177 – Create a space where ideas are shared – Ron Howard

Posted by  Anecdote International —February 14, 2023
Filed in Anecdotes, Podcast

Create a space where ideas are shared but know that having an idea doesn’t make it a good one. Listen to hear what Ron Howard took away from the set of the Andy Griffith Show.

Group reading acting lines

This week on Anecdotally Speaking, Shawn shares a story he heard Ron Howard tell on an episode of the SmartLess podcast. Similar to 173 – Knowledge can come from any source with Maria Marenco, it suggests that ideas can come from anywhere, so you should foster a culture that encourages sharing them.

Ron Howard directed Apollo 13 and many other movies and has held over 80 acting roles since he started acting as a two-year-old in the 1950s. And throughout his entire career, he has remembered one experience he had as a seven-year-old.

Shawn and Mark mention our try-before-you-buy offer for our public programs. If you’re interested in evaluating Storytelling for Leaders or Story-Powered Sales for your organisation, we’d love to offer you a complimentary ticket to attend one of our upcoming events. To enquire, send an email to people@anecdote.com.

Shawn also mentions his Putting Stories to Work Discussion Guide, which you can download by clicking here.

For your story bank

Tags: confidence, culture, ideas, persistence, quality

This story starts at 02:23

At seven years old, Ron Howard was on the Andy Griffith Show. He would act out his scenes and often make suggestions to the director about his part.

He had ideas about how he should act things out and what he should say, but in almost every case, the director ignored his suggestions.

One day, he had a scene where he walked through a door and had to deliver some dialogue, and it just didn’t feel right.

“I don’t think a seven-year-old would say that,” he said to the director.

“What would they say?” the director asked.

He suggested a new line, and the director said, “Okay, great. Let’s go with that.”

Ron was thrilled. That afternoon, he went to the director and thanked him for accepting his idea. “But I have noticed,” he said, “I’ve had lots of other ideas, and you’ve ignored them.”

The director bent down to look him in the eyes and said, “Look, it was the first good idea you’ve had. But keep them coming.”

About  Anecdote International

Anecdote International is a global training and consulting company, specialising in utilising storytelling to bring humanity back to the workforce. Anecdote is now unique in having a global network of over 60 partners in 28 countries, with their learning programs translated into 11 languages, and customers who incorporate these programs into their leadership and sales enablement activities.

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