I definitely made my share of bad hires in the early days as a business owner: The salesperson who never made a sale. The admin who stole our software for her sideline business. The marketing rep who continually fell asleep at her desk and did her personal errands while out of the office on “company business.”

Could you be confusing that favorite story with an anecdote?  Before I mention why it matters, you’re probably wondering why so many blogs and books in the last few years have urged you to learn to tell a great story. Here’s why.

Stories make things stick. CEOs, entertainers, professional speakers, trainers, and leaders have learned that data, marketing messages, instructions, procedures, or just about any kind of information burrows into the brain better and stays longer when wrapped in a good story.