RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2025.03.10

Recommended Viewing

John Cleese’s Legendary 1991 Speech About Creativity

If you want to be a more creative person — or create with greater consistency and ease — watch this video. Monty Python’s John Cleese reveals creativity is not a talent but a “way of operating.” Adopting a childlike approach to play with ideas for enjoyment rather than immediate practical purposes. Operate in an open mode—a relaxed, expansive state that is conducive to exploration and humor.And foster creativity by creating a quiet, uninterrupted space and allowing sufficient time to engage deeply with ideas.

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Daniel Pink: How to Be a Better Leader

Here’s a 25-second video that packs a 25-ton punch. Daniel Pink begins: “Want to be a better leader? Make sure 10% of people hate your guts.”

We wll want to be loved and respected, but if everyone likes us, we’re doing it wrong, Pink says.

He shares some quick tips about how to do it right.

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Recommended Listening

5 Standout Strategies to Land More Clients (with Chantal Cornelius)

On this episode of The Story Power Marketing Show: Chantal Cornelius who left the corporate world in 2000 to set up Appletree Marketing. It was the second best decision she’s ever made.

Since then, she’s helped hundreds of coaches, consultants and speakers to grow their businesses, showing them how to tell their stories. 

Her marketing advice is bossy, practical and down to earth. 

She’s written three books. The third one, all about StandOut Strategies, was published in 2024.

We discuss the evolving tools in marketing, the importance of personal touchpoints like phone calls and handwritten notes, and she offers practical tips for integrating these strategies to grow and enjoy your business more. 

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

~02:25 Chantal’s Journey to Entrepreneurship

~04:38 Evolution of Apple Tree Marketing

~06:26 The Five Standout Strategies

~12:31 The Power of the Telephone

~19:00 Building Authentic Connections

~20:37 Exploring the Five Strategies in Depth

~28:24 How to Discover Your Standout Strategy

FULL EPISODE VIDEO

vimeo.com/1058490882

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

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Recommended Reading

Austin Kleon: 7 Questions I Ask Myself (When I Don’t Know What to Do Next)

Austin Kleon is an artist and author whose books and newsletters are on my must read list.

He consistently delivers insights and inspiration to help me discover and create.

This is the first part of a recent newsletter (you need a paid subscription to see it all). But even this partial post is loaded with insight to help you keep going when you’re puzzled or stuck.

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Old Ads: How to Use Them Today

“In the fast-moving world of digital marketing, it’s easy to dismiss old advertisements as relics of the past. After all, what could a 1950s magazine ad possibly teach us about running Facebook or YouTube campaigns today? The answer? Everything.”

So writes Brian Kurtz in this must-read post.

While we’re all chasing the latest digital marketing trends, Kurtz argues that the psychological principles behind successful vintage ads are just as powerful today.

The article unpacks how legendary ads from the pre-internet era relied on timeless human desires and emotions that still drive purchasing decisions. These ads had to work – there were no algorithms to save them. They mastered the art of turning attention into sales through proven headline formulas, desire amplification, and compelling long-form copy.

Words to Ponder

“Creativity is not the possession of some special talent. It’s about the willingness to play.”

~ John Cleese