In today’s global economy, innovations and improvements to products and services are not only happening more rapidly than ever before in history, they are being communicated instantaneously. So, it’s “innovate or die”!
The best ideas can come from anyone within an organization. Leaders must remember that if they want employees to embrace a new organizational “Dream” or strategy, they need to include them and seek their ideas. Creativity is NOT just for the R&D department.
The two greatest role models in my professional career were Walt Disney and Dr. Deming. Dr. Deming was the Father of Total Quality Management and the person who redefined quality for the entire world.
One of the reasons for The Walt Disney Company’s long- term success is really the first of Dr. Deming’s famous points, “create constancy of purpose.” In his professional career,
Love for coworkers, love for customers, love for the product and love for self. Walt Disney instilled all of these “loves” in his company. Each of these factors is critical to achieving success in any organization.
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.
Write down your Dream or story; create your own unique Values, Believe in them, and use them to make all decisions; Dare to take some risks; and Do the planning, revisions and details to realize the Dream.
My mother’s work ethic, her attitude, and the way she treated each and every customer as if they were her best friend were better lessons than could be found in all the text books in the world.
Social media can work to a CEO’s advantage. Someone with a great product in a small town in the middle of nowhere can compete in the world marketplace.
