206. Crafting Narratives That Motivate: What’s Your Strategy Story?

Great strategy starts with a question—and a story worth believing in.

A good strategy isn’t just built—it’s told. For Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute and author of The Imagination Machine and Like: The Button That Changed the World, strategy and imagination are both deeply communicative processes, rooted in storytelling, curiosity, and the courage to reframe assumptions.

“A strategy is really just a special kind of story,” Reeves explains. “It begins with the present and aspires to a different future—it’s fiction made actionable.” To bring that fiction to life, leaders must involve their teams in a co-creative journey and use thoughtful questions to shape not just ideas, but belief and action.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reeves joins Matt Abrahams to explore how communication fuels strategic thinking, innovation, and organizational reinvention. He outlines his six-step framework for imagination—from embracing anomalies to codifying and continuing ideas—and underscores the role of reframing, deep listening, and even levity in solving complex problems. Together, they unpack how a single “like” button changed our digital behaviors—and what it teaches us about influence and attention today.

Episode Reference Links:

• Martin Reeves
• Martin’s Books: Like / The Imagination Machine
• Ep.71 Strategy Success: How to Communicate Your Gameplan

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Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:20) - Using Story in Strategy
• (05:01) - Questions as a Communication Technology
• (06:16) - The Six Steps to Harnessing Imagination
• (10:37) - The “7 Cs” of Imagination and Communication
• (12:09) - Reframing as a Creative Tool
• (14:12) - The Like Button: Origin and Evolution
• (16:15) - Brain Chemistry Behind Digital Liking
• (18:13) - The Final Three Questions
• (24:06) - Conclusion

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