Is the way you work creating magic?

I have finished reading Lee Cockerell's book "Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney."  All I can say is WOW! I can't decide if I want to go work at Disney or increase my leadership coaching! Thanks Lee for all you did to transform Disney's culture and form the Leadership Institute. I hope to attend that one day.

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Here are the 10 Strategies from Lee:

1.     Remember, everyone is important

2.     Break the mold

3.     Make your people your brand

4.     Create magic through training

5.     Eliminate hassles

6.     Learn the truth

7.     Burn the free fuel

8.     Stay ahead of the pack

9.     Be careful what you say and do

10. Develop character

I have seen so many people in leadership positions who forget one or several of these and the the fallout of that is often detrimental to not only the individual, but also the company and business.  I'd love to hear about your experience with one of these strategies and how it has impacted you and your business.

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How do you manage employee performance's?

"Research has suggested that in two-thirds of cases, performance feedback elicits improved performance. Not only can reviews help employees recognize their strengths and developmental needs, but, if done well, can boost their motivation."  [Harvard Business Review:Ditch Performance Reviews? How About Learn to do Them Well?10:23 AM Tuesday June 22, 2010, by Maxim Sytch and D. Scott DeRue] 

When I think of a Performance Review/Appraisal, I think there are three key points to remember:
1. Understanding of expectations at beginning of year or job - Goal Setting
2. Encouragement of progress from you, the leader, to those you lead...are they making progress toward the goal today so at their Performance Review, they are not blind-sided with total miss of goals and expectations.
3. Reward/Consequences for achieving or not achieving goals.


When these three points are practiced on a regular basis...the annual or semi-annual Performance Review will be much more effective and pleasant for all involved.

"He who heeds discipline shows the way to life...but whomever ignores correction leads others astray."

Proverbs 12:1

Follow the leadership of David - he made his "mighty men" feel like owners and partners. Do your team members feel that way? Are you empowering them?

Has our communication gotten worse with high tech?

In Bible days, there was no e-mail, fax, blogs, or phones...yet I wonder if their communication was more effective. Some days I think all the high-tech forms of communication has caused us to become lazy and INeffective.

Bible days forms of communication: word of mouth and written parchment. The intriguing thought about these two forms of communication was that not everyone had the ability to write and therefore it was actually the SECONDARY form. Majority of communication was done via word of mouth and passed down for generation to generation by story-telling. I laugh to think of the game we played as a child "telephone" where you pass a message around a circle to only find out that the end message may not be anything close to what the originator said. We find it comical, but in the days where it was relied upon, accuracy was absolutely critical!

The message and the messenger was absolutely focused on ensuring the message they heard and spoke was 100% accurate.

So with this idea of communication - just how important is this trait for leaders?  I would tout it's right up there under humility. If a leader cannot or does not communicate his/her plans, passion, direction, vision, mission, and expectations to those whom they lead...how do we ever expect "it" to happen and success to be realized? The other important piece of communication where leadership is concerned is the access to the ear of the leader. Former Mayor of New York-Ed Koch asked for honest feedback with his "How'm I doing?" And upon her husband's death, Martha Ingram of Ingram Industries installed a toll-free line directly to her office that anyone in the company could call and reach HER - not her gate-keeper!  WOW, not that's effective communication in leadership!

What's your communication policy? How open and accessible are you?