RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.11.09
Podcast (The Story Power Marketing Show)
How to Get Your Company Better at Getting Better (with Les Landes)
You’ve probably tried a suggestion box. Maybe an employee-of-the-month plaque, an incentive program, or an open-door policy. For a few weeks, it worked. Then it faded.
Les Landes says that’s what happens when you lean on programs instead of processes you repeat. Les is a consultant and author in St. Louis, Missouri. He helps small and mid-sized businesses build the habits that keep improvement going long enough to show up on the bottom line.
He walks through his 5R framework: Relevance, Relationships, Roadmap, Routines, and Resources. Then he gets practical with team improvement huddles. Short weekly meetings. Everyone shares ideas. Each idea gets an owner and a date for the next step, and the team tracks it until it’s done.
Les calls it small ball. One small gain won’t change much. Stack enough of them and the results get big. One change to a shipping box saved a company more than $100,000 a year.
If good ideas come up in your meetings and then disappear, this one’s for you.
DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE
~00:54 — Meet Les Landes
~03:52 — Why Improvement Stalls
~05:55 — Program Trap Pitfalls
~08:31 — Open Door Myth
~10:26 — 5R Framework Explained
~13:25 — Team Huddles Process
~15:22 — Small Ball Wins
~19:22 — Diving Board Case Study
~24:10 — Accountability Without Blame
~26:23 — Where to Start Today
~28:14 — Scorecard and Pilot Offer
~31:13 — Connect With Les
~32:22 — Three Engagement Needs
~36:54 — Habits vs Improvement
~37:51 — Wrap Up and Resources
LISTEN ON: Apple | Spotify | Amazon
Recommended Reading
Customer Service Requires the Right Mindset … And the Right Word Set
“That’s against our policy.”
Shep Hyken says that line may be true. But there are better ways to say it.
You’ve heard “hire for attitude, train for skill.” Shep agrees. Attitude is the mindset, the desire to help. Skill includes what he calls the word set. Knowing what to say and how to say it.
He doesn’t mean a binder of scripts. He means people who can find another option instead of reaching for “no.”
His line: combine the right mindset with the right word set, and that’s when the magic happens.
Read: Customer Service Requires the Right Mindset … And the Right Word Set
Recommended Podcast
The 4-Hour Workweek in a World of AI
I re-read The 4-Hour Workweek last month. So when Tim Ferriss put out a Q&A episode asking what that book looks like in the age of AI, I listened.
He opens with that question. Then he moves on to rebuilding momentum with small daily actions when you’re stuck, staying close to friends who drift away, and making room for serendipity.
It’s a grab bag, the way Q&A episodes are. Start with the first segment. It’s the reason to listen.
Recommended Viewing
How to Find a Stronger Copywriting Voice
Does your writing sound like you? Or does it sound like a copywriter?
David Deutsch has a suggestion. Try writing in a style that’s the opposite of yours. If you’re usually reserved, go wild. If you’re usually loose, rein it in. He says he sometimes imitates John Carlton’s aggressive style because it’s so different from his own.
The point isn’t to become someone else. David tells the story of a great salesperson whose letters read like an ordinary copywriter wrote them. Gary Halbert was the opposite. When David talked to him on the phone, Halbert sounded like his own sales letters.
Imitating someone else’s style, David says, may bring out the part of you you’ve been holding back. It runs about three and a half minutes. Worth it.
Watch: How to Find a Stronger Copywriting Voice
Words to Ponder
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”
— Mark Twain, in a letter to George Bainton, 1888
Don't go away yet..
p.s. Coaches, authors, and consultants hire me to power-up their creative content and storytelling to captivate prospects, stand-out and book more business.
Whenever you're ready, here are several ways I can help you become a storytelling stand-out so you'll land more clients without pitching and prodding:
1) Get the Story Power Profit Pack -- 52 Strategies, Tips, and Tactics to Transform Your Content from Ignored to Adored.
2) Watch the free, 7-minute Micro-Training: “The 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act -- Without Pitching and Prodding.”
3) Become a Story Power VIP: Master how to discover, assemble, and deliver business-building stories. Twice-monthly live masterclasses. Members-only content. One-on-one feedback and consulting sessions. And more… If you'd like to learn more about our VIP program, just reply to this email and put "Story Power VIP" in the subject line. I’ll contact you with more details.
4) Work with me one-on-one: If you’re interested in working directly with me -- to discover, assemble, and deliver powerful, business-building stories -- simply reply to this email and change the subject line to "Private Client." Tell me a little about yourself, your business, and what you'd like to accomplish, and I'll reply to discuss options.
5) Invite me to speak at an event: I can tailor a presentation that meets the specific needs of your organization. Informative. Entertaining. Virtual or live. Potential for continuing education credits when applicable for your group. If interested, reply to this email and change the subject line to “Speaking Engagement.” I’ll circle back to discuss the possibilities.
Want to get great content like this...
...delivered straight to your inbox?
Join our email list...
Post Categories
Previous Post
Next Post
