Let’s Start With a Story

Any D&D player worth their XP will tell you all great stories begin in a tavern. This story, however, begins in a less inspiring place: a video call.

This meeting had high ambitions, but we quickly veered off course. The agenda disappeared, and we fell into a familiar pattern of cycling through the same topics without making decisions. The energy was low, the conversation repetitive, and the creativity stifled.

Recognizing the moment, I stepped up by ensuring the loudest voices didn’t dominate, while drawing out the quieter team members who rarely had the space to share their ideas. At the end of those ninety minutes, we had arrived at a direction I hadn’t anticipated. It was innovative, fresh, and it came from the collective energy of the group.

And that's when it hit me—I had just run a game of D&D.

I’ve been leading creative teams for 25 years and playing D&D for 40, and I finally realized they aren’t that different. Hear me out. 

Leading a business team and running a D&D game involves storytelling, collaboration, and guiding a diverse group toward a common goal. In business, just like in D&D, a leader's role is not to dictate the story but to create the environment where the story can unfold organically, collaboratively, and exponentially. Great storytelling in leadership aligns the team with a shared vision and invites them to take ownership of the journey toward that vision.

Storytelling also helps leaders navigate uncertainty. Every leader struggles with uncertainty: did we do the right thing? What now? What next? In the same way a Game Master (GM) adapts to unpredictable player decisions, leaders must be agile, adjusting the narrative in response to new challenges while keeping the team focused on the larger goal.

More than just a method for making decisions, storytelling fosters a sense of play, and play invites creativity and collaboration. Even the best leaders struggle with getting the most from their teams. Enter role-playing games, which help unlock hidden opportunities by encouraging people to think beyond their usual constraints, challenge norms, and build trust.

In this journey, I’ll share leadership strategies I’ve developed through decades of playing TTRPGs, tips that translate directly to building better leaders and stronger teams. Together, we’ll explore how storytelling, creativity, and collaboration can transform the way you lead.

And maybe it will get you interested enough to give D&D a try.

Grab your Explorer's Pack. Let’s get started.