The Forgotten Skill

Modern life rewards efficiency, speed, and technical competence.

We are encouraged to respond quickly, specialize deeply, and rely on proven frameworks. Organizations value execution and individuals focus on building measurable skills.

That leaves little room to interpret information. Quite simply, we want to take shortcuts. But if we cut corners, we miss the opportunity to make sense of what we’re told and the world around us.

Let’s call this forgotten skill: narrative sensemaking, which is an offshoot of storytelling.

Storytelling as a Way of Understanding

Storytelling is often treated as a communication skill. In practice, it is something more basic.

Long before stories were used to persuade or entertain, they were used to make sense of events. In classical thought, narrative was a way of understanding how and why things happened. Aristotle described narrative structure as the means by which humans grasp causality. How one action leads to another, and why outcomes matter.

From this perspective, storytelling is not only about presentation. It is about interpretation. Stories organize experience into something coherent and intelligible.

Without this step, communication may be clear, but it rarely feels meaningful.

A Skill That Comes Before Strategy

For much of history, interpretation was considered essential to sound judgment.

Historians, philosophers, and political thinkers understood that events do not explain themselves. Facts require context. Actions require explanation. Decisions gain legitimacy only when they are situated within a broader understanding of cause and consequence.

A clear example appears during the Civil War.

In November 1863, the Union had suffered staggering losses, and public confidence in the war’s purpose was fragile. When Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg, he did not outline strategy, troop movements, or policy goals. Instead, he reframed the meaning of the war itself.

Lincoln interpreted the conflict not merely as a fight to preserve the Union, but as a test of whether a nation founded on equality could endure. In fewer than three minutes, he situated present sacrifice within a longer historical arc. He linked the founding ideals of the nation, the deaths on the battlefield, and moral obligation.

Only after redefining what the war meant could future action feel justified. This is narrative storytelling at work: interpreting events before directing response.

Why This Capacity Has Weakened

Narrative sensemaking asks us to slow down and exercise judgment.

It requires choosing what to emphasize and what to leave out. It involves acknowledging uncertainty and making value-based distinctions. For these reasons, it can feel risky.

In response, modern institutions often lean heavily on neutral language, data, and process. In some senses, this takes away our ability to interpret the world around us and understand the significance of our experiences.

Story, Identity, and Coherence

The connection between story and identity has long been recognized in moral philosophy.

Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argued that human lives become intelligible only when understood as narratives. We make sense of our choices by placing them within a story that has continuity over time.

When this narrative unity weakens, individuals and organizations may continue to function, but their sense of purpose becomes unclear. Activity persists, yet meaning erodes.

This helps explain why many leaders today appear capable but unremarkable. They manage effectively but struggle to explain why their work matters beyond immediate outcomes.

Relearning the Skill

Narrative sensemaking is not recovered through better storytelling techniques or more content.

It is relearned through attention and reflection:

• Noticing moments of tension rather than rushing past them

• Asking why an experience matters before deciding how to explain it

• Looking for patterns over time, not just isolated results

• Allowing uncertainty to inform judgment rather than eliminate it

These practices do not slow progress. They improve direction.

Why It Still Matters

In an environment saturated with information, understanding is increasingly rare.

The individuals who stand out are not those who know the most, but those who can clarify what is happening and why it matters. They help others see connections, consequences, and possibilities more clearly.

This is the forgotten skill…and it’s one that we need more than ever.