Storytelling for Leaders: How Stories Make Work Meaningful | Alice Fairfax

01/03/23 • 76 min

Alice Fairfax was overjoyed when she landed the acting job at Disney World. There was just one problem. She needed to keep the attention of crowds and had no idea how to do it. Determined to learn the trade, she built up over 10,000 hours of performance experience. Along the way, Alice discovered the secret to engaging an audience, and it works across all domains – storytelling. Alice now helps brands tell their stories in a way that connects with employees and customers alike.
Alice has been a Walt Disney World performer for over 20 years. She is a ghostwriter, scriptwriter, keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of two books on creativity and performance, The Creative Life and Tell Your Story.
In this episode, Dart and Alice discuss:
- How stories make work meaningful
- The relationship between core values and stories
- Employee onboarding
- How to connect employee wants with company needs
- What makes a good story
- How to speak so people listen
- How to win the trust of an audience
- And other topics...
Alice Fairfax has performed improvisation, storytelling, and comedy at Walt Disney World for over 20 years. Using her vast experience, Alice helps executives, speakers, writers, and companies communicate their vision through her series of storytelling trainings and workshops. She is also a ghostwriter, scriptwriter, keynote speaker, and author of two books on creativity and performance, The Creative Life and Tell Your Story. Alice holds a certificate in Creativity & Innovation from the Walt Disney Company and Harvard Business School Publishing and a BA from Rollins College.
Resources Mentioned:
A Theory of Human Motivation, by A.H. Maslow: https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm
Why We Work, by Barry Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books-ebook/dp/B00NZWJE3O
Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Belonging-Inclusion-Collaboration-Communities-ebook/dp/B0998BMN9H
Connect with Alice:
www.Alicefairfax.com
Instagram: @alicefairfax
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-fairfax-3aaa711/
Tell Your Story, by Alice Fairfax, 2023 release: https://www.alicefairfax.com/resource

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Previous Episode

Motivational Work Design: How to Design Workplaces Employees Never Want to Leave | Thomas Bertels

Thomas Bertels spent the last two decades as a Business Architect helping struggling businesses solve structural problems: employee disengagement, inefficient teams, and low productivity. Whether working with a small company or a big player like PepsiCo, Thomas realized these issues stemmed from the same source – poor work design.
This insight led Thomas to develop what he now calls motivational work design – a systems approach to designing work that is employee-centric, improves productivity, and improves customer experiences.
Thomas Bertels is the founder of the consulting firm Purpose Works. He has worked across industries from big pharma, insurance, and top Fortune 50 companies like Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo, and others.
In this episode, Dart and Thomas discuss:
- How work came to be so poorly designed
- How to design work that balances employee needs and company needs
- The role of HR in work design
- The role of Senior Executives in work design
- Tops-down versus Bottom-Up approaches to work design
- The role of managers in well-designed workplaces
- The balance between employee oversight and autonomy
- And other topics...
Thomas Bertels has been redesigning business strategies, processes, and operating models across industries for over 25 years. During his career, Thomas has revamped HR processes for a top ten pharma company, reduced operating costs by over $30 million for a leading insurance organization, and improved efficiency within big names like Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi Chemical, and PepsiCo.
Thomas began his consulting work in Germany, where he was a founding partner of OXYGY Consulting/Valeocon Management Consulting. He later led the firm’s work in the U.S., where he received his MBA from New York University. Thomas is the founder and current president of the Purpose Works consulting firm, where he continues to work on operating model transformation across all sectors.
Resources Mentioned:
Purpose Works Consulting: www.purpose.works
Job motivation diagnostic tool, Mojo Diagnostic: mymojo.works

Next Episode

Thriving on Overload: How to Stay Focused in a World of Exponential Information | Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson’s mission in life is to advance human evolution – but he's facing a dilemma. How can humans evolve in the Information Age when so much misleading and distracting information surrounds us? By figuring out where to find value amid information overload, Ross became a globally-recognized futurist, creating better business strategies for companies like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Citibank.
Ross is a global keynote speaker, futurist, author, strategy advisor, and entrepreneur. As an advisor, he has worked in over 30 countries for big names like Microsoft, Visa, and Walmart, among others. He is a best-selling author who predicted the social networking revolution in his book, Living Networks. His latest release, Thriving on Overload, is available now.
In this episode, Dart and Ross discuss:
- How to find value within our information overload
- The 5 capabilities you need for success in the information era
- The 6 ways humans pay attention
- Ross' time living in a Japanese Zen dojo
- The importance of aligning individual mental models within a team
- Information hazards we can avoid
- The future of humans and technology in work
- And other topics...
Ross Dawson is a globally-recognized futurist, keynote speaker, author, strategy advisor, and entrepreneur. Named by Digital Media as one of the most influential people in the world in the future of work, Ross has appeared on CNN, ABC TV, and the Today Show, as well as been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC, among others.
As an advisor, he has worked in over 30 countries for companies like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Visa, Citibank, and Walmart. Ross is also the best-selling author who predicted the social networking revolution through his previous book, Living Networks. His latest release, Thriving on Overload, is available now.
Resources Mentioned:
Thriving on Overload, by Ross Dawson: https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-Overload-Success-Exponential-Information-ebook/dp/B0BFP6WCHP
Living Networks, by Ross Dawson: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Networks-20th-Anniversary-Hyperconnected-ebook/dp/B09V1PCFWB
Winning on Purpose, by Fred Reichheld: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Purpose-Unbeatable-Strategy-Customers-ebook/dp/B08TCJHZWZ
Connect with Ross:
www.RossDawson.com
www.ThrivingOnOverload.com
Thriving on Overload podcast: https://thrivingonoverload.com/episodes/