Creating Disney Magic

As a leader, one of your top priorities is to be available for staff members to see you.  When I was at Disney World, I made it clear anyone could come and see me. If they were not getting their problem solved at the local level, the could bring it to me.  My responsibility was to get things right. Every cast member should have a work environment where they felt comfortable and safe. If an issue c...

At Walt Disney World, we implemented a cross-utilization program at our busiest time to make sure we had enough people to serve our guests. One time, I was assigned to work at Pecos Bills. As I was working the front line taking orders, I noticed trays were beginning to come out hot. Which meant they were coming right out of the dishwasher and into the hands of the customers. It wasn't long before...

ep track of your problems so you can fix them.  You have the same problems that show up every week. Pay attention, keep track, and you can fix nearly every problem.  At Disney World, we kept careful records of problems and mishaps. Then we would train cast members to take care of the problem right there on the spot.  There are trends in every business. There are likely 6 or 7 problems that will ha...

Does a CEO always need to be in the office? There are situations where a CEO or a leader works from home, comes in late, leaves early.  Does the CEOs presence at work matter in getting the work done? When I became EVP of Walt Disney World, I made it clear there may be times I would leave at 3 pm. But the job would get done. And I didn't want jokes about leaving early.  If you own the company, you...

Should you still aim high for a job you are not qualified for? Not many people end up with a career in the field they went to college for. But how do you make the leap into a job you want, but may not be qualified for? You will have an advantage if you know someone. Most companies are willing to hire someone who has the right attitude and personality, but someone on the inside has to know you.  An...

This episode was recorded live in London, England. The audience asked me questions and I answered.  Here are the questions found on the episode: What was the most successful initiative I launched in my career? Implementing the Disney Great Leader Strategies.  How do you create a company culture? Culture is behavior. Sometimes to change a culture you have to change the people who don't behave the w...

A title does not make you a leader.  A title may make you a manager, but not a leader.  In fact, the bigger your title, the less you need to think of yourself and more about the people who count on you.  It's not about me. It's about them.  When I ran Disney World, it was my priority to create an environment where people wanted to come to work every morning. If I created a place where everyone mat...

Losing money in your business is not an easy thing to deal with.  When we opened Disneyland Paris, we were losing $1 million each day. Talk about pressure.  One reason many businesses lose money is debt. Be careful how much debt you take on for your business. You may have enough sales right now, but if something happens, the debt can keep you from meeting your obligations.  When your business is l...

Should employers help employees with mental health issues? Yes, of course.  But it comes down to the individual supervisor to make something happen.  If someone has never been late to work late, and now they are coming to work late 3 days a week, something has happened. If someone now seems to have anger issues that weren't there before, something has happened.  This will make the culture and envi...

We had a question from a listener who wanted to know how to ask for a pay raise. Truth is, I had never asked for a pay raise.  I had some ideas, but perhaps my advice wasn't as solid as it could be. So we found an expert and asked him to join us on this episode of Creating Disney Magic.  Scott Barlow, founder of Happen to Your Career , explains exactly how to ask for a pay raise.  If you perform y...

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer a few more questions from attendees of the event in Indianapolis.  If you handle a work issue privately with the employee, how does the rest of the team know you have dealt with the problem? When dealing with an employee issue at work, be respectful and private.  Handle it as quick as you can. If there is an issue other employees are aware of, you...

Don't be afraid to speak up and share your opinion.  These days, we've all got to get better faster. The best way to do this is getting input directly from people who are doing the work and the customer. They have more information than a CEO will ever know.  And you are either an employee or a customer. So speak up.  How can your organization serve better? What policies and procedures are getting...

Leadership comes first. You have to get it right before you work on anything else. Once you get leadership right, everything else will come into line.  On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer a listener question about creating a leadership development business.  My answers apply not just to creating a business, but for anyone who wants to develop as a leader.  First, understand you need...

Most people feel they are underpaid at their job.  My whole career I thought I should have made more money.  But when should you ask for a pay raise? You agreed to do a job at a salary, so knowing when you are providing enough value to ask for more money can be delicate.  I have never asked for a pay raise in my career. My plan was always to do a such a great job they promoted me and I would make...

There is one letter I take the time to write for my family every year.  Well, two letters, actually. One letter is to let each member of the family know how much I appreciate them. We all need more appreciation, encouragement, and recognition.  The second letter is a letter you should consider writing every year, but plan on no one reading it.  At the end of each year, I give a letter to my family...

This episode of Creating Disney Magic was recorded live in front of an audience in Indianapolis.  One table in the front of the room was a table of high school students who are members of the Kiwanis Key Club. All the questions for this episode come from the Key Club members.  One of the students asked how to turn around a bad reputation. Once a company gets a bad reputation, what can you do about...

This episode of Creating Disney Magic is recorded live in front of a live audience of 350 people in Indianapolis.  We took questions from the audience while I answered live from the stage.   Here are the questions I answer during this episode: What do you do when you want to empower people but have trouble letting go? How have natural disasters affected my leadership training? When you are intervi...

This episode of Creating Disney Magic is recorded live in front of a live audience of 350 people in Indianapolis.  We took questions from the audience while I answered live from the stage.   Here are the questions I answer during this episode: What do you do when you want to empower people but have trouble letting go? How have natural disasters affected my leadership training? When you are intervi...

Words help a business create magic.  Get past the boring business language we have become accustomed to.  Words help you get to someone's heart by getting to their brain first.  Even when it comes to Disney, without the words magic would not happen.  Words are used in movies, of course. But Disney also uses words to connect to guests. Disney uses words to even build a better experience for employe...

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer two listener questions, but they both tie together.  With the first question, someone asks about working with a mentor. He is a young man who wants to know how to approach someone about working with them in a mentor type relationship.  It is not uncommon for people to ask me to be their mentor. I decline, though. If I am going to mentor someone I...

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we have another rapid-fire series of questions.  Jody Maberry pulls out seven listener questions, and I provide a brief answer.  Tell how you would work along with cast members to learn what they would do day to day. Spending time out with the cast members gave me more appreciation for the hard work our team did every day. You would benefit from doing the...

This episode of Creating Disney Magic is a bit different than usual.  Rather than focus on a single topic, we do a series of rapid-fire questions.  In this episode, I answer the following questions: What is your biggest leadership failure and how did you cope with it? What is a tip for not getting burnt out while working a full-time job while also building your own small business? What advice can...

Early in my career, I was so driven to successful I worked six days each week. I went to work early in the morning and came home late at night.  I didn't see my wife or son enough. Together with my wife Priscilla, we came up with a plan that would allow me to spend all of my time on my one day off with my son, Daniel.  As I got promoted and traveled often for Marriott, I would talk to my son every...

Having difficult conversations is one of the toughest aspects of being a leader.  Terminating someone, in my opinion, is the hardest thing. But having difficult conversations is second, and avoiding these conversations can often lead to having to terminate someone.  If you can't make hard decisions or have hard conversations, don't become a parent and don't become a manager. Most managers are not...

When I am looking to hire someone, I don't care where you went to school or what your grades were. To some degree, I don't care about your technical knowledge.  I am more concerned about who you are. Have you experienced a hardship? Did you overcome it? Experience and exposure you get from adversity can be worth more than getting a degree or improving your technical skills.  Who you are is what I,...