If You Want People to Remember, Tell a Story

Leaders who want their teams to truly internalize values need more than slides and memos. The piece shows that attaching a story-specifically the classic "Message to Garcia"-creates a mental hook that makes abstract values feel real and actionable. When a leader tells a story about a soldier who delivered a letter without asking any questions, the audience instantly sees what ownership and reliability look like in practice.

The narrative recounts how Lt. Andrew Rowan accepted a mission to deliver a message to Cuban rebel leader García. He never asked "where is García" or "why is this needed"-he simply took the letter and completed the task, even crossing hostile jungle. That single act becomes a template for the kind of employee who "does the thing" without hesitation, turning a vague value like "ownership" into a concrete example.

By using that story in an all-hands or a one-on-one, a leader gives the team a shared reference point. The story can be retold when setting expectations, during performance talks, or when celebrating successes. The practical step is to pick a short, memorable anecdote that embodies the desired behavior, then spend a few minutes narrating it and linking it directly to the value you want to reinforce. This beats a bullet-point slide because the brain remembers a vivid plot more than an abstract phrase.

Andy adds a personal note, recalling how he marked his own wedding and his grandfather's funeral with ceremony, underscoring that any important event-whether a product launch or a recognition ceremony-benefits from a story that marks the occasion. The takeaway for technical leaders is clear: stop hoping a slide will teach ownership; tell a story that shows ownership in action, and reward those who live it.