Great service is driven by a clear, concise, and compelling purpose

Disney Cast Member training
Disney Cast Member training: Trainer is demonstrating the power of offering to take a photo.

 

Disney Cast Member training
Disney Cast Member training: three trainees (Security hosts in this case) watching the Disney Trainer (left, interacting with the child).

 

Disney Cast Member training
Disney Cast Member training: Disney Trainer, left, shaking hands with the child (just out of sight).

 

A values-based organizational culture is always, literally without exception, going to outperform a latently-focused organization.

Humans want to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Failing to tap into that is the result of distracted, unfocused leadership – these leaders have created a culture by default that revolves around a constant sense of urgency…an urgency resulting from poorly executed priorities.

Leaders outspokenly focused on revenue, cost containment, and profit will never earn the commitment of those on their team who are not financially incentivized, which is the majority of all front-line employees.

 

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On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our spiritual health. To leave this site to read today’s post on jeff’s career health website, click here.

 

Grounded in reality and pixie dust

Disney most admired company
While i was giving the Creating Magic Keynote, Fortune was releasing their 2016 Most Admired Companies list.

 

It’s not the Magic that makes it work, it’s the hard work that makes it Magic. The company i spoke to is focused on stewardship. Began the leadership keynote with a powerful thought by publicly acknowledging that all 350 people in the room are in one of three revolving and unpredictable places in life:

  1. Currently going through a hell no one knows about
  2. Just coming out of a hell no one knew about
  3. About to go into a hell no one will know about

Why?

i told them it was because they needed to know i’m grounded in reality, in spite of the overwhelmingly high standards i was about to share.

PS. yesterday, February 19, 2016, Fortune named Disney #5, up one from #6 last year.

 

__________

 

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our spiritual health. To leave this site to read today’s post on jeff’s career health website, click here.

 

Announcing the three types of hell

Disney conference speaker
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends… (Emerson, Lake and Palmer lyric).

 

Three types of hell that no one knows about:

  1. Currently going through it
  2. Just came out of going through a hell no one knew about
  3. About to go into a hell no one will know about

Clarified this at the top of my leadership keynote speech because i wanted the audience to know:

  1. i pray silently for them
  2. When i go on and on about pixie dust, they’ll know i’m grounded in reality

This matters because the audience needs to know that in spite of our hells, we are stewards for goodness in the world.

 

__________

 

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our spiritual health. To leave this site to read today’s post on jeff’s career health website, click here.

 

Too tired to pray?

Memphis Peabody
Memphis Peabody

 

St Jude Memphis
St Jude Memphis. Abandoned Radio Flyer in the parking lot. Pillow and blanket inside.

 

St Jude Memphis
St Jude Memphis

 

St Jude Memphis
St Jude Memphis

 

Too tired to pray?

Nope.

Grateful for places like St Jude and people like Danny Thomas.

 

__________

 

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our spiritual health. To leave this site to read today’s post on jeff’s career health website, click here.

 

Bound Galley – Not For Sale

Top leadership books
Upper left book corner. Rare.

 

Creating Magic book
The glamour of business travel.

 

Graceland Car museum
Hot on Elvis’ trail.

 

Bound Galley – Not For Sale…

To be on the short list of trusted leaders beats being nothing but a hound dog.

But all i have to do is remember i too spent a lifetime at Disney.

 

__________

 

 

On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our spiritual health. To leave this site to read today’s post on jeff’s career health website, click here.