The author shares her experience in working with a small group of teachers and the director of an alternative high school program who were experiencing significant conflict during team meetings. Every member, including the director, agreed that the group suffered from serious breakdowns in communication. As the facilitator of the group, the author simply established the ground rules for respectful dialogue, asked them to share their important stories and reflect on their meaning and listen without interruption to their colleagues. The author discusses the conditions that cause a breakdown in communication and how breakdowns can be repaired with guided episodes of communication involving the mutual exchange of stories and the meaning associated with them. The author stresses that sharing personal stories, with a facilitator, helps accomplish leadership and resolve communication obstacles among a school's staff. To use stories to their fullest, leaders need to be aware of how the exchange of powerful stories, containing a moral or purpose, helps others to discover identity, become empowered and move forward.