Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney

by Lee Cockerell

The reason inclusion is so important is simple: When everyone matters and everyone knows he or she matters, employees are happy to come to work, and they’re eager to give you their energy, creativity, and loyalty. The result is predictable: more productivity and satisfaction; less absenteeism and turnover.

You want to be asked your opinion and have it taken seriously. You want to feel valued. And you want to be known as an individual and treated as such.

At Disney we defined our approach to inclusion with the acronym RAVE: respect, appreciate, and value everyone.

Your job is not just to make your employees happy but to create an environment that enables them to excel at what they do.

Like good parents, great leaders are always available. At Disney, I let all the Cast Members know that I was available to anyone who wanted to see me about anything, and I made good on that promise by making time for everyone who requested a meeting, regardless of his or her position in the organization.

Beating around the bush increases confusion, not clarity. If you “spin” your message, people will see right through it, and their trust in you will be undermined, perhaps forever. If you communicate clearly, directly, and honestly all the time, people will understand what you want them to know and what you want them to do. And you will earn a reputation as a trustworthy individual.

Ask yourself frequently what you have done to show that everyone is important and knows it. Create an environment that makes every employee and every customer feel special. Treat everyone as an individual. Give every person your complete and unconditional respect. Spend time getting to know your employees. Give every employee the information and resources to learn what he or she needs to know and acquire the skills he or she needs to have. Make yourself truly available to everyone on your team. Give everyone, regardless of his or her position, the opportunity to be heard.

When someone speaks to you, give that person your complete attention and really listen. Be your authentic self; don’t project a false persona.