I hope you might be a little like me. I want to learn from others that have gone before me whenever I have the opportunity. I'm starting these 4 leadership lessons primarily because it was something that I wanted to learn. There is a tremendous amount of insight we can glean from other leaders, and my goal is to send you these snippets to help gather a few takeaways from some of the great leaders of our time.
One of my all-time favorite leaders is Walt Disney. He was one of the great visionaries of the twentieth century, and there are many lessons we can learn from the way he led. The Disney brand is one of the most valuable and recognizable entities in the world. And it all started with one man's dream...
1. If you want to engage people, tell a story.
- Walt Disney, more than anything, wanted to be known as a storyteller. From the first time he pulled his staff together to act out the entire movie of Snow White before they started work on it, to the way he engaged TV audiences about the dreams of Disneyland, Disney was a master storyteller. When Walt would tell the story of the next project he envisioned, it was a fire-starter in the hearts of his teams, and they would catch the vision with him.
2. Never stop asking questions.
- Curious leaders are always the best leaders. I think great leaders are always reading because they are on a constant quest for knowledge. The same goes for leaders that are continually questioning things...even when they're seemingly going well. Disney was never satisfied, and he not only demanded excellence in everything the company produced, he would always ask questions of his team. This does 2 things: 1) it includes everyone in the mission and the vision of the common goal, and 2) it keeps your team observant and inquisitive as well. As long as the leader is asking questions, it gives permission for this same culture to trickle down.
3. Optimism is critical for leadership excellence.
- We have to create a mindset as leaders that our best days are in front of us. To orchestrate and demonstrate a compelling vision that others can rally around, we have to create a culture of optimism. Otherwise, what are we working so hard to achieve? Leaders must become the primary optimist for our teams, and Walt Disney was fantastic at this.
4. It takes people to make a dream a reality.
- This might be one of my favorite things about this leader. Walt was carrying the vision...but he knew the vision was only as good as the ones who would carry it out every day. When you look at the Disney parks, the "magic" that is created happens because every single team member (cast member) buys in to the dream of creating one of the happiest places on Earth. You have to empower your front line, and give them the tools to make someone's experience extra special. In today's world, it means everything. No one did this better than Disney. It's what still lives in the hearts of those who work there, to make dreams come true.
Thanks for taking a few minutes with me. If you like this kind of material, please leave a comment, or you can email me anytime! Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you have a fantastic week!
-ABB