Isaiah Langford - Storytelling and Elshtain’s Humanistic Leadership - 4/13/2026

  In her chapter in Leadership and the Liberal Arts, “Leadership and the Humanities,” Jean Bethke Elshtain explores the humanistic approach to leadership, which is intrinsically connected to the concept of storytelling and personal journeys as we have explored rigorously this semester. Humanistic leadership looks to approach leadership through the lens of considering the human elements of relational dynamics, and I think this process necessarily results in a focus on constructing meaning and narrative. In my opinion, each person has a “story of their life” which influences how they view the world and how they interact with others. By taking a humanistic approach to leadership, we begin to consider others not merely as side characters in our own stories, but as individuals with their own storied lives with pasts that have affected where they are now and futures that are just as uncertain as ours. It is only by looking to a greater understanding of the human experience through the lens of stories that we will be able. It is only by framing experiences through the lens of independent yet interconnected narratives that we begin to understand the decisions of individuals, and by coming to such an understanding, it is made more obvious how people should begin to connect and strive for stronger relationships and greater communication.

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