Optimism

The great Zig Ziglar put it well: “There are seldom, if ever, any hopeless situations, but there are many people who lose hope in the face of some situations.” Faced with the stream of confusing and contradictory economic news, it is easy to get caught up in thinking that nothing positive is happening. We start to believe that there is little that we can do; we withdraw, play it safe, feel concern, and fear the future. We become especially vigilant for further signs that we are at risk. So, if you are a leader feeling “glass half-empty”, here are two key points you need to help you lead through it: 

1. Develop Optimism: If you are not optimistic about the future, how can you expect your team to be? Whether it’s your employees, vendors, friends, or family, you’ve got to lead with true optimism. Sometimes it can be a lonely position to take, but it’s what your team needs and WANTS from you. While most others are focusing on complaining, whining, and multiple regrets, your job as the leader is to look for opportunities and possibilities. 

 2. Show Courage and Be Energetic. Do not be afraid of confronting problems or those that create them. And don’t be “that manager” hiding behind the office door, hoping the problems will just go away. Newsflash - They WON’T! Being optimistic takes courage and energy. As a leader YOU have to be fully committed to the long term. It takes an energetic leader to carry the torch. Get your rest, eat right, exercise, and lead your team with high energy. 

 One of my favorite other quotes from Zig Ziglar is: “I’m so optimistic I’d go after Moby Dick in a row boat and take the tartar sauce with me.” Optimism is a conscious choice that has a huge impact on your ability to succeed. Optimism will inspire the confidence of your team that is required to take full advantage of the opportunities that exist.

Hanging on to Marginal Performers

Why do we hold on to people that we know we shouldn’t keep in place? Here are a few reasons: 

• Kindness, Loyalty, and Being nice. Maybe we “like” them, they “like” us, or both. Perhaps their performance in the organization was, at one point, successful. Out of a desire to be a “nice person” or please people, and not to be the “bad guy.” Perhaps we worry about their family, livelihood, or future. 
• Confrontation. These conversations are difficult, and you simply don’t want to have it. This again can be tough when you really “like” the person. 
•  Being too optimistic about their ability to change. We often think: if I give it more time… or I'm not helping them enough… 

When someone on the team becomes a marginal performer, it hurts them, their colleagues, and you. Initially, it is the leader’s responsibility to support change by offering the resources to help marginal performers improve. After that, if the issue persists, you are not doing anyone any favors by keeping them in place. 

Certainly, this is not a recommendation to fire someone with a long and successful career who may be having a few bad months. Yet, if the problem persists, it’s time to help them find a better situation. 

If you are still holding on to a marginal performer, it’s time to look at the reason and make a change. Recognizing your own pattern of holding on too long, and helping all involved by making a positive, perhaps difficult, change is not only good for you and your organization, but also it is the right thing to do.

Waiting Too Long to Develop Leaders

Like any skill, leadership skill develops over time. The sooner organizations get started on leadership development, the better. Yet, according to a study posted at HBR.org, leadership development is not being encouraged by many organizations. 

This study found that people start supervising at around the age of 30, but get their first leadership training at the age of 42! The implications are that organizations have managers leading people for ten years before they get any leadership training! 

Think about it this way: would you go to a Doctor who practiced medicine for 10 years before going to Medical School? How about your Accountant? 

People need to be exposed to leadership training as soon as possible. Well before being placed in supervisory or management roles. Leadership is everyone’s responsibility and leadership training should start from the first day on the job. 

What is your organization doing to develop leadership at all levels? 

The Wrightone 360° Leadership Development Survey is one of the best ways for leaders to get effective feedback. 360° feedback is a powerful tool that gives leaders feedback from those who work with them - peers, managers, subordinates. If you would like additional information about our 360° Leadership Development Survey and a copy of our guide Focusing on Leadership Development, please contact us.

Patience

I am very impatient. When I describe this for people, here is how it comes out: Good impatience. It’s my sense of urgency. However, I have also learned that patience is the most important attribute necessary for effective leadership, and it is rarely talked about. 

Here is why Patience (at the right time) is the effective Leader’s best choice: 

1. Too much speed, speed, speed. People and teams, like athletes, cycle through periods of great productivity and periods of recovery. Good leaders understand that recovery time is essential for speed in the next “sprint”, and they manage the pace and rhythm of their teams accordingly. 

2. Developing people takes time, deliberate effort, (and yes) a great deal of patience. While you as the leader might see pure raw potential in a team member, people develop at their speed, not yours. Your encouragement is appreciated, but display impatience (even good impatience) and you risk derailing and demoralizing the individual. 

3. People process change at different rates of speed. Some are quick to dive into waters they don’t yet understand, however, many others prefer to process on and internalize the issues around change at their own pace. Fail to show patience with those who are in mid-process, and you risk losing them. 

Most leaders I know, like me, are impatient for action. They are excited about helping drive people towards a destination and they often see the gap between today’s situation and tomorrow’s idealized state. The most effective leaders however, understand that patience, for all of the list reasons, can help everyone get there faster.

Accountability

There are many aspects of effective leadership: at times you need to be a guardian, protector, and advocate. Other times you need to be a coach, developing and inspiring your team. However, one of the most important aspects of effective leadership is holding people accountable. 

In your role as a leader, you need to get people moving towards objectives. Yet some people don't want to move. And when you hold people accountable, some people will push back. 

Why? It’s because we really don’t like to be held accountable. But here is a secret: Most people need it, even want it, from their leaders. Most bosses don't even try to hold people accountable. I said "bosses" and not "leaders". Bosses micromanage. Leaders hold people accountable. There is a HUGE difference. 

Imagine lying in bed and trying to shut off your alarm, but it won't shut off. The alarm just keeps beeping and beeping and beeping. THAT'S micromanaging. Effective leadership makes a contract with you (sets the wake up time), monitors the progress of that contract every so often (checks the time), and goes about its other duties until the contract is complete (waits for the alarm to go off), then creates a new contract with you. 

Here is the lesson for leaders: make agreements with your people, and then trust them to get the work done. Check with them at your agreed-upon times. And, by all means, if they're not delivering, hold them accountable. The rest of the time, focus on what you need to do.

Fear: Not A Way to Live or A Way to Lead

Have you ever run into someone who is afraid they are going to lose their job? Or who is afraid of failure? Or who is just plain risk averse? Are they successful? In my experience, they are generally not successful or at least not as successful as they could be. 

Leaders must understand risk and be able to accept risk. While there are courses in risk management, the important thing to remember is that there is always risk. Everything we do comes with some risks. Driving to work in the morning has risk (Actually a very high risk). If leaders are unwilling to accept risk, they will be ineffective. 

Someone who is so afraid of losing their job that they refuse to take a risk, may lose their job because they are ineffective. Think about it. 

Leaders must be able to adapt to the situation and be willing to accept the risk of failure in order to be successful. Leaders who are unwilling to accept risk must be satisfied with mediocre performance from their teams, their organizations, and themselves.

Dealing with People Problems

People problems are inevitable on teams. One person, consistently acting inappropriately can destroy the fabric of a team. They can reduce productivity, destroy morale, and sabotage the working relationship between the leader and the team.
 
What is a leader to do when confronted with this situation?
 
1.    Don’t get so wrapped up in the problem that your relationship with other team members suffers. Continue to relate to everyone. They need to continue to see you and to have open communication with you. They also need confidence that you are actively working to enforce standards.
 
2.    Second, work one-on-one directly with the problem and the person. Nothing in the world is more demoralizing for a team than to have a leader send a blanket email stating the policy and trying to solve a problem involving only one person. Usually the person with the problem doesn't know it's meant for them (so they ignore it) and everyone else is insulted that the leader isn't dealing directly and personally with the issue. Hiding behind blanket emails sent to everyone about every transgression is a sign of weakness and insecurity. It sends a message to the team that you are unwilling to engage and you don't understand the dynamics of the team.
 
This is a time for the leader to be involved and engaged. Get to the bottom of the issue. There are established standards being violated. Leaders also need compassion. It is important to assume "noble intent" on the first meeting. Some people just don't see how what they are doing is divisive or contrary to the team.
 
Dealing directly with people shows the team that you are engaged and willing to take care of the "tough stuff" personally. It demonstrates that you have a good knowledge of the team dynamics and reinforces to the team that you care about each of them and understand their contributions.

Leaders must act when confronted with people problems. And they must act personally and directly to resolve the problem.

Hard Work Beats Talent, When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard!

On an athletic level, this is so clear. There are plenty of “gifted” athletes that never excel because they rely on their natural ability to pull them through. This lesson can also be seen in academics. Some students rely far too much on their natural ability and end up paying the price.
 
There is no simple secret to success. There are no silver bullets or short cuts. But nothing is more important than preparation and hard work. Yes, we can all point to examples of people who are successful “flying by the seat of their pants”.   There are always exceptions. 
 
In business, we compete every day.  We compete with other companies.  We compete with other employees.  We compete with other candidates during interviews.  Does the most naturally talented individual always win?  No.   Does the most naturally talented individual win most of the time?  I would argue “No”.  In my experience the most prepared individual wins.
 
The lesson is simple, “Hard Work Beats Talent, When Talent Doesn’t Work Hard”.  Don’t make excuses.  Simply work hard and be prepared.  You will win more often than you think.

Important things you won't learn in school

As I tell my students, you can learn a lot of things in the classroom. But there are some things you’ll never learn in the classroom. Hopefully, this will fill some of the gaps:
 
The Whole Truth Is An Illusion – You will almost never know the whole truth, so don’t pretend that you do or that you will.  Our perceptions of the world are clouded by our own subjectivity and by our interpretation of information.  But this shouldn’t stop you from making a decision. Analysis paralysis is a term used to describe the situation where the deeper you dig into a topic the more questions you have.  As a rule of thumb, don’t make decisions with only 10 percent of the available information – but don’t expect to have more than 75 percent before a timely decision is required.  Most importantly, be humble in your decisions and opinions because of this fact, but stand by them until proven wrong by more information.
 
Great Ideas Are Nothing Without Execution – Great ideas without good execution get slaughtered in the market by ‘good enough’ ideas with great execution.  There are plenty of examples of the same idea failing until properly executed such as Facebook when compared to earlier attempts such as Six Degrees and Friendster.
 
Intelligence Still Requires Experience – In school we compete against classmates that have generally the same level of experience. Thus, one’s intelligence plays a key role in academic performance.    In the real world brilliance alone, especially in competitive situations, simply isn’t enough. The Dunning-Kruger effect, sometimes termed Illusory Superiority, tells us that the less competent we are in any given area (competence is driven by experience), the more likely we will rate ourselves as “better than average” in competency.  This illusory superiority often drives bad decisions.
 
Not All Conflict Is Bad.  We grow up being told not to argue with our teammates or peers but both scholars and practitioners agree that there are good and bad forms of conflict.  The good conflict, known as cognitive conflict, is the healthy debate that teams participate in when determining what or why something should be done.  It involves a wide range of perspectives and experiences and can help generate strategic options for growth.
 
Leadership Is About EQ not IQ – Evidence suggests that the most successful leaders have some minimum IQ.  But IQ alone is not sufficient to be a successful leader.  The greatest leaders have high emotional quotients, often considered a combination of social intelligence and emotional intelligence.  Leadership is not about you. It’s about your teams.  As a leader you need to check your ego at the door and worry more about your team’s welfare, performance, and improvement.

Decisions

One of the easiest ways to take control of your actions is to take control of your decisions.  Decisions are what precede all of our actions. A truly committed decision is one where you release all the possibilities from your mind, except for the outcome that you are absolutely committed to.

The challenge is that most of us have weak decision making muscles mainly because we tend to say "I will give it a go and see if it works." A truly committed decision is like a laser beam that is so focused on its target that nothing can get in its way. In its Latin form the word "decide" means to "cut off" and that is what a truly committed decision calls us to do.

Cut off all other possibilities to the extent that you will not even consider any other result. Now this might sound easier said than done and I have to agree. BUT once you realize that making decisions is a skill and that the more you practice it the better you get at it, you will begin to powerfully direct and shape your life towards your ultimate destination.

Consider this: Start by taking a different look at problems and challenges. Commit yourself to seeing them as the necessary "weights" to build enough strength to reach your goals. Learn to welcome problems as opportunities to grow and soon you will habitually turn challenges into opportunity.

How Do You Treat Waiters?

The way you treat others offers a window into the type of person you are.  Your interaction with people, whose job is to serve you, reflects on your character and offers a glimpse into the way they will react to you.
 
When you behave in a condescending manner, you are sure to elicit a negative reaction.  Immediately, the person you are talking down to will be put off, even if they don’t show it.  You will squelch any inclination for the other person to go out of their way to help you.  At most, they will do no more than the bare minimum necessary to keep you mollified.
 
Many Managers like to observe how job candidates treat waiters.  How a prospective employee treats a waiter offers a clear picture of the type of person he/she is.  Someone who is polite to you but discourteous to a waiter does not have desirable interpersonal skills.  They tend to be abrasive, causing friction among coworkers and subordinates.
 
People, who are rude to waiters, erroneously believe they are displaying power and authority.  They mistakenly think their behavior will impress others.  Anyone who attempts to elevate their status by stepping on others will ultimately fall flat on their face.
 
People with integrity and character treat everyone with courtesy and respect, regardless of their occupation, financial, or social status.  They don’t view themselves as being above or below anyone else.
 
Treat everyone you encounter with dignity.  In so doing, your relationships with people, even strangers, will improve.  You will still find some individuals you just can’t deal with.  But they will be much more of an exception.  You can never go wrong by treating another person well.

Lessons from my first Triathlon

I always enjoyed exercising, but during the past summer I took on additional workouts as I prepared for the 23rd West Point Triathlon. Unlike an Ironman triathlon where the distances are extreme (swim 2.5 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles), this was comparatively “short”. The segments were an 800 meter (.49 mile) swim, 13 kilometer (13.7 mile) bike, and a 5k (3.1 mile) run.

While I was not concerned with winning the event, I did want to test myself. In fact, my first great realization was that I am not well-adjusted. At first, I thought it was about completion, not competition. That is what I told people. But as I started to get better during my training, I realized that I wanted to fight like hell out there. On race day, I was NOT allowing anyone to slow me down.

Many times I would think about the “life lessons” that are analogous to training or really hard work and dedication of any kind. So, here are my ”lessons learned” form my first triathlon:

You have to do the work (miles) yourself – some days during my training, it was rainy and miserable. Other mornings (I train very early), I just felt lazy. However, as with any worthwhile goal, I had to get out there and put in the hard work to get the desired results. If you are trying to make that sale or trying to run 3 miles for the first time, it’s not always easy or pleasant. By being persistent and doing the work or running when you don’t feel like it WILL payoff in the long term.

When it gets hard, put your head down and take it one step at a time –Most training days, I was either running or biking and I would always come across hills of varying magnitudes. There is one hill in particular on my route that begins with a tough grade and gets steeper and steeper over the course of a mile. Invariably, I put my head down and keep telling myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and before I knew it, I would be at the top. Have you hit any rough patches in life lately? Even though it is not always the solution sometimes you just have to put your head down, take what comes, and plow ahead one-step at a time.

Find YOUR sources of inspiration – I like to exercise and workout. But there were stages where I felt done. During those times, I would frequently read about people who really had it really tough. Most likely, whatever your goals, there are people out there who have overcome and triumphed in the face of adversity and have done what you would like to be doing. Learn from their stories and lessons when you are feeling overwhelmed.

There are countless other lessons to be taken away from extended periods of hard work, dedication, and commitment. Ultimately, if you are determined, have a clear, well defined goal, and a positive mindset, you can accomplish almost anything that you set your mind to do.

“Chance favors the prepared mind.” - Louis Pasteur

I don’t believe in “luck”. If you care to look closely, you will find that people who are “lucky” are those who are best prepared when opportunities arise. To increase your “luck factor”, there are two things you should do:

1. Prepare yourself for opportunities so that you can take advantage of them when they come.
2. Put yourself in a position that makes it easier for opportunities to come.

While both are important, the first is more important because it is what makes the difference. What’s the use of getting a lot of opportunities if you can’t take advantage of them?

At this point, most of the world knows that U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps broke the all-time record for most medals won by an Olympian. And, there is a very applicable lesson about preparation we can all learn from Phelps. You may recall that in Beijing in 2008, Phelps won one of his medals while swimming with his goggles full of water. He couldn’t see a thing and still won gold. After that race, Phelps said that while he had never competed before with water in his goggles, he had practiced that way. Bob Bowman, Phelps’ coach, made sure he had the water in the goggles experience to prepare for that scenario in Olympic competition.

When it happened in real time, Phelps’ preparation enabled him to stay calm and start counting his strokes. He knew how many strokes he needed to touch the wall and didn’t stop swimming full out until he did.

So, how can you prepare yourself for opportunities? Here are three ways to prepare yourself for future opportunities:

1. Be curious

Curiosity makes you eager to know more about the world out there. If you are curious, you won’t be satisfied with what you already know. You will want to know more. As a result, you will see more potential opportunities. It’s like being in a building with windows. The more windows the building has, the more you can see what’s out there.

2. Educate yourself

When you find something interesting, start educating yourself about it. Don’t worry if you can’t do anything about it right now. Remember, you are preparing for the future. Educate yourself in whatever it is that you find interesting. Read blogs, subscribe to magazines, watch videos, read books. Build a prepared mind that “luck” favors.

3. Build an “opportunity fund”

Warren Buffet makes sure that Berkshire Hathaway has at least $10 billion in cash in reserves. Why? So that when the opportunity comes for an attractive deal, Berkshire can immediately act on it. If they didn’t have the money, the opportunity could be gone forever. Similarly, you should prepare an “opportunity fund.” Prepare a certain amount of money that you can use to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Don’t let opportunities slip by just because you don’t have the cash to act on it.

So that’s how you prepare yourself for future opportunities. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Prepare yourself early and years from now people will be amazed at how “lucky” you are.

Everyone is in Sales

Reading this, you might be making some assumptions. You might be thinking, “Wait, I’m not in sales”. Salespeople make “cold calls” and “pound the pavement.” You might think ‘sales’ is a word in a salesperson’s title and believe that “they” are supposed to develop business for the organization.

You may also think that sales is not MY job because “I work in accounting or operations”. If I am even somewhat correct about any of these assumptions, then you might find this article relevant.

No matter what your job title might be,  Everyone Is In Sales! Success in sales is not defined by how much you talk but how well you listen. It’s not about sharing how great your company is but how many solutions you can bring to your customer’s business.

Selling is a part of the fundamental communications process that human beings do each day. Sales is not about gimmicks or shortcuts. It’s not about new techniques, fast talking, or misleading others. The foundation of sales is about honesty, trust, strong communications and building relationships. It is about caring for others.

If you are in accounting, you deal with people to collect money or close the books. YOU are in sales. 

If you are in operations and a problem develops, you must communicate what is going on. YOU are in sales. 

When you are talking to your boss during your review or talking to your child’s principal about their performance in school, you may be trying to communicate a certain message or ‘sell’ your point of view. YOU are in sales.

Follow where I am going with this? Once again, from the break room to the boardroom, everyone Is In Sales.

Personal Innovation

Recently, the “BUZZ” in business literature has been about innovation. However, just as important is innovation for each of us individually. It is not only companies that must innovate, but also individuals must innovate. Here are two reasons:

We are living in changing times. We now compete globally even at an individual level. This is a dramatic departure from eras when only countries and companies were competitors on the global stage. If individuals must now compete globally, then individuals, like countries and companies, must innovate to succeed. Individuals who do not innovate suffer the same fate of companies who don’t innovate: they will be left behind by competition that consistently renews itself.

We must all differentiate ourselves to avoid commoditization. Up until recently, we may have felt “safe and secure” because very few people in our environment had the same skill set. Now, individuals with the same skill set may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. Skills and knowledge can be transferred from all over the world rapidly and easily. This means that we all face the danger of our skill becoming a commodity. People around the world with the same skill set as you are suddenly within easy reach. No matter how far they are, they are actually only seconds away. They can very easily be selected to do your job, especially if they are cheaper than you.

If all this sounds scary, look at it in a different way: instead of only your immediate environment, the world is an opportunity – and what a great opportunity! But the ingredient you need to success is differentiation.

What’s so special about you that other people don’t have?

What makes you different from the others?

To answer these questions we have no choice but to innovate.

It's that time of year for thousands of Seniors across North America. Graduation!

It’s one of the greatest rights of passage and a cause for celebration!  It’s also that time when people we all know and some we have never heard of step to the podium and dispense wisdom and advice. 

 

Without question, some of this advice will be especially meaningful. In particular, consider Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech("Connect the Dots") at Stanford University and Randy Pausch’s 2008 address ("We don't beat the reaper by living longer. We beat the reaper by living well.") at Carnegie Mellon University.

This year, however, my favorite so far is Maria Shriver. Take a look.

While I have never been invited to give a commencement address, I have been asked for advice by both my students and young professionals.  Here is a synopsis of what I say:

1. The real key to success is not smarts. It comes from drive, energy, passion, ambition, enthusiasm, excitement, initiative, discipline, and the confidence to keep trying again and again.

2. Don’t worry about what to do with the rest of your life. Like everyone else, you will be a different person five years from now. Instead, think about what you want to do with the next three years. Most careers are a logical progression and in many cases, a series of unplanned, opportunistic choices.

3. Relationships are important. In a romantic partner, looks are nice, brains are nice and money is nice, but character is essential. Ultimately, the same is true in all our relationships: character is the most important thing you should look for in friends, partners of any kind, employees, clients or bosses.

4. The worst thing you can do if you want to get somebody to listen to you is to criticize. As human beings, when attacked we attack back, even when we are wrong. The goal is not to be “right”, the goal is to build a relationship.

Never give up

Dean Karnazes has run over 200 miles. At one time.

Take a moment to fully appreciate that: 200 miles in a single run. Think about the last time you went for a run, it was probably less than an hour.

It’s not because he has bigger lungs or stronger legs. It’s all in his mind. It’s not a physical thing. Now, it’s easy to say that people like Dean Karnazes are “freaks” and that’s why they can do the incredible things they do.

But isn’t that just an excuse?

Doesn’t that give us justification to not attempt the same things? We can sit back in our comfortable chair and say “well if I was Blessed with lungs like his then I would do the same, but I’m not, so I won’t”.

But we’re just kidding ourselves when we do this aren’t we?

Dean Karnazes is not a freak. He is a normal guy who has chosen to do some incredible things. He was nobody before he decided to do this. In fact, there are people with bodies far more suited to endurance running than his who haven’t done anything.

The fact is – anyone can choose to do something incredible.

And ‘anyone’ includes you…

The Importance of Hard Work

You do not come across success just by hoping for it. To achieve true success, you need the strength of mind and body to struggle and work hard to reach your fullest potential. You need the right attitude, self-discipline, and the ability to put your goal before all other desires if you are really driven towards reaching success. There is, after all no substitute for hard work. As Henry Ford said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get”, and the more successful you get!

The truly successful person keeps trying and struggling. Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb and yet he never dreamed of giving up – this is the hard work and the determination that marks a true success. Indeed, success is not measured by the position that you are in today, but by the amount of hard work you put in and the number of obstacles that you overcome to reach your goal.

There are no short cuts to success. Hard work, complimented with a willingness to struggle to achieve success is the only way to reach your goals.

Remembering Steve Jobs

Like many, I respected Steve Jobs and his genius, and I am deeply saddened by his passing. The reality is that even if you have never owned an Apple product, Steve Jobs impacted all our lives.

There are many lessons we can all learn from Steve Jobs brief, but brilliant life. In particular, if you have not seen his 2005 Commencement address at Stanford, it is time well invested.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Take these lessons and apply them to your life–personally and professionally. Once you stop setting new goals to strive for, your strategy for your career or your life becomes timid and leads to stagnation and decline.

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

You have today. What will your legacy be?

What can your organization learn from a mouse?

It's hard to imagine a place more magical than Walt Disney World. We are heading back to Disney and I’m sure we will have a great time!

On my first trip, I marveled at how clean Disney parks were and how friendly the cast was. How does Disney keep its cast members so motivated?

The motivation, the desire to perform well on the job, the feeling like they can make a difference is not just about training, it's about great leadership. Disney takes pride in having great leaders who create an environment where people want to do their best. Cast members want to do their jobs in 90-degree heat and 98-percent humidity, and keep on smiling while they are doing it because they feel like they are adding value and contributing.

The secret to Disney's success isn't magic pixie dust. It's a secret Walt Disney realized years ago: "You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”

Walt Disney's dream of creating a magic place where dreams can come true has obviously been fulfilled. What can your organization learn from a mouse?