RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.07.27
Why Forcing Yourself To Work… Never Works
Daniel Pink’s book Drive is one of my favorite books on productivity and motivation. It spent 159 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold millions of copies, and got named one of the best leadership books of all time.
And yet most of us still ignore what it says.
Pink just dropped a 13-minute video walking through the seven most important insights from Drive — the ones people tell him are the most surprising, the most useful, and the most unsettling.
One that stuck with me…
When researchers offered cash prizes for solving a creative puzzle, the incentivized group took 3½ minutes longer than the group with no reward at all.
The reward didn’t sharpen thinking. It dulled it.
There’s a better formula. And it has nothing to do with bribing yourself to sit at your desk. Pink walks through it here.
Recommended Article
Zuckerberg’s AI Clone: A Personal Branding Flub
Meta is building an AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg, trained on his voice, his mannerisms, and years of public statements.
The goal? Let 79,000 employees feel “connected to the founder” without requiring any of his actual time.
Clever? Maybe. But SUCCESS Magazine nailed the real issue hiding underneath…
The whole thing is a brand architecture problem.
Nearly half of a company’s perceived market value is tied to the reputation of the person at the top. This article outlines the dangers when the person at the top shows up as a robot.
Recommended Event
Turn Your Book Into More Clients, 3X Profits, and Greater Freedom in 2026
You wrote the book. Now what?
Most authors publish… then wait. They hope the book does the selling for them. It doesn’t.
Your book isn’t the finish line. It’s the lead magnet, the credibility builder, and the front door to your best clients — if you know how to use it.
In this free training (Thursday at 6 p.m. ET), I’ll show you how authors turn their book into a steady stream of leads, better clients, and bigger profits. No tech headaches. No burnout. No churning out content nobody reads.
Claim your free seat: bookprofitplan.com
Another Recommended Event
Follow-Up That Works: How to Stay Top-of-Mind Without Being Annoying
This is simple. If you want to sell more, attend this workshop hosted by my friend, Lynn Whitbeck — the Strategic Sales Queen.
Lynn’s point is a simple one: Most opportunities don’t die from rejection. They die from follow-up that never happened, happened too late, or felt too awkward to send.
So you don’t send it. And the deal that was 80% done goes cold.
Lynn will show you how to follow up with confidence, keep conversations moving, re-engage the people who went silent, and build a follow-up rhythm you’ll actually stick with.
Tuesday, July 28
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific
Live on Zoom
Latest Episode
The Story Power Marketing Show
Why Your Emails Are Getting Ignored And How to Fix It In 45 Days (with Ely Delaney)
Ely Delaney is the creator of The Follow Up Rockstar System, teaching entrepreneurs how to go from surviving to thriving in any economy. He’s an Amazon bestseller with his three books “Marketing Tidbits”, “Networking Tidbits”, and his latest book, “The Follow Up Code: 7 Virtues for Building Trust Through Email.”
In this episode, he and I discuss why email marketing isn’t dead and how better follow-up can raise open rates to 40–50% in about six weeks. The goal is to use platforms like LinkedIn or X to bring people “into your castle,” rather than depending on social media entirely – and Ely gets into how to do it. He explains common mistakes and recommends value-driven, conversational emails that tell stories.
DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE
~02:42 Is Email Dead? (Uh, No)
~03:20 Own Your List
~05:13 Social Algorithm Risk
~09:50 Email Relationship Hub
~11:10 Why Emails Fail
~13:41 Value First Emails
~15:37 Frequency Debate
~20:02 Test Your Audience
~24:51 Write Like You Talk
~29:39 Services And Offers
~31:50 Follow Up Fix Course
~34:06 Slacker Email Tip
~34:51 Book And Wrap Up
~37:03 Final Outro
FULL EPISODE VIDEO: vimeo.com/1211851408
Listen on…
Words to Ponder
“I’ve always been in the right place and time. Of course, I steered myself there.”
— Bob Hope
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.
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