SPEAK LIKE A CEO 309: The Leadership Advantage AI Can’t Replace
Jan 29, 2026
Angus Fletcher, professor of story science and author of Primal Intelligence, studies how narrative thinking shapes decisions and intuition. He explores storytelling as a form of intelligence, why AI stumbles in changing environments, the three stories every business runs, and how surprise and alignment spark attention and innovation.
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Story Is A Distinct Form Of Intelligence
- Story is a cognitive tool evolved to make plans and imagine actions in low-information environments.
- Logic excels at pattern extraction in stable data-rich settings, while story drives innovation and action.
Brains Leverage Exceptions, Not Designed Rules
- Human brains evolved via natural selection and use tension, exceptions, and feedback rather than designed rules.
- Life requires launching actions, seeing responses, and adapting stories in real time, unlike designed computation.
Special Ops Tested Story-Based Training
- The U.S. Army Special Operations invited Angus Fletcher to test narrative cognition with elite operators and fund trials.
- His methods trained wider teams to match top operators' decision-making under chaos and were published in Primal Intelligence.
