517: Magic v. Logic: The Power of Storytelling w/ Simon Geale

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many highly-praised books are written every year. And yet, this week’s guest quotes one that we’ve never had come up in an Art of Procurement podcast before:</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Gruffalo</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">by Julia Donaldson. Even at 635 words, there are five characters, heroes and villains, danger, hope, an escape, and a happy feel, good ending. Not a word is wasted.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And that’s when you realize this is not a typical episode of AOP.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Philip Ideson is joined for this unique conversation by Simon Geale, Executive Vice President at Proxima. They recently had the opportunity to sit down - face to face - and have a wide ranging exchange about some of the bigger picture dynamics at play in our professional lives.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The discussion opened with a focus on the art of storytelling, something Simon knows a great deal about. He has been telling stories to influence executives for years, making appearances on media outlets like the BBC, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, and many more.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But their conversation went a lot deeper than that. They also discussed</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The health of the procurement profession: what is exciting and where frustration persists </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The vulnerability associated with being an introvert or speaking publicly, and potential ways to overcome those fears</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why it is so important to try and see a story through our audience’s eyes - long before we tell it</span></li> </ul>