Robert McKee was featured as a character in the recent Oscar-winning movie, Adaptation, which also happens to be about storytelling. McKee's 1997 book (Story) has become the bible of screenwriters, and well worth reading. The article is interesting and covers issues like:

  - what is a story?
  - how would an executive learn to tell stories?
  - is this really exaggeration and manipulation?
  - what's wrong with painting a positive picture?
  - acknowledging the dark side makes you more convincing?
  - does this mean you have to be a pessimist?
  - a story that embraces darkness produces positive energy?
  - how do you find stories?
  - does being a good storytelling make you a good leader?

 One quibble that I have is whether the article is sufficiently clear about the different purposes for which storytelling can be used in organizations. McKee seems to assume that storytelling in itself is a good thing, which I'm sure it is. But unless one goes on to consider what is the purpose for which
the story is being told in an organization, one can make some terrible blunders. McKee is right that a story with a dark side is useful for some purposes, such as establishing the authenticity of the teller or sharing knowledge, but not for all purposes. 

As the very next article in the same issue of HBR by Rosabeth Moss Kantor (p.58) makes clear, if you want to get action such as a positive turnaround in a company in deep trouble, you have to be telling positive stories to inspire hope and confidence in the future. The purpose at hand will determine what sort of story you need.  Nevertheless despite such quibbles, the article is interesting. And it is obviously good news to see a mainstream publication like Harvard Business Review featuring storytelling so explicitly and prominently.