‘Creating Magic’ is a book by Lee Cockerell, a Disney leader with a food, drink, and hospitality background.
“While many other attractions and businesses in central Florida remained closed and local municipalities were struggling to restore power and clear the roads, Disney was making magic.”
The Disney Park team provided stability in a time of instability by adapting quickly to the hurricanes that hit them. By opening the day after the hurricane, they were able to provide the appearance of normalcy, and of being an anchor that people could pin their realities to.
By having resilient structures and processes, an organization can adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
By treating employees with care, by paying attention to them and respecting them, you are able to communicate to them how to treat the guests.
When leaders are committed to helping employees smile and laugh and feel cared for, employees will learn how to show that same commitment to guests.
Making guests feel cherished is very hard to do, so it is an excellent competitive advantage. Anyone can copy a dish or a service, but consistently delivering the feeling of joy to someone is hard to copy, because it needs people to honestly pay attention to the guests and each other.
“Take care of your people, and they will take care of your business, not because they have to, but because they want to.”
Guests are happy when the service is good, and the service is good when the employees are happy. Employees are happy when their leaders are good at listening, encouraging them, recognizing their effort, and giving them autonomy.
Leadership comes before the customer. The customer will be taken care of by your people when your people are taken care of. You get good leadership by spreading leadership and responsibility through the whole organization- at every level of hierarchy.
Instead of “my way or the highway”, leaders are better served by “what do you think?”
How do we give employees ownership? If they have ownership, they’ll be fully on board with the system.
What is the percentage of returning guests? This measure is one to maximize while paying attention to the people we provide a service to.
What can employees expect of their leaders?
A leader should communicate what is expected of the employee, and /why/ it’s expected.
How can we help employees and guests be the best they can?
How can we prepare employees for what happens when shit hits the fan?
People come to us from all over the world, from many walks of life, and they will all need our help to smile and laugh in different ways. Part of the magic we bring into their lives is finding out how to help them find the joy in life no matter where they’re from or what they do to live.
Keeping time allows us to get so much more done than what we can do when we are not aware of time.
How can leaders teach their employees to replace them?
When we don’t know, say “I don’t know” and ask what you need to ask to find out.
You have something to learn from everyone- to constantly grow and expand, we must constantly learn.
Authority diminishes without the ability to relate. You have to get to know people and people have to get to know you, before they will change for you. Establish trust, then change.
What do we expect of each individual? If you don’t know what is expected of you ask, and ask why so you can learn how to make decisions.
Everyone wants to be treated specially - like an individual human, so we can provide an exceptional experience by giving our guests what they want. The truth is, with the diversity of our guests, we don’t really know each person. To learn about them, we must pay attention to them.
How can we make our employees feel taken care of? How can we get them what they want?
If a leader does the best they can with what they have without blaming, complaining, or wishing that reality is different, then employees will be inspired to do the same.
How can we encourage employees to ask questions?
“In times of drastic change, it is the learners that inherit the future.”
Every single person is important. Every individual guest is important. This is why we must learn their names, and learn what they like and don’t like, as well as what their dreams are- so we can help them get what they want.
To give employees ownership, Disney invited employees to brainstorm ways to give employees more autonomy. Previously, when they’d tried to give employees more autonomy and mastery, the employees had reacted against it because they assumed (perhaps rightly so) that management would use that as an excuse to blame employees for any problems.
If employees know everything about how their work impacts the budget and bottom line, they might be able to improve the bottom line in ways managers might not expect. When employees were given freedom to set their own productivity targets, they set them higher than expected. It also freed employees to come up with novel solutions that management could not predict.
Including employees in the processes at work is about engaging with them and showing them that each one of them is important to your organization.
If everyone matters and know they matter, then they are happy to come to work to give the organization their energy, their time, and their solutions. From this, we know employees know they matter when there is less turnover and more productivity. We show people that they matter by involving them in what we are doing, listening to what they have to say, and showing them that they are wanted for who they are as an individual.
Pay attention to everyone, be grateful for everyone, and show everyone that they are wanted. If this happens, then employees will rave about your organization to their friends and family, which will create a line of people looking to work for you, and fewer people will leave your organization.
- Make sure everyone knows that they matter.
-how can we make a space that makes employees the best there is at what they do?
-if everybody feels seen, thanked, and heard, they will do better to make the customers feel seen, thanked, and heard
-if a job wasn’t important, why would you hire someone to do it?- who is most important to help a guest feel happy about dining with us? The person who calculates how much rice to order, the person who washes the rice pot, the person who takes the sacks of rice off the lorry, the one who cooks the rice, or the person who serves the rice? Every single person is important for helping the guest feel relaxed and happy with the rice. If the person who washes the pot doesn’t wash the pot properly, then the person who cooks the rice won’t be able to cook the rice, and the server won’t be able to serve the rice, and the guest will be unhappy, so the person who orders the rice won’t be able to order more rice next month.
- if the bathrooms are dirty or a host says something rude, then it immediately changes how welcome a guest feels
-
Know everyone.
-what works to make one person feel special does not work to make another person feel special. You have to get to know everyone to know what it takes to make them feel special.
-use what you know about your employees to grow their abilities and put them where they can do the best for your organization
-it is hard to get to know everyone, which means it’s a competitive advantage that other organizations will have a hard time doing -
Let everyone know you.
-make sure they know what moves you, what you are moved by, what your dreams are, and also what you struggle with
-own any errors the organization makes
-treat everyone well, or it will undermine you leadership. your people are always watching, and will notice differences
-take your responsibility seriously, not your self -
Greet people with honesty
-you can learn something from everyone, what can this person show you?
-this is someone you don’t know, what can you know about them that will help you help them get what they want?
-people remember how you make them feel, so make them feel joyous
-ask people about what they think or feel, draw them out -
Ask people about what to do, regardless of rank
-things to ask frontline staff:
-is this the best way to do this?
-what’s the best way to do this?
-is there anything I should know before making this decision?
-always thank them for their honesty when they’re honest
-they’ll only tell you the truth when they trust you totally
-the person on the ground, who is touching that part of the organization, usually has the most information- for example, housekeepers often know most about how guests use rooms -
make leaders available to everyone
- listen to understand
-this is like mining for a rare metal, you have to listen very closely to many things that may seem unrelated before you find what is particularly interesting to you
-even if you get no nugged of information, listening intently shows that you care
-what people are saying and what they are trying to say are usually not the same thing
– reiterate what you’ve heard to confirm it, either in your own words or by saying something like ‘I heard you say, does that mean we should ? '
how can we open doors for our employees and guests?
where possible, talk to people face to face. if you have to write an e-mail, making it interesting and specific to that person where possible
-
pay attention to whoever is excluded
-if someone is excluded, engage them
-anyone who feels left out is left out - no chain of command
- chain of command blinds you to what’s happening with your organization
-
don’t micromanage
-
have a clear culture
-the culture should fit the purpose of the organization
-take care of your people before you take care of your paperwork - treat your people the way you want your guests to be treated
-make them feel special
-make them feel heard
-make them smile
-make them laugh
-people who have a memorable interaction with an employee are more likely to return
What does every employee need to know to get the skills they need to make every guest feel important, heard, and happy?
How can we make the lines of responsibility and authority clear?
Are employees allowed to experience working in other roles?
-
Be very clear about who’s responsible for what
-every employee should know what they’re responsible for, what authority they have, what they will be held responsible for, what others are responsible for, what authority others have, and how others will be held responsible.
-what are the most common kinds of decisions? How many are there? Who is responsible for each kind of decision? -
Responsibility and authority are tied together
-if someone has a responsibility but they don’t have the authority, they will fail at their task
-if it’s up to Alice to get something done, then Alice must be given the authority and resources to do it
-if anything goes wrong, it’s the leader’s responsibility -
Every position should count.
-how does this position contribute to the company’s mission?
-does this position give the guests what they want?
-what would happen if the position was removed?
-what would happen if we gave the responsibility of this position to another position?
-what would happen if this position were part-time?
-what would happen if the responsibility of this position was outsourced?
-how could our process change to remove this position?
-what would happen if this position was automated? -
Flatten as much as possible (usually 150 direct reports is the limit)
-
Eliminate overwork
-are your workers finding it difficult to find the time to do their jobs?
-are they able to keep up with everything that’s asked of them? - Rethink meetings
-what do we want from a given meeting?
-are the meetings giving us what we want?
-if the purpose of the meeting is to give out information, everyone should be present
-if the purpose of the meeting is to solve a problem, only those pertinent to solving that problem should be present- 1-on-1s and visiting an employee’s workspace are better for keeping touch with employees, rather than meetings
-
Anyone can take responsibility for change
-if you have ideas, write them up and present them to someone who is responsible for that area
–focus on positions and responsibilities, as well as how to contribute to the mission, rather than any complaint -
Take risks
-is this decision reversible? If yes, let it happen. -
Expect resistance
-sincerity in wanting to help people keep what they’re scared to lose will help overcome resistance
-how can we train people to expect and invite change?
-notice a time you resisted change but liked what happened after. After communicating that, consider awarding people for doing just that- an award that tells everyone how that employee changed the organization for the better -
You don’t need to win most battles
- You’re never done
-constant re-evaluation
-the better your organizational structure, the easier it is to change it
The current structure works if:
-operations run smoothly in the absence of managers and executives
-who owns what is very clear
-decisions are made easily and quickly
-information gets to everyone smoothly
-answers get to whoever needs to know quickly
The current structure does not work when:
-people complain about wasting time and a lack of clarity
-too many people involved in each decision
-some positions don’t really do much
-too many or too few direct reports to each manager
-meetings seem useless and are too long, too frequent, people complain about them
People are the brand, the people who work for the organization contain the brand
Hiring->
- What skills does some who fills this position need?
- Don’t look for a clone of someone who is leaving
-what does the organization need now? It’s probably different from what it needed last year
-every job opening is a time to redefine the role - Look for competent people in places no one would expect
-consider unconventional backgrounds
-don’t just look for whoever fits on paper - involve the team in selection
- resumes are ads, not reports
- good fit is more important than skill
- hire people who are more intelligent and skilled than you
- describe the role in such a way that candidates will not be surprised when they are working with you
- check candidates personally
- Ask revealing questions
-how and what, not yes and no
-situational
seeming employees achieve their dreams
training schedule->
-history and culture
–importance of friendliness toward guests, smiling, cleanliness
—how to exceed guest’s expectations
—-exceeding expectations comes from surprising people with how much you’ve paid attention to them, by making small actions that show that you’ve thought of them in an individual way
- examples of how employees have surprised guests in this way
let the staff know every time they’ve made an outstanding impact in the lives of guests
How can we make the lines of responsibility and authority clear?
Are employees allowed to experience working in other roles?
-
Be very clear about who’s responsible for what
-every employee should know what they’re responsible for, what authority they have, what they will be held responsible for, what others are responsible for, what authority others have, and how others will be held responsible.
-what are the most common kinds of decisions? How many are there? Who is responsible for each kind of decision? -
Responsibility and authority are tied together
-if someone has a responsibility but they don’t have the authority, they will fail at their task
-if it’s up to Alice to get something done, then Alice must be given the authority and resources to do it
-if anything goes wrong, it’s the leader’s responsibility -
Every position should count.
-how does this position contribute to the company’s mission?
-does this position give the guests what they want?
-what would happen if the position was removed?
-what would happen if we gave the responsibility of this position to another position?
-what would happen if this position were part-time?
-what would happen if the responsibility of this position was outsourced?
-how could our process change to remove this position?
-what would happen if this position was automated? -
Flatten as much as possible (usually 150 direct reports is the limit)
-
Eliminate overwork
-are your workers finding it difficult to find the time to do their jobs?
-are they able to keep up with everything that’s asked of them? - Rethink meetings
-what do we want from a given meeting?
-are the meetings giving us what we want?
-if the purpose of the meeting is to give out information, everyone should be present
-if the purpose of the meeting is to solve a problem, only those pertinent to solving that problem should be present- 1-on-1s and visiting an employee’s workspace are better for keeping touch with employees, rather than meetings
-
Anyone can take responsibility for change
-if you have ideas, write them up and present them to someone who is responsible for that area
–focus on positions and responsibilities, as well as how to contribute to the mission, rather than any complaint -
Take risks
-is this decision reversible? If yes, let it happen. -
Expect resistance
-sincerity in wanting to help people keep what they’re scared to lose will help overcome resistance
-how can we train people to expect and invite change?
-notice a time you resisted change but liked what happened after. After communicating that, consider awarding people for doing just that- an award that tells everyone how that employee changed the organization for the better -
You don’t need to win most battles
- You’re never done
-constant re-evaluation
-the better your organizational structure, the easier it is to change it
The current structure works if:
-operations run smoothly in the absence of managers and executives
-who owns what is very clear
-decisions are made easily and quickly
-information gets to everyone smoothly
-answers get to whoever needs to know quickly
The current structure does not work when:
-people complain about wasting time and a lack of clarity
-too many people involved in each decision
-some positions don’t really do much
-too many or too few direct reports to each manager
-meetings seem useless and are too long, too frequent, people complain about them
People are the brand, the people who work for the organization contain the brand
Hiring->
- What skills does some who fills this position need?
- Don’t look for a clone of someone who is leaving
-what does the organization need now? It’s probably different from what it needed last year
-every job opening is a time to redefine the role - Look for competent people in places no one would expect
-consider unconventional backgrounds
-don’t just look for whoever fits on paper - involve the team in selection
- resumes are ads, not reports
- good fit is more important than skill
- hire people who are more intelligent and skilled than you
- describe the role in such a way that candidates will not be surprised when they are working with you
- check candidates personally
- Ask revealing questions
-how and what, not yes and no
-situational
helping employees achieve their dreams
training schedule->
-history and culture
–importance of friendliness toward guests, smiling, cleanliness
—how to exceed guest’s expectations
—-exceeding expectations comes from surprising people with how much you’ve paid attention to them, by making small actions that show that you’ve thought of them in an individual way
- examples of how employees have surprised guests in this way
important notes
make eye contact and smile
greet every guest as if they are an old friend
seek out interactions with guests
–what are the most common questions that guests have?
provide what to do immediately when service is out of balance
–what do we do when food is not to a guest’s liking?
–what do we when something isn’t clean?
what body language helps bring people together?
–what clothes help bring people together?
–what appearance helps bring people together?
what makes people go ‘wow, I can’t believe you did that, that’s so kind’
thank and show appreciation to each guest for choosing our organization
how, where, and what should employees spend their time on?
–what should they be doing when it’s busy? When it’s slow? Ordinary day? During an emergency?
–where should they be during opening? Closing?
–when it’s slow, is that an opportunity to interact with a customer?
communicate all the time, with every available channel
((newsletters))
—tips&tricks on how to follow-through on the org’s purpose
—security tips & info
—opportunities board
—seasonal policy change reminders
—important dates
—gushing praise letters & reviews from guests
((ten minutes of training a day adds up to more than 40 hours of training per year))
–pre-shift training should include 2-way commo
–emphasize what is important
–thank them for their great performance
–answer questions
–provide produce and service knowledge
–to find out what they need to excel in their jobs
–to inspire staff
–skill checks, by asking a staff member to teach everyone else how to do something, including the newest person
–situational roleplay (James, what do you do if our guest Alice wants to pay in another currency?)
((bulletin boards))
((1-on-1s with direct reports))
((immediate feedback))
–emphasize what they’re doing well, and expand it to show how they can apply what they’re doing well to what they’re not doing well
–never criticize or punish in front of someone else
–where is the organization doing well? Where can it use improvement?
–use stories, talk about your ‘mistakes’ and how you learned from them
–explain the dynamic that you’re providing feedback for, break it down and lay out why each detail matters
prepare for the unexpected
–what is the worst thing that could possibly happen here?
—what is the next worst thing? How can we plan for that?
–list of unexpected events
the staff most be given individualized attention
–what are their aspirations?
–how can the organization serve the staff?
–are they in it for just a job, or do they have a purpose?
–can every employee tell you what the organization’s purpose is?
–how easy it for employees to access learning opportunities?
–how do we measure employee and customer satisfaction?
how can we show people that they are worthy of a clean and wonderful place?
what expectations do guests have that they don’t even know they have?
How can we include our guests in a one of a kind moment that they won’t get anywhere else?
How can you make a guest go “wow” in less than 5 minutes?
What opportunities are there to make guests feel special?
-this is why we use their names where possible
-process
How should we talk to people?
How should we make food?
How should we make the place comfortable?
How should we use this equipment?
How should we use this machine?
When a mistake happens, check the process or activity instead of finding someone to blame- look for what, rather than who.
Listen to the people who use your business, because their complaints generally give you clues about how to improve your process.
People are always losing time, and we can give them more time by speeding up our processes.
Things that are especially frustrating or annoying are bottlenecks that can benefit most from refining how we do things.
What can people do to ease the frustration that comes from waiting? In a service industry, giving them attention often alleviates the underlying fears that arise when people feel like they have nothing to do.
Look to see yourself what’s working and what’s not working- be in the same room as your customers. Interact with your customers.
Is it possible to fill special requests in advance?
-What special requests are most frequent?
Is it possible to call guests and talk to them to apologize instead of e-mailing them? A two-way conversation has the added benefit of revealing more information about the guest’s dissatisfaction.
Always pay attention to your staff to learn about both their complaints and customer’s complaints. Staff often get complained too the most.
Why do we do it this way?
What would happen if we didn’t do it like this?
What’s something bad that could happen if we change it?
People don’t give you information when it appears that you don’t use it. By posting complaints on a bulletin board, you show that you’re listening to them. Without follow-up, people don’t believe you.
What should we stop doing the way we’re doing it?
What should we start doing in a particular way?
What should we continue doing the way we’re doing it?
The people on the ground are in the best place to see how we can improve what we’re doing, so ask them how to improve frequently.
Details matter exponentially at scale.
How can units within the same organization help check each other’s processes? By looking at someone else’s area, it’s easier to learn how things are controlled, what they cost, and how things are done. By finding out how things are done elsewhere and suggesting improvements there, you may find ways to improve your own area.
What’s the worst that could happen in five years? What can we do to prepare for that time?
Of all the responsibilities chosen, which ones are the priority today? In what order?
When you change somethng, people will resist. Someone put the process in for a reason- what is that reason? Is there a way to try the change in a tiny, short-term way that can be easily reversed? Ask to try.
How can you show the frontline that a change is something to try? Often the people on the ground are afraid to lose the way they live their lives. By showing people that your change will not change how they live their lives, and might even add to it, you can alleviate their fears.
Every time you change something, give people an explanation about why you’re changing that thing. Listen to their feelings about the possibilities of this change. Explain how this change will affect them, and why it’s important for getting them what they want. Every change you make is reversible- reverse it if it ceases to help you accomplish the mission.
All the ways things are done work in some places but not others. Notice when something works for you and when it doesn’t.
Every change is an experiment, to be kept or discarded if it works toward the mission.
-Ask employees what stops them from getting their jobs done.
-Ask customers about what’s frustrating, and what they like and don’t like about your business.
-Follow-up on every change months later.
Track possible improvements.
Walk around your area, to every aspect of your business.
By walking around where you live and talking to everyone, you stay in touch with your area.
Ask the people you meet as you walk around if there’s anything you can do to make their life easier.
Is there a way to easily display the things you notice as you walk around to everyone who needs to know? Recall from James Mattis: “what do I know, who needs to know, and have I told them?”
Have 1-on-1s frequently, where you ask about people, processes, projects, and purpose.
-People: who is doing well? Who isn’t doing well?
-Processes: What’s doing well? What isn’t?
-Projects: how are things being improved? What’s in the way of improvements?
-Purpose: are we doing the best we can for our purpose with what we have? What are the costs of what we’re doing?
Go to their place, don’t make them come to yours.
Bring small groups together to find out what they know by listening to what they say to each other.
-what happens on your job that makes you want to quit?
-what do you most want for your unit right now?
How do we make things seem safe enough for everyone to be more open?
Every time someone gives you information, it’s an opportunity to build trust by acting on that information. How can you build common knowledge that you act on everyone’s requests, not just one person’s?
Getting closer to where people are makes them feel safe. For example, sitting next to them instead of sitting behind a desk. This also works more abstractly, by touching their feelings, as in acknowledging and labeling the emotions they might normally be expected to hide.
-An anonymous feedback form works wonders.
-Thank people for saying what they think- don’t shoot the messenger.
-Ask probing questions after follow-up questions to get more information. After you get that information, ask: what would you like me to do?
-Come up with the worst questions someone might ask, and then come up with answers that fit your purpose.
-“I don’t know, but I’m happy to find out for you” gives you more social capital than trying to avoid admitting that you don’t know.
What question do you wish no one will ever ask you?
-Why don’t I get paid more?
-Things changed, and we lost some things in that change. How do we get what we like back?
-How do we work together when we don’t trust each other?
-How can we reward seniority while also paying attention to individual needs?
-How can we keep people who fit us well while lowering costs?
-Why do things get more expensive?
-Why do you earn so much and I earn so little?
-How can get more out of this company?
What costs a lot?
-How can we reduce costs?
-Ask the people on the ground how to reduce costs.
–How can we lower costs while fulfiling our purpose?
Appreciation, recognition, and encouragement inspire people to flourish with you. The more energy you give by attuning to people enough to show them thoughtful appreciation, the more energy you get.
What shows someone that they matter to you?
Call them by something they remember. Remember where they’ve been and where they’re going. Show them that they matter as individuals.
Praise in private, punish in private. Say good things about people behind their back. Find a way to include the people they love in their praise- consider giving a prize to loved ones and asking them to celebrate with that prize. How can you make loved ones proud of their people?
-Give extra praise to frontline people, since they’re ultimately the most important parts of the organization.
Noticing and recognizing when someone is doing well does way more than noticing and punishing when someone is doing badly. The shorter the gap is for reinforcement, the faster people learn.
Make them feel like they matter individually, pay close attention to them, and give them the means to find information.
Write down the names of people you want to acknowledge every day.
What are the most common questions that customers have?
What do the customers need?
What do the customers want?
What do they expect?
What do customers feel when they’re with us?
You can’t teach culture, you can only model it.