Creating Disney Magic

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How to Recover From a Bad Decision Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

When you make a bad decision, the first thing you can do is apologize.

Don't hope people forget about it. They won't.

If you have done something inappropriate, it can be difficult to get over. But if you take action on a decision and it doesn't go well, face it head-on and admit what happened.

When you get feedback from someone about a bad decision or how you are perceived, the first step is to believe it. You can't change until you accept the feedback you get.

To avoid making mistakes, seek counsel as you work through and towards big decisions. Have relationships with people who work with you so you can ask questions and get their advice. Seeking help, and taking your time, will lead to making fewer bad decisions.

Often, bad decisions come from making the decision in isolation.

In difficult situations, our desire to make people happy can also lead us to make the wrong decision.

It is better to hurt someone's feelings now rather than hurt their career later because you didn't give them candid feedback.

How to Get Accurate Employee Surveys Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

When I was at Disney, cast member surveys brought to my attention some perceived me as playing favorites. It was like a gut punch to get the information.

But you know what? They were right. When I reflected on the feedback, I realized I did

Immediately, I change my behavior. I sat next to different people. I sought out different opinions.

Over the next couple of years, my scores improved.

The key to employee surveys is to change your behavior to change the ratings.

Don't get defensive. If you do, employees will never tell you anything again.

The purpose of feedback is for you to get better.

Employees and customers know everything you need to know to get better.

As a leader, your job is to give your team the resources and support to take care of the customer. It is not about you. It is about your team.

If you want more accurate employee surveys, follow these guidelines.

Don't ask for feedback unless you want the truth. If you just want employees to tell you that you are doing a great job, you are doing it for the wrong reason.

Keep it anonymous. Employees are more willing to tell the truth if their name is not attached to what they say. Otherwise, they fear retaliation.

Do not try to figure out who said what. Resist the temptation to get to the bottom of it when someone says something negative about you. Take it as an opportunity to get better.

Take action on the feedback you get. The most effective way to get accurate survey results is to actually take action on the feedback you get from employees. Once they trust you, they will open up more.

Working with Disappointed Customers Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

At every business, you are going to disappoint some customers.

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we answer a listener question about customers getting upset or disappointed.

The question is about how the narrative told at a historical president's home causes disappointment and tension with visitors. Sometimes they don't treat staff well when they get upset.

From this situation, there are some things you can learn to use in situations with difficult subject matter. Be committed to telling the truth. Stick with the facts, whether people like them or not.

Although the subject matter may be unique to the location, all organizations deal with disappointed and upset customers.

If a customer gets so negative it impacts the experience of other customers, you have to step in. Start with empathy, and see what you can do to help the situation. If needed, escalate your response to remove the customer.

Always remain professional. Keep cool. The upset customer does not know you. It is not personal.

Don't Bring Tough Days at Work Home With You May 26, 2020

Show notes

When you have a tough day at work, you have to find a way to let it go before you get home.

If you are a pain in the neck at home, your family won't want to see you after a workday.

I have been there myself.

My wife, Priscilla, once asked me if I could try making a little magic at home. When my son was 14, he suggested I sit in the hot tub when I get home because everything was fine before I got there.

I needed those reminders. If you let this go on too long, it becomes hard to recover.

You have to be able to lead yourself before you can lead anyone else, whether at home or work.

When you have a tough day at work, you have to find a way to let it go before you get home.

Routine relaxes me. When I was EVP of Walt Disney World, my routine was to workout at the gym between leaving work and arriving home.

Exercise makes you feel better. When you feel better, you act better.

Find an intermission before you arrive home. Maybe a commute is enough of a break if you use it the right way.

Be deliberate. Consider what would make you feel better? What would help you leave a tough day at work so you can let it go before you get home?

You can pre-order Dan Cockerell's book, How's the Culture in Your Kingdom, HERE.

What Concerns do Your Customers Have About Your Business? May 19, 2020

Show notes

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, many businesses have had to shut down temporarily. As businesses begin to reopen, we have the opportunity to do it the right way.

Don't just open the doors and expect customers to return.

Approach reopening your business like it an entirely new product. Check everything carefully. Talk to your staff for ideas. Start calling customers and ask what concerns they have about reopening.

Customers are individuals and they may have different concerns. You may not be able to address all of them, but if you don't find out what your customers are concerned about you will not be able to address any of them.

As you prepare to reopen our business, customers and employees know everything you need to know before you open the doors again.

Don't reopen your business based on what you want. Open your business on what they want. Check all of your customer's concerns and consider how you have addressed them.

If you are uncertain, go in favor of the customer. In this case, when in doubt, go in favor of safety.

If you are interested in the Time Management Magic workshop being offered in the United Kingdom, you can find more information here.

Leading a Remote Team May 12, 2020

Show notes

Leading a remote team for the first time can be a challenge for many people.

If your leadership style is based on face to face interaction, it can leave you feeling disease about not being able to see your team.

Don't stress over it too much. Leading remotely, for the most part, is no different than leading in person.

Be yourself. Pick up the phone. Get on Zoom. Communicate often.

Often, we magnify the problems that come with remote teams. Most people stress about not being in front of the team is because they want to feel important. Not being able to have direct and immediate interaction leaves some leaders feeling less important.

Here are some tips for leading a remote team:

Treat remote communication as you would any other communication.
Be yourself.
Tell the truth.
Check-in with people individually. Don't make every meeting a group meeting.
Don't only rely on email. Hearing voices and seeing people's faces help you and the whole time.
Have fun. Let people feel comfortable.
If you act normal, other people will act normal, too.
Don't overprepare. Each meeting is not a presentation.

The more you do it the better you will get at it. Everything is hard before it is easy. You can practice with family or friends before you have to have remote meetings for real with your team.

How to Work with a Negative Coworker May 05, 2020

Show notes

What do you do if you have a negative coworker?

For the most part, I recommend you stay away from negative coworkers. There really is no upside to you spending time with someone like that.

But, if this person is a friend or someone you are willing to help out, then step in and let them know they are damaging their reputation and career.

Keep in mind, any negative culture or environment you spend time in will eventually affect you.

Usually, the problem doesn't have much to do with work. They have something going on in their life that makes them the way they are.

Personally, I enjoy these conversations. It gives me a chance to help someone by having a candid conversation other people may not be willing to have with them.

If you do feel like you can help, sit down with the coworker and be candid. Explain how other people see their attitude and how it affects them. Offer to help. Oftentimes, people who are so negative don't know what is happening. They don't know people are avoiding them because of their attitude.

Put Your Challenge in Front of People Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer a listener question that may seem unique, but it is more common than you may think.

A listener told me she is 28 and people think she is a teenager. It creates a challenge at work because people think she is young and therefore inexperienced.

Although you may not have this problem of looking like a teenager, you do have something in common with this listener.

You have a challenge that gets in the way. You hope people don't notice, but they probably will.

Maybe you try to get around it by not talking about it.

Hiding your challenge is not the right approach.

For this podcast listener, people treat her differently because they think she is young. It's not uncommon for people to discriminate against someone for being too young.

Or too old.

People shouldn't focus on age. Young or old. What matters is experience and knowledge.

But sometimes it is to your advantage to bring it up right from the start.

Call out your challenge from the beginning. Deal with it as soon as you can.

When I was younger, I thought people would question my ability because I did not have a college degree. So I brought it out front in the beginning. It allowed me to draw attention to my experience and the positions I held during my career.

If you don't address what people may already be thinking, you may not get the opportunity you are after.

Bringing out the issue upfront will also show people you are not afraid to have a difficult conversation.

Use the situation to help create a personal story of perseverance and overcoming a challenge.

Documenting HR Issues Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Documenting HR issues is important for you as a leader and your organization as a whole.

When I was at Marriott, I learned how to coach, counsel, and discipline employees. Documenting HR issues was part of the training that stuck with me the rest of my career.

If you have any issue with an employee, you need to build a record of the history of the behavior in case it becomes a problem.

Documentating issue gives you and the employee clarity to what is going on.

Without documentation, both parties may have a different understanding of what the problem is, or if there is even a problem at all.

When you hire new employees, let them know upfront you have a system to document HR issues.

Document not only the issue but the consequences.

And when you document consequences, you have to follow through.

The Most Important Activity for Any Leader Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

There is one activity every leader should do every day, and it may not be what you think.

In my book, The Customer Rules, Rule #15 is Be Like a Bee.

There is a story behind this rule or customer service.

A girl asked Walt Disney if he was involved in making the movies. Walt explained he was like a bee. He buzzed around the company looking for and spreading new ideas.

What Walt told the young girl is the most important activity for any leader. You need to get out among people and hear their ideas. And help spread those ideas.

If you want to be like a bee, ask more questions. Talk to customers and employees. Departments in your organization may have no idea what other ideas are up to.

Here are some ideas of what questions to ask;

"Why do you do it like this?"

"Do you think there is a better way to do this?"

"Have you ever thought about doing it this way instead?"

"What do you like most about the way we do things?"

"What don't you like?"

"What do you hate to have to say to our customers?"

"If you could change 2 things about how we serve our customers what would they be?"

"What items do you usually run out of?"

"What percentage of our customers are repeat customers and what percentage are one-timers?"

"What else can I do for you?"

Buzz around every day until you find all the issues and uncover all the ideas. Then you can spread ideas, uncover new solutions and pollinate your organization.

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