with a PhD in Complexity Science. His work integrates leadership development, coaching, and narrative approaches to sensemaking in complex systems, with a particular focus on health systems leadership and leadership in emergency medicine.

Linmin Zhang is the founder of IncluSmart, and a seasoned leadership coach and facilitator who specializes in using storytelling to inspire and connect with leaders. As the Director of Professional Development at the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), she believes stories can enhance understanding and drive meaningful change within diverse teams.