Last week we had a fun online event with our business partners. Using Soundcloud a bunch of us recorded a story or two and shared it with the group. Then we gave each other feedback on our stories. We used the hashtag #storytelling4leaders in case you’re interested in listening to some of the tales. Here’s one […]

Occasionally, a business story resonates deeply with me and renews my belief that we’re here to help others as we journey through this world. This is one of those stories. In April 2014, I attended the first 3D Printing Conference + Expo that was held at the Javits Center in New York City. The conference […]

Ever heard the saying ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’? In my role as a coach, this is often the situation I find confronts most of my clients. Only last week I met with Mary (not her real name) for our first session together. As I sat down in her office, before I could even […]

Every organisation, big or small, needs a foundation story that illustrates what’s important to them, what they stand for. But it’s important to remember that foundation stories are not time lines. They are pivotal moments that shape culture. I was reminded of this on a recent trip to the capital of Mexico, where I came […]

A few months ago, in my car on the way to see a client, I heard an interview on the radio. There was this lady who had been nominated for the title ‘Cleaning Lady of the Year’. The woman told the journalist about her work in a way that completely surprised me. She was so […]

Imagine you’re in a meeting and one of your colleagues makes the bold statement, ‘We need a big initiative here. It’s really the only way to have an impact’. Now, you know that small initiatives can also spark big changes, but just disagreeing with your colleague is unlikely to change their mind, or anyone else’s. […]

Two years ago Mark and I flew to New Delhi to run a public Storytelling for Leaders program. This public program was an extended version because we combined a day on business storytelling with a day of what we call story-listening, that is, collecting stories in an organisation and using them to instigate culture change. […]

Business stories don’t need to be fancy. They should be told just like you would tell it if you were catching up with a colleague informally. I would tell this one when chatting to senior leaders about how they can model the behaviour they want–in fact they must. Or it would be good as an […]

Sometimes it’s a good idea to finish a story so that the audience has to put some pieces together to get what the story is about. When someone puts some work in understanding a story they own it and it’s more meaningful for them. As an example, my 21-year-old daughter told me this story the […]

By Amanda Marko, an Anecdote Partner based in the USA One way to think of a good business story is as a roadmap that points listeners toward an intended emotion or insight. But even with the best of intentions, a story can get off track or lose its way. When it comes to driving, the best advice […]