vision

What’s the Magic trick used to control Disney guests?

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Something that strikes most visitors to Walt Disney World is how “nice” of a place it is. It’s very clean. The employees are called “cast members” because they’re playing a role and they have a reputation for great service and friendliness. Everyone knows that. But there’s another unique element present at Disney World that is … Read more

Why “Tabatha” smokes “Boss”…

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As a guy obsessed with maxing out potential in groups and individuals – and one who believes the person at the top is the one most responsible for making it happen – I was pretty fired up about the concept of Undercover Boss.  In each episode, a CEO goes undercover, in disguise, to work next to front-line employees.

The format got tired quickly – boss leaves fancy home and doting family, stays in fleabag hotels, realizes he/she is totally inept at frontline tasks, discovers that employees are (gasp!) real people with real problems, cries (most episodes), promises to change, and gives lavish rewards to the episode’s featured employees.

What a great concept – and what a disappointment in a show.  

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Effective Leaders Focus on Follower Engagement

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Much of what I write and teach about servant leadership comes, frankly, from a moral, “do good”, outlook. This may sound cheesy, but I’m a cheesy guy; servant leadership from all leaders and teachers and coaches and managers and parents, everywhere, would make the world a much better place for everyone. But there is a utilitarian way of looking at this also. Keeping people engaged insures a much greater likelihood that the goals of the organization will be attained.

Effective Leaders have Vision, but what IS “Vision”?!

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So many believe that leaders are “visionary”. It’s true – but a problem is this:
The concept of vision is “out there”, esoteric, hard to grasp. Aren’t visionary leaders somehow “special” in that regard? How can you “teach” vision?
A working definition of “Vision” as it applies to leaders:
Vision is a two-fold ability:
1) the ability to accurately see the current reality of the organization/situation, and
2) the ability to creatively see the possibilities of the organization/situation.

Breath Support to the End of the Phrase is a Key Deliverable

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But what if teachers in general (and band/choir/orchestra directors specifically) studied best practices in business – both management from an organizational standpoint, and from a team-building/customer service/human relations standpoint?

And what if business leaders approached their businesses, and especially their people, as though they were volunteers (like band students) who could – and would – walk away from things if they didn’t think their time and energy were well-spent?