In the energy sector, smart grids were a game-changer—but you wouldn’t know it from how they were communicated. Engineers saw them as a technical marvel, but utilities struggled to explain their value to customers and funders. The result? Widespread skepticism and sluggish adoption.

The lesson here? Even the best innovations fail if their benefits remain invisible to the people who need to believe in them.

Whether you’re a Chief Innovation Officer or just leading an innovative new strategy in your business, your role isn’t just about driving breakthroughs—it’s about making sure those breakthroughs are seen, understood, and valued -and as a storyteller – talked about. If executives and stakeholders can’t grasp the impact of your work, they won’t fund it. And if employees can’t see the purpose, they won’t spread the good word, and they definitely won’t adopt it.

Relatable Problem: You’re developing bold new solutions, but the reaction from leadership is… lukewarm. You hear, “Great, but what does this actually do for us?”

Pro Tip: Use the before-and-after storytelling framework to make your innovation felt before it’s even implemented:

  1. Before – Start with a vivid picture of life before your innovation. Use real stories, pain points, or inefficiencies to paint the struggle in relatable terms. Make this pain palpable, and make sure the consequences of NOT fixing it are quantifiable. What’s it costing your listeners if the status quo remains?
  2. After – Now, showcase the transformed world after your innovation. What’s faster? What’s cheaper? Who is happier? Showcase the TRANSFORMATION you’re about to usher in. Think: Oprah Winfrey Makeover shows. 
  3. Make it Tangible – Can you create a side-by-side comparison, a short demo, or a live example? Seeing is believing. Leaders screw up storytelling by only talking about the changes, they skip over the challenges and the cascading benefits that are supremely relevant to your particular audience. Showcase how their world is about to get so much better. This is the kind of empathy and goodwill your listeners are craving.

Example: Tesla didn’t just talk about better batteries. They showed a side-by-side drag race between a gas-powered car and an electric one. The story wrote itself.Your innovation deserves to be seen—because unseen innovation is unfunded innovation.