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 your job well, you are doing what you have been asked to do. But doing what you have been asked to do is the minimum standard. 

There are 3 times you can get raises; as you are changing roles, when your performance has justified a pay raise when you accept a job

Scott Barlow gives us the four steps to asking for a pay raise. 

Often, supervisors and their direct reports are not on the same page on what top priorities are. 

If you want your supervisor to know what value you are bringing to the organization, you have to let them know. 

If you want to make more money, you have to be better than everyone else. Have a better performance. Have a better attitude. Have better results. 

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 need to handle it quickly and make sure there are results. When there is a change, others will see there was a change. 

Tell your team, if there is an issue it will be handled privately. We can all have problems and they will always be handled professionally and privately. 

How do you manage change at a company that doesn't understand how to go from good to great?

You can either do your job as well as you can and not worry about it, go talk to the CEO (or write an anonymous note) or leave.  

There is not a lot you can do if people at the top do not want change. If you don't see a future, keep doing a great job while you are looking for a new one. 

What are your feeling about community involvement?

All of us should be involved with an organization that supports your community. Shame on you if you aren't. We should be looking for ways to help others, not just help ourselves. 

What is my story of being adopted?

I was adopted twice. When I was 16, the second time I was adopted, is when I got the last name Cockerell. 

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 in the way?

Worried about sharing your opinion? A company should want you to speak up. And if they don't actively ask, write a letter about some improvements that could impact the bottom line. 

Don't be too careful about expressing your opinion. Take your chance. Speak up. If you work for an organization that doesn't want to hear from employees, it is not the type of place you want to work anyway. 

Your opinion is valuable. Don't let your insecurity get in the way of helping your boss and your organization. 

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 to take control of your own leadership development. 

Now, here are some thoughts you need to know to develop as a leader. 

Understand the content you want to teach.

Have a deep understanding of what you think leadership is.

Anticipate the questions people will ask you.

Have conversations about leadership. The more you talk about it, the more questions you answer, the more you will understand what you believe.

You have to role model what you believe about leadership.

You can become an expert at anything if you focus and spend the time and get the experience. Read, listen to podcasts, read the paper, watch the right programs. If you are passionate and follow through you will become an expert.

If I am going to teach time management, I have to be organized. If you teach something and don't practice it, everybody knows.

Have you checked out the series of videos I did from my office? They are fun and you might learn something. Find them here.