Episode Overview
Podcast: The Digital Executive by Coruzant Technologies
Episode: Illuminating Leadership: Jack Griffin on Storytelling, Humility & Transformative Communication (Ep 1155)
Release Date: November 24, 2025
Guest: Jack Griffin, CEO of Light Up Ventures and author of the bestselling book Luminary
Theme: This episode explores how storytelling, humility, and thoughtful communication can transform leadership—especially in the tech industry—based on Jack Griffin’s experiences coaching executives at leading companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Yahoo.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The Spark Behind Light Up Ventures and the Cost of Poor Leadership [01:39-02:38]
- Jack’s defining moment: Jack describes witnessing a senior leader give a disengaging, uninspired speech and how that experience motivated him to found Light Up Ventures to address poor communication and ineffective leadership in tech.
- Quote: “Watching a senior leader drone on stage, seeing people looking down at their phones as this leader talked about themselves…for me, broke my heart both for the audience and for this senior leader.” – Jack Griffin [01:45]
- Business impact: Jack highlights research showing that poor communication and lack of leadership account for $1.2 trillion in lost productivity, turnover, and customer churn globally.
2. What Distinguishes Top Tech Leaders [03:05-05:16]
- Key leadership traits:
- Systems Thinking: Recognizing the wider context and how teams contribute to the overall organization. Reference to Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline.
- Balanced Communication: Leaders who are both informative and inspirational stand out.
- Quote: “It’s about that balance of being informative and inspirational…leaders who communicate informative and inspirational…” – Jack Griffin [03:36]
- Personal metaphor: Jack compares leadership to the process of burning wood in a fireplace—effective leadership, like a good fire, requires careful preparation and brings both practical and emotional warmth to those around.
- Quote: “Informative is like a fire that is functional, it provides heat, but it also brings that emotional joy of sitting around and sipping coffee with loved ones…” – Jack Griffin [04:32]
3. The Power of Storytelling for Executives in Tech [05:52-07:31]
- Why storytelling matters: Human brains recognize and remember information better when it’s delivered as a story. Storytelling helps leaders cut through information overload.
- Quote: “Our brains are hardwired for recognizing patterns and recognizing information that is delivered in the form of story. Otherwise it’s perceived as random.” – Jack Griffin [05:54]
- Real-world example: Coaching a client at Nvidia, where CEO Jensen Huang expects concise, effective narratives.
- Breaking down storytelling:
- Jack clarifies that storytelling isn’t just about entertaining or dressing up a PowerPoint. It means structuring content (the story) and mastering delivery (the telling).
- Tips for listeners: Use the “rule of three” for organization, and pay attention to non-verbal elements—posture, gestures, and voice.
- Quote: “We really need to break down storytelling into its two components, the story and the telling…equally as important…how we say it, with our gestures, our posture, our eye contact…” – Jack Griffin [07:36]
4. The Role of Humility and Global Perspective in Modern Leadership [08:45-10:30]
- Humility as a leadership differentiator: Jack emphasizes that humble leaders, versus those who act from arrogance or entitlement, build stronger, more effective teams.
- Quote: “It comes down to humility. I think it’s a differentiator for leaders who bring a sense of humble awareness compared to those…with a little bit of arrogance or entitlement.” – Jack Griffin [09:00]
- Learning from experience abroad: Jack’s work in Haiti and travels to 40+ countries reinforce his belief in gratitude and humble awareness.
- Human connection in the AI era: As automation replaces some functions, human communication and leadership are more vital than ever. Jack cites collaboration with Meta’s VP to highlight the importance of connection, referencing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
5. Final Thought: Servant Leadership [10:54-11:08]
- Jack’s parting message: Leadership is brighter when leaders put others first.
- Quote: “If we all just put others above ourselves, it’d be a little brighter business world and world in general.” – Jack Griffin [10:57]
Notable Quotes with Attribution & Timestamps
-
“Watching a senior leader drone on stage, seeing people looking down at their phones as this leader talked about themselves…for me, broke my heart both for the audience and for this senior leader.”
– Jack Griffin [01:45] -
“It’s about that balance of being informative and inspirational…leaders who communicate informative and inspirational…”
– Jack Griffin [03:36] -
“Informative is like a fire that is functional, it provides heat, but it also brings that emotional joy of sitting around and sipping coffee with loved ones…”
– Jack Griffin [04:32] -
“Our brains are hardwired for recognizing patterns and recognizing information that is delivered in the form of story. Otherwise it’s perceived as random.”
– Jack Griffin [05:54] -
“We really need to break down storytelling into its two components, the story and the telling…equally as important…how we say it, with our gestures, our posture, our eye contact…”
– Jack Griffin [07:36] -
“It comes down to humility. I think it’s a differentiator for leaders who bring a sense of humble awareness compared to those…with a little bit of arrogance or entitlement.”
– Jack Griffin [09:00] -
“If we all just put others above ourselves, it’d be a little brighter business world and world in general.”
– Jack Griffin [10:57]
Episode Segment Breakdown (Key Timestamps)
- [01:39] – The origin story of Light Up Ventures: Solving poor communication in leadership.
- [03:05] – Systems thinking and inspirational communication: what sets leaders apart.
- [05:52] – Why narrative is essential; coping with information overload as a leader.
- [07:31] – Practical storytelling advice: structure (“story”) and delivery (“telling”).
- [08:45] – Humility as a competitive edge in leadership, inspired by global experiences.
- [10:54] – Parting thoughts: servant leadership and spreading positivity.
Summary
Jack Griffin’s conversation on The Digital Executive Podcast centers on the necessity of turning technical expertise into impactful leadership through storytelling, systems thinking, and, above all, humility. Drawing from real-world coaching with Silicon Valley’s top tech leaders and his own experiences abroad, Jack distills timeless, actionable advice: Leaders who inspire are those who connect deeply, communicate with intention, and approach their teams with genuine humility—especially in a world flooded by information and accelerated by AI. This episode serves as a concise masterclass on the soft skills that distinguish the most effective, transformative leaders in any industry.