Encouraging and Motivating Leaders

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Stacey DiNuzzo, Public Relations Manager, Disney Institute
We encourage all Cast Members to be leaders in their area. We believe that a leader is someone who makes an impact regardless of his or her title. To implement change, you must reward and recognize individuals when they do something right.

Most commonly, we use “Great Service Fanatic” cards. These are given by Cast Members to fellow  Cast Members when they see each other doing something well and going above and beyond to deliver outstanding service. Upon receiving one of these cards, a Cast Member must have it signed by his/her manager so he/she is aware of the praise. This small action of recognition helps to build leaders and encourage existing ones. 

How would you define a leader? How do you encourage and recognize demonstrations of leadership?




Posted in Leadership Excellence | Tagged Leadership Skills, Leadership Team, Effective Management, Employee Engagement Ideas, Employee Recognition, Motivating Employees, Customer Experience Improvement

3 Responses to Encouraging and Motivating Leaders

  • Paul says:
    on April 19, 2012

    Leaders are servants to their staff, role models, coaches and trusted confidants. We recognize are staff with recognition coins that can be redeemed for prizes.

  • Derek says:
    on April 19, 2012

    The “Great Service Fanatic” card is an awesome idea! I find that program to be particularly interesting because cash rewards seem to be the default method of rewarding exceptional performance for most companies. Don’t get me wrong, I love a fist full of cash as much as the next person, but the joy you can get from a non-cash or non-monetary reward seems to last much longer. Some really cool ones I’ve seen were: lunch with the boss, VIP parking privileges, lapel pins, travel, and even paid vacation days (above and beyond what is already offered).

  • Mary Jane says:
    on April 23, 2012

    I'm in total agreement with the Disney way of recognizing and rewarding outstanding guest service. In my organization, a face-to-face personal acknowledgement with specific and detailed information about the outstanding service is the first choice. A personal note to be included in a personnel record is also recommended for acknowledgement. I find giving specific feedback, positive and negative, builds trust among team members and goes a long way for personal and professional growth. Thanks for raising this topic which in our hectic day of gets overlooked. Kudos!

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