At Disney World we use four keys to make decisions. 

The four keys help people understand how to make decisions. 

Here are the four keys:

Safety - Is the decision you are about to make going to be safe?

Courtesy - Disney is famous for being friendly and clean. Any cast member you meet will go out of their way to take care of you. 

Show - Are we ready to put on a great show? Is the area clean? Are the props in the right place? Are the cast members prepared?

Efficiency - When you are in business you have to be efficient. Always look for a better way. Can we do it quicker? Does someone else have a better way?

If you implement these four keys you will make solid decisions in your organization. 

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we take the four keys and show how to implement them for a corner drug store. You don't have to be Disney World to implement the four keys. 

Your legacy is the only thing you can take with you and leave behind. 

As I get older, I think about what I have contributed to the world. More than anything, I want to be remembered as a teacher. 

If you have experience and knowledge, there is no upside in keeping it to yourself. Give it away. 

The proof of what your legacy is will be what people say when you are not in front of them. Do you do what you say you will do? Do you make a difference? Can people approach you? If you do the right things people will notice. 

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I talk about what it takes to leave a legacy. 

Do a little more than people expect and before long people will begin recommending you. 

It is never too early to begin to build a legacy. No matter what your job is, you can begin to build a reputation for being curious, hard-working., and dependable. The way you act and your appearance shape how other people view you. People notice when someone is different. 

It is also never too early to begin to build a legacy. Start now and you can make a difference.

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer several listener questions. 

How does taking care of customers and employees reduce risk?

When you treat people right and are sincere it creates an environment and culture where guests want to help you. Guests will report issues before they are real problems because they like your company and want to help. 

Is there a difference in running meetings with volunteers versus meetings with employees?

Including volunteers makes them feel part of what is going on in the organization. When people are included, they are committed. This is true for anyone, whether they are a volunteer or on the payroll. 

What ride or show did I enjoy at Disney World?

I enjoyed Rockin' Roller Coaster because it woke me up. 

What advice do I have for people dissatisfied with their job?

At Disney, we spend time and money making sure we hire the right people. Most cast members are satisfied with their jobs. But most people are not satisfied with their jobs. Usually, this is because of the environment and culture. 

How do you transition to a new career role outside of your experience?

Think about what you do well. What would an employee be impressed with? Not technical capabilities. What makes you unique? Tell them who you are not what you've done. 

It's not magic that makes it work, it's the way we work that makes it magic. 

And we are able to create the magic with our work through clarity. 

Here is the secret about clarity people aren't talking about...If you are not clear, people will begin doing what is clear for them. People fill in the blanks and do what they either want to do or what they think they should do. 

When you want your brand to be consistent and reliable, there isn't room for employees to make up their mind on what to do. 

Being clear means having hard discussions and making hard decisions. Clarity isn't easy, but it is always worth it. 

Clarity means knowing in your own mind what you want. And then communicating to other people what it is. Clarity is not easy. 

But the end result of clarity is magic. Clarity is why Disney World is such a wonderful place. Guest have one experience at Disney, not a series of experiences that are different.

Communication is the key to clarity. The more clarity you have, and the more you hold people accountable for clarity, the fewer issues you will have. The better experience employees and guests will have. 

Walking through your operation every day, especially the beginning of the day, is the best way to know what is going on. 

When I ran a hotel, I walked the entire hotel every morning. By 7 am, I was aware of every issue and had checked in with most employees. Again, around lunch time and before I let for the day I would walk the operation again. Every employee saw me each day. 

Lee Cockerell was part of the scenery in the hotel because people were so used to seeing me. 

But what if your team is spread out geographically and it is not possible to walk the operation?

Begin with the phone. Have a short phone call with each member of your team every day. 

Or, put them on the screen. Use Skype or Zoom. 

Forget you are in a different location. 

Keep notes to make sure you cover every item you want to talk about. 

For messages that are not individual, you can use a podcast to put messages out to your entire team. 

If you want to communicate and stay connected to your team, you can. If you don't want to, you can always find an excuse to keep you from communicating. 

Delegation is hard. But if you want to get more done, you have to delegate work to other people. 

Often, we don't delegate because we think we can do it better than other people. 

As a leader, you should be doing bigger things. If a small project takes you 30 minutes, then you misspent 30 minutes you could have used doing something only you could have been doing. 

Your time needs to be used wisely. If you have hired people to do work, let them do the work. 

Take the time up front to give clarity of what you expect and it will go well. Tell the outcome you want, but don't tell people how to do it. 

Give people the responsibility and do the work and the authority to make decisions. 

As a leader, it is your responsibility to develop other leaders. When you delegate, you help other people develop. 

Magic happens when you get people in a room together.

We recorded this episode one day after one of my Creating Magic Mastermind events.

People usually come to these events to spend time with me, but the real magic happens because of everyone else in the room.

When you can hear from other people on how they solve and resolve problems it gives you a different perspective. When you leave the room, you will see your own problems differently.

All we know is what we do. And maybe what we read. But when you get in a room with a group of people who have different approaches, different viewpoints, you walk out with a new spark.

Forget about meetings you know from work. You need enough time to get comfortable and work through a problem. Spending an hour with a group of people isn't enough time to make a difference.

There is magic in Masterminds. Find a way to get involved in meetings like this. Come join me for a Creating Magic Mastermind. Or get colleagues, co-workers or like-minded people in your community together.

This episode was recorded live at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. 

Being back at the Contemporary Resort reminded me of some fun stories from my time as Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World. Including opening the California Grill. 

The success of California Grill came from the recipe used to open it. I hired a great chef and a great restaurant manager and let them do their job. And they did a great job. 

Chefs are artists. You can't mess with them. Let them do their work. A happy chef makes great food. 

You can use the same formula in any business.

Give people responsibility and authority. And then let them do their job. 

Work with the team. Don't make them work for you. Don't tell them what to do. Your role as a leader is a bodyguard. Put the right people in the right role and protect them from bureaucracy.

When people come to a hotel, they want their room. They don't want to get to know the staff. 

How do you balance top-notch service and getting people to their room as quick as possible? There is a way to give customers what they want and still take the time to make a connection.  

When you have time, and it doesn't impact the service for other guests, go ahead and take the time for a conversation and make the guest feel special. 

How can we identify and realize what the customer really wants?

Pay attention to people. Read off of your customer to help them get what they really want. Then find a way to give them a little more. Something extra to make a connection. 

Housekeepers from Disney get invited to weddings from guests at Disney. Guests get so connected to housekeepers and other hotel staff they form long term, life long friendships. 

Making a connection with a customer can make the difference between a one-time customer and a lifelong customer. 

I started my hospitality career in 1964 working at a Hilton Hotel. This episode was recorded in Hilton in Yakima, WA. 

In 1973, I begin working for Marriott.  When I started my career with Marriott, many of my friends thought I was crazy to take a job with such a small company. "That company is never going to be anything", they said. Now, Marriott is the largest hotel company in the world with 6,500 hotels. When I joined them in 1973, they had only 32 hotels. 

With only 32 hotels, Bill Marriott used to stop by the hotel often back then. When you walked with Mr. Marriott through a hotel, he would show you how you can do better. He was a gentleman and he made all of us feel special. 

You don't have to be Bill Marriott to make people feel special. 

You don't have to be a VIP to treat other people like they are important.  

Start a conversation. Ask questions. Show people they are doing a good job. Give them tips on how to do better. 

Don't stay where you are not appreciated.

Good pay and health benefits can make you feel comfortable enough to get stuck in a place you don't want to be.

Even if the pay is good, over time you will become unsatisfied.

I would never stay where someone did not respect me and treat me well.

More than once, I have left a job because I did not like how I was treated.

If you are not appreciated where you are, it is time to go someplace new. Continue to do a good job while you look around. Take your time to find a new opportunity.

For me, it is simple. Move on if you are not loved.

But can you take the risk of making a big move? Becoming stuck in a job you don't love is a risk, too.

Most people are not happy with what they are doing. But that doesn't have to be you. Take the risk.

Don't get stuck where you don't want to be. Don't stay where you are not appreciated.

If you want to have success, be healthy, and happy, one of the most important things you can do is learn how to manage your time. 

In this episode, we look and four insights to help you understand time and the impact it can have on your life. 

It doesn't matter what you know if you can't get the job done. 

Knowledge is useless unless you can execute on what you know. 

People don't know you are disorganized they just think you don't care. 

If you don't get back to people, or do what you say you are going to do, people will fill in the blanks. And they won't realize you have trouble managing your time. They will think you don't care. Or they aren't important. 

Time is not on your side.

When you are young, life goes by slowly. But don't be lulled into thinking there is plenty of time. 

You spend money and you spend time but you will never get your time back. 

Money comes and goes. And you can get it back. But the way you spend your time will impact the rest of your life. Do you get as much value in your time as you do in your money? Most people don't and go bankrupt in their time. 

If you are in the United Kingdom, join my friends at Managing Multi-Units for a Time Management Magic seminar May 16th in London and May 17th in Manchester. You can get more information here. Use the code magictime for a special discount. 

Attack the problem, not the person. 

Often, an incident comes from a poor procedure or lack of clarity. 

At Disney, we dig all the way down and find out why this happened, not focus on blaming the person. Even when there was an accident, we didn't focus on the person. We wanted to know what caused the accident. What really happened?

When you blame the person you rarely solve the problem. 

If you want to find the real problem, be a detective. 

Talk to the person. Visit the scene. Review your policies. Talk to other team members to see if they think there is a policy or procedure that lead to the incident. 

In time, you will create an environment where people know you will attack the problem or process and not the person. Then people will be more willing to tell you upfront what caused a problem. 

You may find the problem is clarity in training or policies. Uncovering this will allow you to fix the root of the problem. 

Training and developing staff is one of the most important things for your organization to do. But how can you train your staff when you have a limited budget?

First, discuss the situation with your staff. Let the know there are tight cost constraints, but you still want to train and develop them. Ask them what they think about the situation. Ask them for ideas. If you do, they are going to offer some ideas you would never come up with on your own. 

Next, explain that training and development is also their responsibility, not just yours. 

Sure, it would be great if you had the money and time to send everyone through 60 hours of training, but it doesn't often work that way. Here are some ways you can still train your staff with a limited budget;

-Don't focus on 1 or 2-hour chunks of time. Divide training into smaller segments. 

-Spend 10 minutes before the business opens covering an important topic. 

-Walk the floor and look for opportunities to show and tell. 

-Create a document with your expectations so everyone is on the same page. 

In just a few months, you will find people are doing a better job. 

Training and developing staff is one of the most important things for your organization to do. But how can you train your staff when you have a limited budget?

First, discuss the situation with your staff. Let the know there are tight cost constraints, but you still want to train and develop them. Ask them what they think about the situation. Ask them for ideas. If you do, they are going to offer some ideas you would never come up with on your own. 

Next, explain that training and development is also their responsibility, not just yours. 

Sure, it would be great if you had the money and time to send everyone through 60 hours of training, but it doesn't often work that way. Here are some ways you can still train your staff with a limited budget;

-Don't focus on 1 or 2-hour chunks of time. Divide training into smaller segments. 

-Spend 10 minutes before the business opens covering an important topic. 

-Walk the floor and look for opportunities to show and tell. 

-Create a document with your expectations so everyone is on the same page. 

In just a few months, you will find people are doing a better job. 

If you are getting bad service in a restaurant, the problem is the General Manager, not the waiter. 

If you see dirty bathrooms, don't blame the guy who cleans them, the problem is the General Manager. 

If you find problems showing up like this in your organization, poor service or lack of attention to details, you either need more clarity on what you expect, better training, or you need to fire people who can't meet expectations. 

The leader sets the tone, expectations, and how the show we put on every day will be executed. 

But too often, the manager doesn't even know what is going on because he doesn't check. He doesn't have a checklist to make sure processes are followed. He doesn't check bathrooms to make sure they are cleaned. Let me tell you if a manager doesn't check on standards people will know. When the manager doesn't check employees will not follow through. 

If you want to know the truth about what happens in your organization, check when people don't expect you to be there. This is how you can find how your organization really operates. 

When I worked for Marriott, we never got ready when we knew Bill Marriott came to visit. We were always ready. It's better to get some criticism from Bill Marriott than to have employees think you only cleaned up the hotel when he was coming to visit. 

You shouldn't get ready for an important guest. You should be ready for every guest, no matter who they are. My book, Creating Magic, can help get you there. 

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 came to me, I wasn't looking for someone to blame, I only wanted to take care of the problem. 

Word began to spread that Lee Cockerell would take care of it if you had an issue. 

Cast members had several ways to get in touch with me. This was how I kept up with the responsibility of creating a culture people wanted to be a part of. 

Bill Marriott told me, "When in doubt, go in favor of the employee." Over time, this is how you build trust. Sure, someone may take advantage of you every once in a while. But don't punish everyone because someone might take advantage of you.

Take care of the people first. Then take care of the paper. Make yourself available to staff. 

Believe it or not, the first step of making yourself available for staff is to get organized. You have to have your time under control so you can devote yourself to your biggest priorities like making yourself available. 

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 trays were coming out dirty, meaning they hadn't even been washed. A few minutes later, we ran out of trays.

This is a big problem at an eatery as busy as Pecos Bills.

Without trays, there is no way a father could carry the food for his family back to the table. And he yelled at me, questioning what was going on. It was an embarrassing situation.

But it led to a meeting to figure out how to make sure this situation never happened again. The situation also reminded me of a valuable lesson:

Everybody is important.

You know who was the most important person that day at Pecos Bills? The guy who washes the trays.

Everybody is important.

Support people. Treat them right. Everyone is important (I can't say this enough). Everyone has a role

We started this cross-utilization program to make sure shifts are covered. But through it, we learned how hard those front line jobs are. And people with an office job got a reminder that they are doing their job to serve a guest. Now they have a face, or many faces, to go with the idea of serving a customer.

Getting people out of the usual area, especially if they work behind a desk, is of the most powerful, quick, things you can do to improve your operation.

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 happen in your business every week or even every day. Pay attention and you will know what these problems are. Talk to employees and customers to find out where the problems and pain points are. Employees and customers know everything you need to know about your business. 

Once you know what those common problems are, focus your training on those particular issues, then let your team take care of it. 

Next, start looking at how you can eliminate the problems. You know what the problem is. The staff is trained to deal with it. The staff is empowered to respond on the spot. But why not eliminate the problem altogether. 

If you do this, you will immediately see an improvement in your business. Your organization you may have gotten 10 complaints a day and now you only get 2. You will immediately see an improvement in your business. 

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 can do what you want. If you are a high-level leader, you may not need to be in the office all the time. 

But there can be a side effect. If you don't have the right team in place, work might not get done. Gossip could spread about why you are not there. Staff could makes jokes about how often they see you. 

But you can get rid of some of the drama by addressing it up front. Explain why you aren't always there, and point out you hired great people so they could take care of the work that needs to be done. 

We need to take care of ourselves, take care of each other, and take care of business. 

The focus should be on getting the job done, not the hours people are at work. 

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. 

Another approach is to write a letter that tells people why they should hire you. This is your shot to convince people who you are. 

Every resume looks the same. What sets you apart is who you are. 

Always ask for what you want. More often than you think, people will say yes. Having the tenacity to aim high will impress some people. 

Don't underestimate what you can achieve.

If you want to get into a specific company, get to know people. Work the channels until you meet the right people. Building relationships and meeting people is the key to getting into organizations today. If people don't know you they can't help you. The more people you meet, you are one connection closer to meeting the right person you need to get in front of. 

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 way you want. 

How do you encourage personality when you are strict when you hire?

At Disney, you may run into cast members with different personalities, but they will all be nice. We hire for the basics; honesty, integrity, and personality will still shine. 

How do you create work-life balance?

I worked out, got sleep, and dealt with problems directly. Stress comes from feeling out of control. I dealt with things promptly so it would not feel out of control. 

What is your view of financial bonuses?

Disney Cast Members do a great job because of how they are treated. The biggest benefit is the opportunity to have a bigger role, not a financial bonus. 

How do you retain talent when there is a low opportunity for promotions?

You may not be able to. 

How would I describe my legacy?

I want people to remember me as a teacher. 

What advice do you have to create a training program in an organization?

To start, figure out why you want to do it. Helping people to become successful will be one of the best things you can accomplish. What you teach your employees they will teach your employees. 

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 mattered and they knew they mattered, people would look forward to coming to work, they would take care of the guest. 

It was not about me, it was about the cast members. I was there to serve the cast member so they could serve the guest. 

As leaders, we were there to serve the cast member. Not tell them what to do. Our actions made cast members feel respected and included and part of something magical. 

One of the most important things a leader can do is clear the way so people can do their job without obstacles. 

If you want to be a servant leader, here are two questions to ask your employees every day;

What do you need?

What can I do for you?

If you act as a servant leader, you will be a role model for the people around you. What you teach your employees, they teach their employees. 

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 losing money, you have to walk carefully when it comes to customer service. Don't cut away from what draws customers to you and you will find the problem gets worse when customers stop coming. 

Here are the 3 steps I would take to turn around a business losing money. 

Find out what is wrong. Is it debt? Is it the product?  Is poor service keeping people away? You have to look at everything. 

Look at Productivity problems. Is the way you are doing business causing you to lose money? Where can you improve your processes? Where can you cut spending without taking away from the customer?

Do you have the right management? Often, problems are created or solved by management. If you don't have the right people in place you, will never turn the problem around. Take a hard look and make sure you have the right people in the right places. 

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 environment of your organization special. People will notice. People will talk about it. You will attract better people. You will get less turnover. 

Some companies don't want to get involved. But you have no choice. Employees are people. People are going to have issues. You can ignore it, or you can embrace it and be there for people. 

Pay attention. You can see it if you want to see it. 

Get to know your people well. When someone changes, something has changed. Find out what it is. Give them access to resources and help they need. Let people know you care and you are committed to them.

Here is one thing I can promise, if you haven't had a tragedy, you will. And when you do, you will want to feel people care. 

Start caring more. Even if it creates more work, care for the people around you.