We are all looking for the turning point in a good story, and we love a story that demonstrates perseverance and resolve. Shawn and Mark discuss the relevance of this story to: explaining the data in a story, sizing up your competition and 'keeping Mum' with your competitive advantage.

Reducing waste increases the efficiency of raw material use. But can we all agree that scraping mould off food product prior to packaging may be a little beyond the pale? Shawn and Mark discuss the relevance of this story to: understanding the difference between efficiency and cost cutting, short 'single point' storytelling, the retelling factor in stories with disgust, and the importance of avoiding abstraction in your stories.

A governance and accountability story. Welcome to the Anecdotally Speaking podcast! Visit our website for more captivating stories and business insights! https://www.anecdote.com/ In this episode, our hosts Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk kick off the 2024 season of the show! The episode features a cautionary story about Nick Leeson, an infamous investment trader for the Queen’s bank (Barings) who traded them into bankruptcy. Expect to learn: * The devastating story leading to the...

Welcome to the Anecdotally Speaking podcast! Visit our website for more captivating stories and business insights! https://www.anecdote.com/ In this episode, our hosts Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk celebrate the 200th episode of the show! The episode features an inspiring story about Ross McDonald, a former accountant who found unexpected success in the barbecue industry. Expect to learn: * The inspiring journey of the Weber Kettle Barbecue in Australia * The importance of...

Two explorers from the northern hemisphere set out to be the first to reach the South Pole – Roald Amundsen of Norway and Robert Falconer Scott of England. Their expedition planning, team, equipment and transport selections could not have been more different. Shawn and Mark discuss the relevance of this story to: corporate culture, knowing your limitations, hand picking your teams and the impact of clear, singular goals on success. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For...

People from Hartlepool UK are known colloquially as ‘monkey hangers’ – a moniker that stems from the Napoleonic Wars of the 1800s. But this story is about a larrikin mascot in a monkey suit making mayor and breaking records… Shawn and Mark bring these disparate (but related) stories together to illustrate some business points around seizing the day, fact being stranger than fiction, and judging books by their covers. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story...

Australian champion swimmer Kieren Perkins barely qualified for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and only just made the final for the 1500 metre event Shawn and Mark discuss how extraordinary ‘turn-arounds’, under promising and over delivering, and reduced expectations of self can sometimes lead to world class moments Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: Kieren Perkins, adversity, turn-around, inspirational, under promise, over deliver This story...

Michigan University researchers sought to understand the ‘stickiness’ of stories – does factual or emotionally charged information provided ‘after the fact’ change how a story is told or re-told? Shawn and Mark discuss how a ‘better story’ might usurp an prevailing story (sometimes regardless of the truth). Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: Michigan University, Fire story, Danger, Survival, Misinformation, Sticky stories This story starts at...

Bird watcher and engineer Eiji Nakatsu sped up and made Japan’s bullet trains quieter by studying the kingfisher’s beak. Shawn and Mark stick their noses into how a business might use this story to encourage innovation through biomimicry. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: biomimicry, nature, speed, engineering, discovery This story starts at 01:09 Japanese bullet train (Shinkansen) One hurtles past a station in Japan every 2...

Jeanne Louise Calment lived to 122 years of age (a species record). Who would have thought such an age was achievable? How would you feel, betting against such a long life, and losing on the deal? Shawn and Mark discuss how a business might use this story to illustrate the unexpected nature of planning, and the danger of ‘the sure thing’. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: deal making, property, unexpected, old age, insurance, outliers,...

Andrew Loog Oldham at 19 years of age was the Rolling Stones first manager. By suggesting that Keith Richards and Mick Jagger start writing original songs, a 50 year plus collaboration was born (affectionately now known as the ‘Strolling Bones’ ;>). Shawn and Mark discuss how a business might use this story to explain both the value of copying masters, and encouraging innovation. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: Original material,...

Sir Peter Blake suggested a single focus for New Zealand’s Americas Cup challenge – only do those things that make the boat go faster – leading to two trophies. Shawn and Mark discuss how a business might use this story to galvanise a team. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: Single focus, Teamwork, Simplicity, Leadership This story starts at 00:56 Everybody working in the same direction New Zealand Americas Cup challenge 1995 1992...

The quality of a good question can create insight. Join Shawn and Mark as they discuss the life saving simplicity and humble beginnings of the Apgar Test. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: Good questions, Simplicity, Influence, life saver This story starts at 2:02 The value of good questions First 24 hrs highest risk for newborns 1953 Virginia Apgar obstetric anesthesiologist 5 things to check – heart rate, respiration, reflex, muscle...

Sometime we just have to throw plans out the window as circumstances change. Blistering temperatures in Tunisia caused the simplification of a now iconic fight scene. Join Shawn and Mark for a discussion on scimitars, cinemas and movie stars. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: simplification, ingenuity, adaptability This story starts at 1:03 Perennial Raiders of the Lost Ark franchise Could Dial of Destiny be the last of the...

Can you imagine Sydney Harbour without the Opera House? Well, without 10 years of delays and $90 million in cost overruns the bridge might have been the only feature in the skyline. Join Shawn and Mark for a discussion on podiums, persistence and politics. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: persistence, innovation, politics, Sydney Opera House This story starts at 3:45 Try and picture Sydney Harbour without the Opera House – it very nearly...

If it doesn’t feel right, maybe it’s not. Do the right thing, not the easy thing. We always have the right to choose, so ask questions and resist being made to feel ‘incompetent’. Join Shawn, Mark and Anastasia Dedyukhina from Consciously Digital as they share stories on digital privacy, attention and switching. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. For your story bank Tags: privacy, attention span, switching, GDPR, security This story starts at 23:04 ‘Mobile world...

The launch of a new product is risky, but to see young people interact with ease can give lots of confidence. In this episode, we discuss this very point with Ursula Llabres product owner at Meta Reality Labs. Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode. – how the next generation enjoys new technology gives us an insight into how successful a new product might be – the next generation has little trouble with new technology For your story bank Tags: innovation, Meta, AR VR...

The beauty and power of persistence. This is the story of Jack Ma told by Vika Abramova, the country head of Mars Poland. It’s another business story to tell. For your story bank Tags: persistence, failure, China, Jack Ma You may not be familiar with China in the early 1960s, during the rise of the Communist Party, but there’s an intriguing story from that time that has piqued my interest. It’s the tale of a boy named Ma Yun, born in 1964 in the bustling city of Hangzhou, located in...

Welcome back to another Anecdotally Speaking podcast! We’ve been doing some travel, so our episodes have been less regular than usual, but we are back this week with a story from renowned Australian surgeon Fiona Wood! Before getting into the story, Shawn and Mark talk about ChatGPT and how it can help us tell more stories at work. They also reveal how the AI scored on our story spotting quiz, The Story Test, which you can find and take here: https://thestorytest.com

This week, Shawn shares a story from the art world featuring Gustave Caillebotte and the Impressionist artists known as the Caillebotte Seven: Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Manet and Cezanne. It demonstrates the mere-exposure effect and how we grow comfortable with and love the things we are exposed to over and over again. Shawn mentions an article, ‘That’s Interesting! Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology’ by Murray S. Davis, which you can find...

Welcome back to another episode of Anecdotally Speaking! It’s been two weeks since our last episode, we’ve had some team members on leave, but we’re back with a story about Anita Roddick, who founded The Body Shop! The story prompts Shawn and Mark to talk about how it’s not about having a company story but a multitude of stories that represent your company and its culture. Shawn recently wrote a blog post on this topic titled A company story is more than a single story. You can find it...

This week on Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares the story behind the Australian Girls Choir, which famously featured in QANTAS’ I Still Call Australia Home campaign: https://buff.ly/3yQd6Xr Judith Curphey founded the choir after retiring from her career as a music teacher, tiring of the common belief of the time that boys were better singers than girls. Later in the episode, Mark invites listeners to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Anecdotally, from where we’ll point you towards...

This week, Mark shares a story he saw Anecdote Partner, Maria Marenco (https://buff.ly/3iCnihZ), share on LinkedIn to celebrate International Women’s Day last week. Maria was a guest on the podcast earlier this year, featuring in 173 – Knowledge can come from any source with Maria Marenco: https://buff.ly/3XCoVL8 If you’re a Masterchef fan, this is a story for you! And as you’ll hear, you could use it to make a variety of business points. Please feel free to share how you would use it in...

Welcome to another episode of Anecdotally Speaking! We were slow to record a new episode this week (our apologies!). Instead, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day by sharing one of our favourite stories about a phenomenal woman, a record-breaking solo sailor, Lisa Blair. Shawn first heard this story in an interview with Lisa on ABC Radio. You can listen to the same ABC Conversations episode here: https://buff.ly/3Clcr1E. It makes a case for the saying, ‘When the going gets tough,...