Doug Lipp's Blog, page 3
October 16, 2023
Vision & Mission Statements: A Complete Waste of Time
Vision Statements. Mission Statements. Culture Statements. These are all a complete waste of time … for many organizations.
Why? The words in these meticulously crafted documents don’t match the words and actions of leadership.
Many have suffered through the hand-wringing, consternation, and expense that accompanies creating the “perfect” vision or mission statement. I don’t have a problem with these efforts. Yet, the sad reality I’ve observed with far too many clients over the years is this: The disconnect between the published words in these statements, and the reality on the front-lines.
Ponder the following quote from the CEO of a multinational corporation:
“Quality, integrity, and inclusion are the core of our cultural values!”
Sounds compelling, right? Indeed, variations of these words appear in the Vision and Mission statements of companies around the world. The words of this CEO also appeared on posters throughout offices and factories, and on T-shirts distributed to thousands of employees.
Unfortunately, the words and actions of the CEO, top leadership, and mid-level managers in their daily meetings, and on factory floors revealed a far different culture of:
Cutting Corners. Definitely NOT a commitment to QualityLying to Customers: Definitely NOT a commitment to IntegrityFavoritism: A “good ‘ol boy” system, NOT a commitment to InclusionI had the joy of collaborating with Netflix Co-Founder, Marc Randolph, when emceeing a corporate conference. Just as Marc states in his best-selling book: That Will Never Work, he shared the following with me and the audience:
“Culture is a reflection of who you are and what you do … it doesn’t come from carefully worded statements. Eventually, you have to start taking small steps to put your words into practice.”
The wisest leaders follow the old adage, actions speak louder than words. Do you?
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August 11, 2020
Our “Independent Spirit” is Killing Us
The COVID-19 Leadership Challenge: Leading Ourselves … for Others
I am a proud but dismayed American. I’m afraid our “Independent Spirit” is killing us. Why? The resistance to wearing face masks as a mark of “independence.” And, until we get a COVID-19 vaccine, the independence mindset of many Americans will likely result in thousands of additional deaths due to virus transmission.
So, here’s the COVID-19 leadership challenge: How will you lead you during the pandemic?
We Americans are fiercely proud of our independence and our ability to pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Yet, the line between independence (a good thing) and selfishness (a bad thing) is mighty thin.
The definitions found in the dictionary offer little help:
Independent: not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc.; thinking or acting for oneself: An independent thinker.
Selfish: devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one’s own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.
These definitions lead to even more questions:
What’s the difference between independent and selfish?
Where do behaviors associated with both start to blur and overlap?
Where do the positive behaviors of independence devolve into the negative behaviors associated with selfishness?
Here’s my observation of independence devolving into selfishness:
Not wearing facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fact: Transmission rates of the virus in Japan are many multiples less transmission rates in the U.S. In the last seven days, (August 3-10), Japan has had 7 cases per 100,000. The United States has had 115 cases per 100,000.
At this point, I’ve already upset some of you. Perhaps you’ll choose to stop reading this blog. Or, you’ll continue reading and then excoriate me on social media.
So be it.
I’m not perfect, no one is. Yes, I’ve been selfish. We all have. Yes, I have an independent streak. We all do. The question remains: how will you lead you during this pandemic so we all benefit? My personal leadership credo is heavily influenced by a country that puts tremendous value on being other-centered, NOT self-centered. That country is Japan.
I’ve studied Japanese, and lived in and out of Japan for close to 50 years. I distinctly remember arriving in Tokyo for the first time, decades ago. One of the lasting memories remains the number of people I saw wearing white cotton face masks. My thoughts ranged from “were they avoiding air pollution?” to “Were they afraid of getting sick?”
Having undoubtedly fielded this question before, my Japanese friend laughed and replied: “Those wearing masks might not feel well. They are wearing masks so they don’t get others sick. This behavior exemplifies the other-centered nature of our culture. I take care of you, and you take care of me.”
While viewing a recent BBC newscast, I was not surprised to see a video of a hugely crowded train station in Tokyo. As thousands of commuters streamed past and around the reporter, he expressed amazement while describing the scene: “Of the hundreds of thousands of passengers surging through this station, everyone is wearing facemasks!”
Didn’t surprise me in the least. The Japanese are other-centered. They take care of each other.
By now, I’ve angered even more readers. Sadly, some of you might even express a sad level of banality with the challenge: “Then go back to Japan!”.
I believe that numbers are numbers and science is science. I also believe in common sense: masks reduce the amount of spit (read, virus droplets) we expel into the air!
Now, back to Japan. There, you won’t hear the same lame excuses you hear in the U.S. for not wearing masks:
“I’m eating,”
“I’m drinking,”
“I have a condition that doesn’t allow me to wear a mask,”
Blah, blah, blah,
My wife and I recently returned from a camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Admittedly, not a great time to visit if one wants to avoid crowds. That said, we wore our facemasks while on hiking trails and everywhere else required.
Yet, easily 70% of those we passed on the various trails weren’t wearing masks. And, the patterns were all over the map; at times the parents were, but their kids weren’t. At times, the kids were wearing masks, but their parents weren’t. Older, younger … didn’t matter.
And, given the restrictions on international travel, I’m confident stating the vast majority of these visitors were my fellow Americans.
Given the crowds, maintaining the 6-foot social distancing rule wasn’t possible. Understandably, people jammed into the most popular lookouts to soak up the magnificent beauty of each park. That left mask-wearing as the only choice to keep each other safe …
Avoiding the maskless masses, my wife and I found—and loved—hiking “off-grid.” Thanks to advice gleaned from Park Rangers, friends, and trail maps, we discovered geyser fields and tremendous vistas … and we had them to ourselves!
Until we achieve herd immunity via whichever vaccine(s) evolve, we must care for one another. Wearing a mask isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength, other-centeredness, and frankly giving a hoot about humanity.
I’m troubled knowing I can’t rely upon my fellow Americans to look out for me. Guess I’ll remain the independent (and, sometimes selfish) soul I am and take care of myself … while wearing my mask.
How will you lead you … for others?
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March 23, 2020
4 Crisis-Tempering Leadership Qualities
The COVID-19 crisis has turned our world upside-down and is forcing us all to assess our personal and professional lives. In response, I found great comfort in re-reading a great book about leadership during crisis. The book: Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated trans-arctic expedition of 1914.
While reading about this expedition, I considered the incredible leadership qualities of not only Shackleton, but also of the many leaders with whom I have worked. Below are four leadership qualities vital for dealing with seemingly insurmountable crises.
1) Be Present and Available … Communicate!
The worst leaders disappear during crises. The reason? Fear. For most, they fear not having answers to solve whatever problem the team faces. Their fear of not appearing to be in control drives their decision to hunker down … to vanish. The best leaders get into the field (virtually, these days) to gather information, share ideas, and let people know they are present by:
• Contacting customers, patients, clients to let them know they’re available. They communicate creatively, fully taking advantage of telephones, Zoom meetings or FaceTime sessions. The current reality of social distancing isn’t an excuse to shut down interaction.
• Reaching out to employees, staff, colleagues. The constant exchange of ideas, strategies, next steps, (and concerns!) is both comforting and can lead to solutions.
2) Fuel Creativity with Optimism and Honesty:
Sugar-coating a tragedy is not the answer. Yet, the best leaders look for opportunities despite the barriers. Regular meetings with stakeholders (clients, employees, etc.) to assess only the challenges can be depressing. Leaders who can share even the smallest successes (perhaps derived from what they learned from getting into the field) build optimism, and optimism fuels creativity.
3) Embrace What They Can Control:
Instead of falling into the helpless victim-state and complaining about everything that has changed, great leaders maintain a laser-focus on factors they can control. Prime examples of this are the first two topics listed above (Communicate and Fuel Creativity).
4) Create Stability from Chaos:
Great leaders know the value of structure and predictability even when chaos reigns. From a personal resilience strategy of looking forward to their daily walk, cup of tea, or meditation session, they plan their day. Vitally important is to weave in some fun or recreation activities. And they encourage their employees to do the same. Bottom line: They take control and lead by example.
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February 9, 2019
Stir the Pot
Check out the following passage I pulled from an early 1980’s Disneyland management training program. The author is Van France, founder of the Disney University, and my mentor.
“Budgets, schedules, reports, more reports, union negotiations, training programs, meetings … more meetings, handbooks, cover-your-ass memos and the endless things which take up your time are of no value unless they end up producing A HAPPY GUEST.”
Van’s zeal for creating the happiest place on earth through innovation, and challenging entrenched behavioral patterns and beliefs mirrored Walt Disney’s approach to creativity; don’t hesitate to stir the pot.
Who on your team is the pot-stirrer?
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Disney University-What’s their Secret?
The Disney University—a name that carries clout and evokes images of excellence. Mention this highly-regarded institution to any business leader and the question that often follows is:
“How do they develop the world’s most engaged, loyal and customer-centric employees, year after year?”
Although the word “University” is invariably embodied in the title of corporate and organizational training departments around the world, very few of these “universities” have matched Disney University’s level of success for at least two reasons:
1) Many don’t enjoy the levels of leadership support enjoyed by Disney University founder, Van France.
2) Many don’t understand training cannot be limited to ‘Here’s what you need to do, now go do it.’ That’s not good enough. Training needs to instill a spirit, a feeling, an emotional connection.
Van France and his team of strong-willed visionaries created a corporate culture and an organizational DNA well before these words were ever in vogue. They didn’t just go to the store, buy pixie dust and start throwing it around. Their tireless devotion to perpetuate Walt Disney’s dream, plus the game-changing business concepts they created, helped build an organizational culture that is respected around the world.
Secrets of the Disney University
What does it take to create legions of amazingly motivated employees, year after year? How does a training organization, any organization for that matter, thrive well beyond the honeymoon period? The message from Van, and the many who worked with him to create the Disney University, is unwavering. Success is predicated on:
• Having a seat at the leadership table.
• Being a valued part of the organizational culture.
• Moving well beyond providing merely short-lived programs.
• Being incessantly creative and willing to try new approaches to keep the message relevant, fresh and engaging.
Many who worked with Van describe his style in the following ways: “Van kept people focused. He kept us from making training programs too esoteric and academic by keeping us focused on practical application, using simple concepts such as, we create happiness, and we know the answers.”
Who keeps you focused?
Excerpt from Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees Publisher: McGraw-Hill
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July 23, 2018
Starbucks, Congratulations … Give Credit to Kelli
With great fanfare, Starbucks announced they’re staffing a store exclusively with employees fluent in American Sign Language, (ASL). Congratulations.
Here’s my question: What took so long? After all, a Starbucks manager created a fantastic bridge to the hearing-impaired community … 18 year ago.
Enjoy the following case study of a truly visionary manager, Kelli Caires. I originally wrote about Kelli, in 2001, in my book: The Changing Face of Today’s Customer: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Customer and Employee Base.
Here’s the account of Kelli, back then. I wonder what she’s doing now?
Visionary Management, Visionary Customer Care
Kelli Caires, one of the thousands of store managers in the Starbucks organization, sets an example that is one we can all strive to attain. Her approach to creating a great customer experience and a sense of community exemplifies the cultural sensitivity that is so greatly needed in this era of indifference.
Kelli Caires is the Store Manager of a Starbucks located in Orange County, California.
This case really begins when Kelli and one of her staff, a partner named John, noticed a group of hearing-impaired customers visiting the store on a regular basis. Kelli states: “At first, we didn’t notice the pattern, but we realized a large group of about 40 customers was coming monthly, on Friday evenings. I knew that John was able to use sign language, so he and I approached the group to find out more about them.”
With John’s assistance as an interpreter, Kelli welcomed the group and asked them for suggestions for improving their Starbucks experience. Based on the group’s feedback Kelli put into motion a series of steps reflecting cultural and linguistic sensitivity rarely found in multinational organizations, much less neighborhood stores.
In addition to making sure John was scheduled on the evenings they arrived, Kelli and her team the following strategies to bridge the communication gaps:
Bridge #1: As a first step, she provided a pad of paper and a pen for every non-signing partner. This enabled them, via writing, to communicate with the hearing-impaired customers.
Bridge #2: Next, they transferred the menu that was posted on the wall onto laminated menus at each register. The real brilliance came when they connected erasable marking pens to the menus. “This was a whole lot easier than expecting these customers to clarify what they wanted to order by pointing to the large menu way up on the wall, they simply circled items on the menu with the pens”, says Kelli.
Bridge #3 To further refine their process, Kelli and her team decided to alter one of their long-standing operating procedures. Typically, when customers order a beverage at Starbucks, the order taker writes the customer’s name, in black ink, on the cup itself. Then, when the order is ready, another employee calls out the customer’s name to let them know the order is ready. For the hearing-impaired customers, Kelli’s team simply used a red pen on the cup. When one of the drinks with red ink was ready, John (the ASL-fluent employee) would step up and use sign language to call the customers to the counter.
Bridge #4 Even with these arrangements in place, Kelli took one more step. She told me: “I was getting frustrated, as were some of the employees, by our inability to communicate directly with our customers. So I decided to learn some basic sign language.” Then, in a stroke of incredible good timing and luck, a person who represented a subsidiary of Goodwill Industries approached Kelli and offered to teach sign language to her and her staff, free of charge. Kelli accepted, then worked out an even better scenario. She invited customers to attend, as well. Here is Kelli’s explanation: “I thought that some of the hearing-able customers, those who came on the Fridays when our hearing-impaired customers gathered, might want to learn sign language as well. So, I designated Tuesday evenings (the slowest night of the week) as lesson nights.” Brilliant! Before long, the lobby of her Starbucks was overflowing with people attending the Tuesday night lessons. Better yet, many people walking through the shopping mall saw the activity and came in to see what was going on. So, what had been the slowest night of the week, turned into a beehive of activity!
Other-Centered = Connected
The result? In less than four months, what was once a group of 40 hearing-impaired customers has grown to an event that attracts between 300 and 600 hearing-impaired customers each month! And, as Kelli’s District Manager, Kimberly Shelton, states:
” Visiting Kelli’s store on those Fridays is an amazing sight. There is a virtual sea of people, yet it is relatively silent … everyone is signing.”
So, in place of the buzz of conversation, there is a tremendous movement of hands; Satisfied customers having a great time.
For virtually no cost, Kelli and her team of partners built bridges of great customer service and cultural sensitivity.
I’m thrilled Starbucks is finally adding to the foundation Kelli built
* Excerpted from
The Changing Face of Today’s Customer:
Strategies for Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Customer and Employee Base
in Your Local Market
By Doug Lipp
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October 2, 2017
Lessons from Disney University: The Four Essentials of Employee Development | Disney Training Methods
Van France, Disney University Founder
Which of these reflect your employee development efforts?
“Why aren’t the standard operating procedures of our company followed?”“Why is it so hard to sustain the momentum we had during training?”“Our employees attend training programs … and tune out.”Far too many organizations struggle to provide employee development experiences that survive beyond the walls of their classrooms or the pages of their training manuals.
Why? They lack the circumstances referred to by Van France.
Even the lowest-tech, most bare-boned and budget-challenged training program will get the job done when the following four essentials, (Van’s circumstances) are in place: Innovate, Support, Educate & Entertain.
Employee development activities reflect core organizational values and health. The content of training programs, the individuals who teach them, the employees who attend, and the way employees are supported outside the classroom reveal much about organizational culture. What do your training activities (or lack of) tell you?
Is innovation encouraged? To what extent is creative, out-of-the-box thinking fostered, both in the training environment and on the job? Or, are you paralyzed by fear of failure?Is organizational support found at every level? Are leaders—from owners and C-level executives to front-line supervisors—aligned with the training team? Is their support overt and enthusiastic? Do Operations and Training staff collaborate to ensure effectiveness of content and delivery methods?Is employee education valued and non-negotiable? Or, is training the first thing cut when budgets are tight?Is entertainment incorporated into training and education initiatives? Is training engaging and practical? Are experiential training techniques that have enough “shock value” (simulations, role-plays, exercises) employed to get maximum involvement from all trainees … even the introverts? Entertainment, effectively used, has a place in virtually any training environment; it helps transform theory into action and boring into memorable.Yes, the Disney University benefits from having iconic mascots such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. More important, the Disney University enjoys the Four Essentials outlined above. Which of these does your organization bring to life?
Excerpt from:
Disney U
How Disney University Develops the World’s Most
Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees
McGraw-Hill
Related article:
Disney University Avoids the 4 Employee Development Traps, Do You?
If you want to learn more about what Disney University is and Disney training methods, you may contact us at (916) 962-1231 or send us an email.
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Lessons from Disney University: The Four Essentials of Employee Development
Van France, Disney University Founder
Which of these reflect your employee development efforts?
“Why aren’t the standard operating procedures of our company followed?”
“Why is it so hard to sustain the momentum we had during training?”
“Our employees attend training programs … and tune out.”
Far too many organizations struggle to provide employee development experiences that survive beyond the walls of their classrooms or the pages of their training manuals.
Why? They lack the circumstances referred to by Van France.
Even the lowest-tech, most bare-boned and budget-challenged training program will get the job done when the following four essentials, (Van’s circumstances) are in place: Innovate, Support, Educate & Entertain.
Employee development activities reflect core organizational values and health. The content of training programs, the individuals who teach them, the employees who attend, and the way employees are supported outside the classroom reveal much about organizational culture. What do your training activities (or lack of) tell you?
Is innovation encouraged? To what extent is creative, out-of-the-box thinking fostered, both in the training environment and on the job? Or, are you paralyzed by fear of failure?
Is organizational support found at every level? Are leaders—from owners and C-level executives to front-line supervisors—aligned with the training team? Is their support overt and enthusiastic? Do Operations and Training staff collaborate to ensure effectiveness of content and delivery methods?
Is employee education valued and non-negotiable? Or, is training the first thing cut when budgets are tight?
Is entertainment incorporated into training and education initiatives? Is training engaging and practical? Are experiential training techniques that have enough “shock value” (simulations, role-plays, exercises) employed to get maximum involvement from all trainees … even the introverts? Entertainment, effectively used, has a place in virtually any training environment; it helps transform theory into action and boring into memorable.
Yes, the Disney University benefits from having iconic mascots such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. More important, the Disney University enjoys the Four Essentials outlined above. Which of these does your organization bring to life?
Excerpt from:
Disney U
How Disney University Develops the World’s Most
Engaged, Loyal and Customer-Centric Employees
McGraw-Hill
The post Lessons from Disney University: The Four Essentials of Employee Development appeared first on Doug Lipp.
August 17, 2017
The 3 Pillars of Organizational Success … or Failure
Anything supported by three pillars is inherently weak; lose one and everything comes crashing down.
Organizational culture is no different. Whether you own a small company, run a non-profit, or lead a team of thousands, your organizational well-being rests upon these three pillars:
Hiring Right
Training Right
Treating Right
Unfortunately, most organizations fail at one, or more, of these three cultural pillars.
Hiring Right: Hiring and promoting the wrong people is like purposely planting weeds in your garden. Yet, far too many organizations fail to support this pillar. I constantly see two flawed approaches that guarantee failure:
Ineffective interview strategies. “Tell me about yourself.” “How have you handled this problem in the past?” “Why do you want this job?” Yuck. Boring. Ineffective.
Promoting technically qualified people who are not prepared to lead.
Haphazardly filling open positions plagues many. What’s one solution? Implement behavior-based interview strategies that reveal an applicant’s true self. Hint. Include role-plays in your interviews.
Training Right: Employee development is never-ending and needn’t be costly nor time-consuming. Consider these quotes from Disney University visionaries, and then eliminate the baseless excuses you might have for not training your team:
“Budgets might be tight, creativity is free.”
Van France, Disney University founder
“Training isn’t an ’employee car wash.’”
(one-and-done always fails) Tom Eastman
Treating Right: Cultures of respect and honesty attract the right employees and customers. Even the strongest, well trained new-hires will fail when thrown into a dysfunctional team.
Which of these three pillars do you need to reinforce?
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August 13, 2017
Marty Sklar: Rest In Peace
The world lost a true Dreamer and Doer when Disney Legend Marty Sklar passed away on July 27.
I was honored and lucky to have known him in two very different stages of my life; during my career at Disney, and later as a dear friend with whom I shared the stage at public events and during book signings.
Forever etched in my memory is the quiet time we enjoyed together. Whether prepping for a presentation in a backstage greenroom, or during a private meal, Marty selfishly shared with me much wisdom about life, leadership, and creativity.
Marty’s mental library of leadership advice had no limits. After all, his mentors included UCLA legend John Wooden and, of course, Walt Disney. Marty, the former vice chairman of Walt Disney Imagineering, enjoyed a 54-year career with the company. And, he influenced each of Disney’s 12 theme parks and resorts around the world.
During one meal overlooking the Sacramento River, Marty shared with me advice from Walt Disney about nurturing creativity. “Walt was eternally curious and optimistic … he constantly challenged us to develop new ideas. Frankly, many of his ideas left us wondering, ‘how are we going to do that?’ Excuses for why we couldn’t do something were never an option, so we always approached Walt with a ‘yes if’ … never a ‘no because’.”
In closing, when describing why “it’s a small world” was his favorite attraction, Marty cited the lyrics so familiar to millions:
“there is just one moon and one golden sun and a smile means friendship to everyone”
Marty firmly believed the world would be a better place if everyone lived by the iconic lyrics and music of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
So do I.
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