CEO Coaching: The Seductive Power of Anecdotal B.S.

I’ve been thinking about anecdotal evidence lately—mostly because it’s fueling some baffling policy decisions at the federal level. You know, those moments when someone confidently ignores actual data and declares, “Well, my cousin tried it and it worked great!” Unfortunately, this kind of logic isn’t limited to politics. It’s alive and well in the business world, too.

Here’s the rub: storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in a leader’s kit. Done right, it creates meaning, drives change, and aligns the troops. Great CEOs aren’t just strategy nerds—they’re skilled narrators who know how to connect dots in a way that resonates.

But like any power tool, storytelling can be used to build… or bulldoze. A few warning signs:

• You’re skipping the homework. Lazy leaders skip the analysis and jump straight to a catchy tale. That’s not leadership—that’s propaganda. Don’t be that person.
• You’re drawing wild conclusions. Just because you fired one underperforming salesperson and revenue went up doesn’t mean it’s time to clean house. Correlation isn’t causation, and “it worked once” isn’t a strategy. Don’t generalize from a specific.
• You’re substituting narrative for knowledge. Telling a good story is great. But telling a true one that’s backed by real data? Even better. In fact, it’s easier than ever with tools like AI. I recently had ChatGPT crank out a detailed report and Monte Carlo simulation in under a minute. A year ago, that would’ve taken a team of analysts and a stiff drink.

Steve Jobs once said, “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”

He was right. But here’s the catch: If you’re the storyteller, make damn sure your vision, values, and agenda are built on more than just a good yarn. Use the story to inspire—not to short-circuit thinking.