Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 12/29/25
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We’re just back from LA, visiting our “West Coast” family, where our grandchildren are 4 and 1. We had a great time and a wonderful Christmas. At one point my son and daughter-in-law left to see friends, and we babysat the kids before we all met at a restaurant for dinner.

I’m writing my newest book on esteem right now (The Courage of Your Talent) and I’ve learned over the years that expectations influence esteem and esteem influences expectations in a reciprocal arabesque. If your expectations are unrealistic and you consequently don’t achieve them, your esteem can suffer. However, if your esteem is low to begin with, then we tend not to set very high or powerful expectations, and are unfulfilled.

Ideally, our worth is independent of our performance. We don’t “gain or lose” worth based on success or failure. Worth is about dignity (Am I worthy?), while performance (efficacy) is about competence (Can I do this?). Ideally, we should have high efficacy with those issues closest to our “calling” in life, but of course not in everything. I can’t play the piano, in fact I can’t play a musical instrument, in fact I have trouble playing the radio. But no client has ever asked me to, because I’m not being hired as a musician.

But, man, can I write! I’m writing this à cappella flying at 36,000 feet going about 500 miles an hour across country with no notes. (Some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, it looks it!”)

Back to the kids. When their parents were leaving they cried and put on a show knowing that this would result in more hugs, kisses, and encores. But once they were finally disentangled from their parents and alone with Maria and me, they figured crying would not meet their expectations any more. So they watched cartoons, played with the football, and used the slide. They allowed us to strap them into the car without any resistance whatsoever.

You see, they had proper expectations which changed appropriately when they realized which of their actions would create the most efficacious responses. This is an intrinsic ability that, too often, we have knocked out of us as we grow. When your expectations aren’t being met, stop blaming others, the workplace, the boss, the client, AI, Elon Musk, or the fates.

Change your expectations and allow your esteem to flourish.

 

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as the expectation of something better tomorrow. —Orison Swett Marden

I had such high expectations of myself. I was going to be the best mother, the best housewife, the best entertainer, the best nurse, you know—what it was, I was going to be the best. And I could never live up to my expectations.  —Ann Richards

When I write, I write for myself, and I have high expectations… so I’m just trying to meet those. I’m not going to distract myself with other people’s expectations. —Hannah Kent

I don’t have high expectations anymore. Maybe they’ve just been beaten out of me.           —Elisabeth Shue

 

Pre-publication Offer for My New Books with Great Bonuses!

Combined Seven-Figure Consultant and Getting Stated in Consulting V  Book Purchase Bonus Offers:

Total of books, one title or combined titles:

5 books: Free 45-minute Zoom workshop in March on establishing value with buyers  (worth: $450); 10 books: Free hour of personalized coaching with Alan ($2,500); 25 books: Free Den Sessions with Alan, 8 30-minute Zoom meetings over two months ($4,500: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/the-den/); 50 books: Free seat in either virtual Million Dollar Consulting® College or Sentient Strategy® certification ($12,000); 100 books : Dinner with Alan at his home and three hours of coaching the following morning for you alone or you with a guest ($15,000)

To qualify for bonuses: You must use one of the advance publishing options below and send proof to Alan (alan@summitconsulting.com) in the form of your receipt. This offer is good until February 10, 2026. Once made, there are no returns or cancellations. The bonuses will be fulfilled at mutually-convenient dates and times.

Pre-order sources: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Bulk orders: Porchlight Books

 

The No Normal® Newsletter 

Seeing what others don’t notice, acting when others don’t move, living a life others can’t dream

Newsletter sections and examples of what will be included:

1. What I’m hearing and seeing: What’s Happened (AI is not taking over, it’s actually underutilized)

2. Turn your head, look around: What’s Happening (The jobs and careers that are disappearing)

3. Assume Zebras: What’s Coming (Removal of human judgment in almost all sports—and not merely for accuracy)

The No Normal Newsletter is a reflection on my trademarked idea that there will never be a “return to normal” nor a “new normal.” That’s because “normal” means “routine” or “average” and this is not an age of the mundane.

Each month I’ll provide what I’ve been hearing globally, from clients and colleagues in my coaching and consulting practice. I’ll indicate what’s happening around us that is opportunity (or threat) for readers. And I’ll dispel the old trope that if you hear hoofbeats you should assume horses are coming, the most obvious probability.

I’m going to show you how to, and why you should, assume zebras.

$250 for a year (or $3,000 for a year plus six coaching calls during the year at your preference). Starts January 15.

For about 20 bucks a month you’ll get the mix of my enormous perspective of four decades in this business, my current highly successful contacts and engagements around the world, and my keen insights into the zebras.

       • I predicted the Israeli/Hamas War would end by exhaustion this year.

       • I predicted the market would exceed 48,000 in 2025.

       • I have five books being published next year.

       • I have my own AI:AlanIntlleigence® on my site, as well as 21 trademarks.

       • I have the stongest brand in my “public square” in the world.

I’m not bragging, I’m showing you that I’ve identified, anticipated, and exploited true trends and eschewed fads. And, as Dizzy Dean said, “If you can do it, it ain’t braggin’.”

Join me in 2026 and continue your journey into prosperity. You can sign up here until it’s on my site: https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/  If you don’t think 20 bucks a month is worth it for my guidance and insights, then poor you!

 

2026 Zoom Workshops

January 6               Maximizing the coaching/advisory dynamic

February 3              Maximizing speaking spin-off business

March 3                 Role-playing tough conversations

April 7                   Maximizing workshop effectiveness spin-off

May 5                    Maximizing current events potential

June 9                   Role-playing tougher conversations

July 7                    Maximizing low project labor practices

August 13             Maximizing panels—participant/moderator

September 8        Role-playing toughest conversations

October 6             Maximizing publishing potential

November 2         Maximizing lifestyle potential

December 8        Maximizing 2027 personally and professionally

All sessions are approximately 90 minutes beginning at 10:30 US eastern time. These sessions are $450 each, or the entire year for $5,000. Add three months of weekly 30-minute coaching for $2,500, a total of $7,500. (My cards are accepted for the full-year, and for the full-year and coaching options, not for individual sessions.) All sessions will include video recording, visual photos, and Zoom Companion summary.

Register here: https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/

 

London:

For those of you who read down here, a special offer. I’m planning to be in London in late May offering a 1.5-day program based on my new book The Seven-Figure Consultant (which will be released in February and which I’ll send for free to registrants at that time). The program is about the philosophy, leverage, and opportunity acquisition you need to make seven figures annually and sustain it. It is a brand new offering (it is not “Six Figures to Seven”). If you’re interested: The fee will be $4,500, which includes a reception evening, a light breakfast and lunch. Write me at alan@summitconsulting.com or register here:  https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/ Read this far? It’s May 18-19. (On May 27-28 I’m running a session for people now making seven figures annually about how to assess options for the future. Write me if you qualify.)

 

AI: Alan Intelligence™ My unique AI resource which will direct you to the relevant aspects of my entire body of work to answer your “real time” questions about proposals, value based fees, conceptual agreement, avoiding “ghosting,” and thousands of other issues with text, audio, and video resources, all of which you can download. Please go here to gain lifelong, constantly growing access to my work, including referral to specific pages in my books which you can access online: https://alanweiss.com/ai-alan-intelligence/ If you decide at any time to engage in one of my two elite, personal coaching relationships, I’ll deduct the full fee you’ve paid for this resource.

 

Million Dollar Consulting® for the World: I’ve provided 14 modules with videos from me, from your colleagues globally, slides, and text. They include everything from launch to self-esteem, proposals to fees, closing business to creating a brand. No upsells! It’s only $115. What do you think about a 10,000:1 ROI? We have over 500 people from 47 countries. https://milliondollarconsultingcourse.com

 

Million Dollar Consulting® for the World ADVANCED: The new program contains over 60 videos and has 15 modules focusing on what to do in the buyer’s office, overcoming crises, financial planning, and much, much more. https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/advanced-global-learning-program/

 

Million Dollar Consulting® for the World GRADUATE: Another 12 modules with videos by me and your peers on contemporary issues such as Raising Fees Aggressively, How to Be Consistently Interviewed, Maximizing Happiness, and Managing Multiple projects. Join the people from 57 countries who are availing themselves of this inexpensive way to dramatically grow their businesses in any economic times. How does 100:1 ROI sound? https://milliondollarconsultingcourse.com/graduate-learning-program/ 

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Warning labels
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On poison and high voltage wires, the label clearly informs us that this can kill us, right away. For obvious reasons, these are important labels, and generally quite effective.

On cigarettes, it’s clear that if you smoke long enough, you’re going to die, and probably not pleasantly. The warning labels haven’t been nearly as effective as taxes in curbing smoking, but they made the issue clear.

New York State just passed a law requiring labels on social media. Many of the tactics of online networks make people, especially children, unhappy, perhaps for the long term.

Perhaps by highlighting the addictive, manipulative features that cause the most harm, informed consent (or avoidance) will follow.

We probably want to avoid signs like this:

But I’m wondering if a simple, universal symbol could get the job done:

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Eman Al-Hillawi on what 2025 taught her as a CEO and digital transformation leader
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Eman Al-Hillawi on what 2025 taught her as a CEO and digital transformation leader

Ahead of January and the new lessons, learnings and trends likely to emerge in 2026, business leaders should take this time to reflect and plan. Eman Al-Hillawi, CEO at business change consultancy, Entec Si, looks back on 2025, to find three key lessons from another 12 months of change and uncertainty.

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