Disney and Being On Task vs. On-Purpose (3-15-23)

This will be the last in the series about lessons I learned from the Disney Institute. This week is about being on task vs. being on-purpose.

At the Disney Parks and Resorts, employees are united by a common purpose, “We create happiness by providing the best in entertainment for people of all ages everywhere.” It’s a purpose they aspire to live every single day. This is part of the secret behind the Disney magic. We talked about this with the Disney Institute as it related to people and their day-to-day jobs. The Disney Institute explained the concept of on-task vs. on-purpose, and how it was okay for someone to be off-task if they were on-purpose. For example, a member of the custodial crew might have the task to clean the sidewalk. However, if a family approaches them and asks them for directions, that same cast member might stop sweeping the sidewalk to lead an impromptu parade to the location. The cast member isn’t fulfilling their daily tasks, but they are doing the more important work of living their purpose and creating happiness for the guests.

What does this have to do with anything? There are a lot of different ways to think about on task vs. on-purpose. In a perfect world, all tasks would align with a bigger purpose. This may not always be the case though, because there are tasks in any job that we just need to get done (#expensereports 😉). At the same time, it’s easy for the day-to-day job to become just a collection of tasks that lacks connection to purpose. It’s easy to get lost in to-do lists and activity for the sake of activity. Do you ever fall into this trap? I do. When I fall into this trap, I eventually realize that I might be doing things, but many of them aren’t attached to a larger purpose so they don’t mean much. While completing tasks might be easier to measure, many of the on-purpose activities that have the most important impact are the hardest to quantify. For example, building culture and teams is being on-purpose, because it enables to deliver better outcomes but how do you measure that? Challenging processes and cultural norms to deliver better outcomes for customers is on-purpose, but difficult to track. This idea of being on task vs. on-purpose and how that connects to our work is definitely worth thinking about.

The challenge: What is YOUR ideal balance of being on task vs. on-purpose?

Bonus 1: As you think about being on-purpose, you can look at that through multiple lenses too. Are you doing work that aligns with your organization’s purpose? Your team’s purpose? Your own purpose?

Bonus 2: All of this talk about purpose reminded me of something I did my senior year of college. Professor Skinner (one of the best professors ever) had us create our own personal mission statements, and then she laminated them for us. This has been in my wallet for about 16 years now. It’s a little wordy 😉 But my focus on enriching the lives of the people I meet still rings true and drives a lot of what I do in and outside of work. If you haven’t ever taken the time to make your own mission statement, you should think about doing so. It’s a great exercise.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

The Secret Behind the Disney Magic (3-8-23)

Happy Wednesday,

Last week was about employee engagement and pixie dust. This week is about the secret behind the Disney magic.

When people talk about Disney, they also usually talk about the magic of Disney. Magic is that little something extra that makes the moment enjoyable and memorable. It could be a Disney staff member stepping in at just the right moment to turn a wrong into a right. It might be a little surprise waiting for you in a Disney resort. It might be the feeling you get as you walk through Galaxy’s Edge and see your favorite Star Wars characters coming to life. You would think that incredible moments like this would only happen once in a while, but at Disney they happen quite often.

Do you want to know a secret? Technically, anyone could do the same thing that Disney does. It’s not magic. Instead, it’s being extremely INTENTIONAL about creating amazing customer experience. They design the place, processes, and choose the right people who all combine to routinely create memorable magic for folks. They think through every touchpoint, every opportunity, and determine how to instill magic in that moment. There is no top secret patented magic formula. Other companies could do these things. They choose not to.

What does this have to do with anything? Think about the experiences you deliver to other employees. Do they contain magic? Are there moments that make the person on the receiving end, pause and smile because they feel so seen and valued? The best leaders I have ever been around found a way to consistently deliver this magic. It wasn’t anything incredibly fancy. It wasn’t anything that others couldn’t do. They delivered this magic, because they were intentional and consistent day in and day out. Now think about the experiences you’re delivering to customers. Do any of those have magic in them? What would it take to make more of these customer experiences feel magical?

The challenge: How can you be more intentional about creating magical moments for other employees and for customers?

Bonus- Speaking of magic, I recently performed this poem at our Neuroscience National Meeting. If you want a little fire and inspiration, give it a listen. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-embry-979831b7_whowantstheball-poetry-poetryatwork-activity-7037083285360975873-V3hz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Employee Engagement and Pixie Dust (3-1-23)

Last week we kicked off a series of lessons I learned from the Disney Institute. This week is about employee engagement and pixie dust.

During our session with the Disney Institute, we spent time talking about creating that Disney magic (more on that in future blogs) and how it requires buy-in and effort from employees at all levels of the organization. One of my colleagues raised their hand and asked a question along the lines of this, “It seems that everyone across industries is struggling with having the right talent and things like quiet quitting and employee engagement. I’d assume that you need to have engaged employees to create this Disney magic, so how does Disney handle challenges with employee engagement?” The facilitator responded with, “That’s a good question. The first thing to acknowledge is that everyone loses their pixie dust from time to time. No one is 100% dedicated and on track all the time. When someone loses their pixie dust, they need to pause to figure out what it is they need. Also, it’s the job of their leader to step in to see what they need to get going again. It’s not easy. It requires intentional attention.”

How does this connect with anything? While I’d like to think that I’m filled with magic on most days, I’d be lying if I told you that I come into work every single day on fire with purpose and passion. I’d be lying if I told you that I was actively engaged every second of every single day over my 15-year career. Sometimes, I lose my pixie dust. Do you? I’ve learned over time that it’s easy to beat yourself up when you lose your pixie dust, but it doesn’t help. What has helped me is taking the time to figure out why my pixie dust is gone. Maybe, I’m having a difficult time outside of work, and what I need is some grace and understanding. Maybe, I’m dealing with a process that is sucking out my soul (sound familiar?), and I need leadership to help us alter or remove this process. Maybe, I’m burned out, and I need to do something to help myself recharge. Maybe, I’ve lost my connection with my purpose, and I need to find that again. The bottom line is, that losing pixie dust doesn’t make you bad. It means you’re human. The best leaders I’ve ever worked for are the ones who understand this. The best leaders I’ve ever worked for help me find my pixie dust when it’s missing.

The challenge: Do a check-in. How are your pixie dust levels? As a leader, what do your people need to help them find their pixie dust when it’s lost?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry