Donnelly Effect delivers 17 in '17: 17 actionable SPARKS to ignite your team for better leadership, customer and employee experience and a better bottom line.
Have you ever called into the cable company while trying to resolve a service problem? The signal is weak, but every representative is giving you DIFFERENT instructions for resolution. You’re transferred to different departments that are unsure how to handle the issue appropriately. As a result, you grow MORE confused and frustrated with each passing minute.
This is exactly how employees feel when their leaders give them mixed signals. Just like you search for clarity during your daily interactions, employees seek the same from their leaders. Their decision to behave in a certain manner is based on key messages they hear from those in power.
As leaders, what we SAY matters. Often more than we ever realized. Therefore, leaders have an opportunity to build engaged teams by simply reinforcing key messages. Whether you’re searching for an effective way to implement changes company-wide or ways to foster engagement within your teams, there’s a way to do it better. Here’s how:
Messages Matter
Whether it be in the form of a story, a pre-shift huddle, or an open and honest conversation with employees about their goals, leaders are constantly influencing employee behaviors.
So as you look to support and grow your team, consider how you want them to FEEL and how you want them to BEHAVE each and every day. Your messages must be:
1. COMPREHENSIVE: The big picture and the “why” behind it in your message
2. CONSISTENT: The same messages must be shared with everyone in the organization.
3. CONTINUAL: Messages should be regular and consistent.
Why This Is EFFECTIVE
During my time as a Disney leader, I found that overarching, continuous messaging produced the best results. At Disney, great leaders identified key messages and hammered away at them, day in, and day out. Eventually those messages morphed into observable behaviors in our cast members.
Do the same and your teams behaviors will have a positive impact on the experience of your guests. GOOD LUCK!
Want to BE MORE EFFECTIVE? Follow us to learn every 17 in '17:
- TWITTER: @DonnellyEffect
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Missed our previous SPARKS? Check them out below!
- SPARK #1: The Power of the Pre-Shift Huddle
- SPARK #2: How to Lead in 3's
- SPARK #3: Help Grumpy Find His Happiness...Even if it is Not With You
- SPARK #4: Tell a Story: The Power of Narrative Leadership
ABOUT MIKE DONNELLY: With over 20 years of Disney leadership experience, Mike Donnelly, Chief Experience Officer (CEO) of Donnelly Effect shares his insights on Talent Selection and Hiring, Employee Onboarding, Customer Experience, Service Culture and Leadership-among others. Donnelly Effect is home of the exclusive "World-Class Workshop" series and offers consulting services and keynote addresses to audiences of all sizes and industries. Since 2007, Mike Donnelly has been a contracted Disney Institute Facilitator, delivering Disney customer service training to audiences across the United States.