The Rise of the Chief Storytelling Officer Role
"The CSO needs a seat at every department’s table—product, marketing, sales—because story threads through all of it.”
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Storytelling isn’t just about marketing anymore—it’s about leadership, alignment, and growth.
In this special 200th episode of The Storytelling Lab, Rain kicks off Season 14 by exploring the rise of a new essential role in business: the Chief Storytelling Officer.
Whether you’re at a massive company like Nike or a scrappy startup, someone needs to take responsibility for narrative consistency across your entire organization.
Rain shares insights from his interviews with real CSOs, including Nike’s Nelson Farris, and breaks down what this role looks like—why it matters, what it includes, and how to fill it (even if it’s you). From establishing your brand’s core “why” to ensuring cohesion across departments like product, marketing, and sales, the CSO is the linchpin of a modern brand. And as Rain writes his next book on the topic, he’s bringing listeners along for the journey.
This episode sets the stage for a season focused on clarity, alignment, and the systems that make brand storytelling sustainable.
In the episode, you will learn to:
Understand the purpose and impact of the Chief Storytelling Officer as a leadership role, not just a creative one.
Translate your brand’s purpose and vision into aligned stories across product, marketing, sales, and internal culture.
Avoid misalignment and brand dilution by building a system of narrative cohesion from top to bottom.
Identify the right person to fill the CSO role—whether that’s you or someone already doing the work informally.
Create trust and connection with customers, teams, and investors through one clear, consistent story.
“The CSO needs a seat at every department’s table—product, marketing, sales—because story threads through all of it.”
- Rain Bennett
If you want to learn about how to lead your brand with an entire storytelling system that scales, this is the episode for you!
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-storytelling-lab/
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Some of the highlights of the episode:
00:00 – Celebrating Episode 200 and Kicking Off Season 14
01:13 – What This Season Is All About: Story as System
02:16 – Introducing the Role of the Chief Storytelling Officer
04:01 – Why Good Storytelling Isn’t Enough Anymore
05:24 – How the CSO Aligns Vision, Product, Marketing, and Sales
06:58 – What Happens Without Story Leadership
08:47 – The Origin of the Narrative Operating System
10:36 – How a CSO Shapes Internal and External Communication
12:09 – Who Should Take On the CSO Role?
14:16 – Real-Life CSOs and What They Taught Me
16:11 – You’re Already Doing the Work—Now Own the Role
17:22 – What’s Ahead in Season 14
As always, I hope you enjoy the episode!
Rain
For more storytelling tips and tricks,
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