Twenty years ago if you provided someone with horrible service, it may take weeks or even months for the word-of-mouth message to get out to 15-20 potential customers. Today, with social media, thousands of potential customers can learn about horrible service within hours, minutes or even seconds after it happens.
There is an old Indian saying, "When legends die, dreams end. When dreams end, there is no more greatness." Leaders like Walt Disney inspire their organizations to keep their legends and stories alive.
When you focus on results, you will very seldom see a change in your culture. But, if you focus on a customer-centric culture, you will realize long-term results.
Values must be demonstrated through behaviors, but they are truly significant when they represent the beliefs of an entire organization.
When you are young, if you can define your long-term dream, - something that you can get passionate about - solidify your values, dare to take a risk and then put a plan together to accomplish that dream... that could be the difference between success and failure in life.
This is great if you know all those "not to do" strategies. Sometimes you learn the "not to do's" by doing. The key is to fail forward fast. Try, fail, learn, and quickly try again.
An idea becomes great when it becomes tangible.
Vision without execution is like a plane without wings, or Dumbo without ears, it just won't fly.
Recognize that millennials' personal long-term goals may have nothing to do with their organizations' long-term goals. Discover and facilitate their long-term goals, and they will be more inclined to help their organizations achieve success.
When values are deeply embedded within an organization, they seldom change.
For almost 100 years, The Walt Disney Company has had a variety of leaders. Even though it has been hard for some of these leaders to maintain their focus, the Company has been successful in remaining true to Walt's original direction to create the finest in family entertainment.
I would advise any startup to take the time to define their unique culture and work at making it a reality.
In the best organizations, love is the real "pixie dust."
