198 – Mayor in the monkey suit – Stuart Drummond
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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 bank
Tags: Risk taking, Leadership, Seize the day, Opportunity
This story starts at 01:42 and ends at 07:48
Napoleonic wars – French v British
Ship Wreck Hartlepool
Only survivors was a monkey
Brits had never seen a monkey or Frenchman before (assumed monkey was french!)
Tried and hanged the monkey as a French spy
Hartlepool folks now known as ‘monkey hangers’ (based on legend?)
Fast forward to the 1999
Local Hartlepool footy club find monkey mascot in Stuart Drummond
Bit naughty, but endearing
Bribed township with bananas for votes
For a lark, ran for mayor and won not once, but thrice
A British record, world recognised
Big turnaround for the larrikin
Can’t judge a book by it’s cover
An opportunity to lead might be just what/all that you need
Fact is stranger than fiction
Seize the day
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