Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 3/23/26
I once had a huge pharmaceutical client which was intent on diversifying its workplace after a study I conducted for them proved that it was anything but. The CEO and top executives were fully supportive and engaged.
However, at one point we found that every PhD required in a highly complex aspect of research was white, and we wondered if that was an accident or bias. We found it was neither, in that only six such PhDs who were non-white graduated annually in that specialty in the entire country, and they were in such demand that the bidding for their services resembled professional sports.
Being a superb and in-demand top consultant, I asked a very complex question to the executives: Why don’t you simply outbid everyone else, since you’re sitting on a mountain of money? (I do this at wine auctions for nonprofits.) I was told that it would completely distort the company’s compensation protocols, and HR (of course) was dead-set against it.
“What’s the worst case if you did it anyway?” I asked, reaching deep into my consulting expertise. They told me, “Well, some of our existing PhDs in the area might leave if they didn't receive identical compensation. We can’t give that enormous figure to everyone.”
I then silenced the room by asking, “Do you really want to keep people who would leave because of a serious need to create more inclusiveness here, and wouldn’t it be easier to replace them in this prestigious company with other white PhDs who understood the corporate need to make exceptions?”
After about 30 seconds the CEO said, “He’s right, let’s do it!” An offer was made, a person hired upon graduation, no one left, and the company also invested in scholarship programs to create more minority PhDs in that discipline starting in undergraduate school.
I share this not to boast, but to show you that being an advisor means extricating yourself from norms and cultural restraints. And it means being unafraid to suggest “heroic measures.” I don’t mean “heroism” in terms of running into enemy guns, but rather running bravely in the right direction, even if protocols, rules, and tradition are against you.
When I called it “heroic action” the team was fearless in making it work and dealing with whatever consequences arose.
Do you ever act “heroically” and fight for what’s right, win or lose, damn the traditions (torpedoes) and full speed ahead?
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. —Arthur Ashe
Heroism is a matter of choice. —Richard Cohen
The greatest obstacle to being heroic is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one's self a fool; the truest heroism is to resist the doubt; and the profoundest wisdom, to know when it ought to be resisted, and when it be obeyed. —Nathaniel Hawthorne
Monetizing Thought Leadership: https://alanweiss.com/growth-experiences/monetizing-thought-leadership/
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE FOR THE RIGHT ATTITUDE: HOW ELITE CONSULTANTS EARN MORE BY THINKING DIFFERENTLY
Date: June 23-24, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Fees: Starts at $2500
This is not for those who need more tactics. It’s for those who seek an identify shift to shamelessly build brand and command the income justified by their value. Objectives:
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Topics and Discussions
- The economics of expertise
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- Offensive, not defensive proposals
- Walking your talk, talking your walk
- Surpassing “trusted advisor”
- The IA (indispensable authority)
- The myths of likeability and accessibility
- Distance without arrogance
- Rejecting positive and dysfunctional relationships
- The authority/brand/gravity alchemy
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- Thought leadership is framing, not solving
- To market upward you can’t go sideways
- The ROI journey begins at the destination
- There must be “reasonable certainty”
- Work backwards from outcomes
- Confidence and competence over credentials
- Your internal transformation
- Road closed, do not proceed
- Scaling is something you do to fish
- Only profitable growth makes sense
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- Your life cannot serve your business
Who should attend?
- Experienced consultants, speakers, coaches in any field
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Applicants will be “curated” to ensure proper interactions.
$2,500 per person
$3,500 to include second morning with Q&A with Alan demonstrating transition needs for each attendee
$7,500 to include four hours of one-on-one coaching in 30-60-minute segments within six months, flexibly scheduled
$10,000 includes dinner with Alan one-on-one in a great restaurant
You will no longer struggle for client affection, selection, or projection. You’ll be chosen because of your identity and authority.
Summary: You’re not “buying” information or tactics, you are investing in a new way of thinking about yourself, the market, and long-term, sustainable immediate and passive income for your value.
2026 Zoom Workshops
January 6 Maximizing the coaching/advisory dynamic
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March 3 Role-playing tough conversations
NEXT: April 7 Maximizing workshop effectiveness spin-off
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August 13 Maximizing panels—participant/moderator
September 8 Role-playing toughest conversations
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November 2 Maximizing lifestyle potential
December 8 Maximizing 2027 personally and professionally
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