In yesterday’s Advisor, we presented the first six of the Disney leadership strategies laid out by former Walt Disney World EVP Lee Cockerell in his recent book, Creating Magic. In today’s issue, we’ll look at the final four, as well as at a unique resource for HR managers in small departments.
(Click here to see strategies 1 through 6.)
#7 Burn the Free Fuel
Cockerell says to think of ‘ARE’: Appreciation, Recognition, and Encouragement. Together they are a cost-free, fully sustainable fuel. You can give out ARE all day, and the bonus is that the people you give it to are likely to pass it on to their subordinates.
Make ARE a natural part of your routine by recognizing employees by name in public, he says. Include families when appropriate, he adds.
#8 Stay Ahead of the Pack
Be a knowledge sponge, Cockerell says. When you hear a great idea, ask yourself, can I tweak this a little bit and use it in my life? (He noticed wireless devices being used to check in car rentals at the airport and wondered, could hotel guests check in on the Disney bus bringing them from the airport?)
Managers of small HR departments have found the special help they need in a unique BLR® product—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Find out more.
Learn from your competitors, he says. (Cockerell went to a banquet at a competitor’s hotel, saw how the servers, instead of waiting in the kitchen until serving time, were stationed at the ballroom doors, asking guests what special meal requirements they had, and escorting them to their tables. He soon implemented the same at his hotels.)
Study your customer base, Cockerell suggests. What do they really want? He advocates four “compass points” for understanding customers: needs, wants, stereotypes, and emotions.
Make sure your people stay ahead of the pack, he advises. Give them the training and the tools to stay abreast of developments.
#9 Be Careful What You Say and Do
Demonstrate a passionate commitment to your role, Cockerell says. Be careful with word choice—it makes a difference (not “subordinate,” for example, but “associate”). Disney uses “cast member” to refer to its associates, and makes sure everyone knows they are “on stage.”
#10 Develop Character
Cockerell suggests that you spend time anticipating ethical dilemmas and deciding how to deal with them according to your values. He offers the following as Disney’s seven core values:
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Respect
- Courage
- Openness
- Diversity
- Balance
These give you moral authority, and with that, Cockerell says, people will trust you and believe in you, and “you can accomplish anything you dream of.”
Feel as if you’re all alone in HR? Take on a partner—Managing an HR Department of One. Examine it at no cost or risk for 30 days. Get more information.
Cockerell’s principles come from his experience as manager of the “largest single-site employer in the world,” but they apply equally well to even the smallest operation. True, managing HR is tough in a small department. From intermittent FMLA leave to accommodation requests to compensation hassles, it’s challenge after challenge, with few places to turn to for help.
We asked BLR’s editors to come up with a program specifically for HR managers in small departments—even one-person shops. And they came through with BLR’s Managing an HR Department of One. It’s unique in addressing the special pressures small HR departments face. Here are some of the features included:
- Explanation of how HR supports organizational goals. This section explains how to probe for what your top management really wants, and how to build credibility in your ability to deliver it.
- Overview of compliance responsibilities, through a really useful 2-page chart of 21 separate laws with which HR needs to comply. These range from the well-known Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to lesser known, but equally critical, rules such as Executive Order 11246. Also included are federal and state posting requirements. (Proper postings are among the first things a visiting inspector looks for … especially now that the minimum wage has been changing repeatedly.)
- Training guidelines. No matter what your company size, expect to do training. Some of it is required by law. Some of it is just good business sense. Managing an HR Department of One walks you through how to train efficiently and effectively, for the least time and money.
- Prewritten forms, policies, and checklists. These are enormous work-savers! Managing an HR Department of One has 46 such forms, from job apps and background check sheets to performance appraisals and leave requests, in both paper and on CD. The CD lets you easily customize any form with your company’s name and specifics.
If you’d like a more complete look at what Managing an HR Department of One covers, click the Table of Contents link below. Or, better yet, take a look at the entire program. We’ll send it to you for 30 days’ evaluation in your own office with no obligation to buy. Click here and we’ll be happy to make the arrangements.