

Anecdotally Speaking
Shawn Callahan & Mark Schenk
Welcome to our podcast, Anecdotally Speaking. Each week we tell a business story, talk about why it works and discuss where you might tell it at work. Our aim is to help you build your story repertoire.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 22, 2024 • 23min
204 – The Serve and Return Turning Point: Agassi, Becker and perseverance
Discover the strategic evolution in the Becker-Agassi tennis rivalry, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and adaptability. Explore interpreting audience reactions in workshops and uncovering turning points in tennis and business. Emphasize the power of everyday stories and transparency in communication.

Apr 15, 2024 • 21min
203 – The resilience and persistence story of Penfolds Grange
Resilience and persistence are not only the hallmarks of future success in winemaking, but in business too.
Shawn and Mark discuss the relevance of this story to: sticking to your guns, having a 'partner in crime' and really, fully backing your instincts.
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Mar 18, 2024 • 15min
202 – Efficiency versus cost cutting
Shawn and Mark delve into the balance between efficiency and cost-cutting, using vivid storytelling to highlight the importance of quality over mere savings. They explore the impact of CEO storytelling on organizational change, the power of concrete language, and the significance of truthful storytelling in maintaining credibility and trust.

Mar 11, 2024 • 24min
201 – Governance and accountability lose their Barings
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, …
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Dec 21, 2023 • 21min
200 – Weber BBQ Australian Success
The hosts celebrate their milestone with a nostalgic look at communication's evolution. They dive into the fascinating tale of how Ross McDonald revitalized the Weber kettle barbecue in Australia, showcasing persistence and innovative marketing. There’s a captivating story of a former accountant transforming into a pool construction entrepreneur, highlighting personal storytelling. The discussion also contrasts viewing business challenges as opportunities versus fears, while encouraging creativity in barbecuing experiences and embracing curiosity.

Dec 6, 2023 • 18min
199 – Approach to the south poles apart – Amundsen Scott
Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole, and Robert Falcon Scott, known for his tragic expedition, delve into their contrasting approaches to exploration. They discuss their vastly different planning and team selection strategies. Amundsen's success highlights the importance of careful preparation, while Scott’s challenges serve as cautionary tales. The conversation touches on leadership dynamics, the emotional toll of survival choices, and how narratives shape our understanding of exploration. Their rivalry provides timeless lessons in goal-setting and teamwork.

Nov 29, 2023 • 19min
198 – Mayor in the monkey suit – Stuart Drummond
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.
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Nov 23, 2023 • 15min
197 – Atlanta Olympic swim 1996 – Kieren Perkins
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.
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Nov 15, 2023 • 20min
196 – Better fire story – Michigan Uni
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).
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Nov 7, 2023 • 23min
195 – Bullet train kingfisher nose – Eiji Nakatsu
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.
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