Coaching for Leaders 755: How to Lead a Meaningful Cultural Shift, with David Hutchens
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Oct 20, 2025 In this engaging discussion, David Hutchens, a renowned storytelling consultant, shares insights on the power of narrative in shaping organizational culture. He explores how leaders can use their own stories to foster meaningful cultural shifts, emphasizing the importance of human and emotional connections during change. Hutchens also highlights the difference between 'embodied' stories from leaders and 'received' stories from employees. He offers tips on eliciting authentic employee narratives through intentional prompts, demonstrating how storytelling can drive cultural behavior.
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Two Contrasting Change Moments
- Dave described two career moments where organizational change arrived overnight and was handled very differently.
- The first lacked a 'why' and caused confusion while the second used a 'Stockholm' story to reframe the change and eased the transition.
Identity And Culture Are Stories
- David asserted that identity and culture are formed and transmitted through story.
- He argued you cannot do identity or culture work without telling and shaping stories intentionally.
Chewy's Customer Service Story
- David shared a Chewy customer story where a rep consoled a grieving pet owner and the company sent flowers.
- He used it to show how telling such stories creates neural coupling and models desired behavior across the company.
