If you did not learn something new yesterday, you weren’t paying attention. Every day is a chance to get better.

To be successful, one of the most important traits is curiosity. If you are curious, you can improve every day.

Some companies adopt Six Sigma or Lean Thinking to get better. Disney adopted a culture of continuous improvement.

A listener wants to know how you can continue to focus on improvement without overlooking the great work and accomplishments people are doing every day. Quite simply, you involve everyone in your effort to improve.

If you include people who are on the front line doing the work they will buy-in, they will offer feedback, and help you improve.

Continuous improvement is part of the culture. If you get your culture right, everything else gets easier.

My Time Management Magic Course is available here.

You can get an introduction to Six Sigma in Jack Welch’s book Winning.

This week on Creating Disney Magic, I answer a listener question about changing college majors. But it leads to a conversation that is important to you. We talk about not getting stuck.

Too many people get stuck in a job get stuck in a job they do not enjoy. My guess is 70% – 80% of people don’t like their job, probably more.

It does not have to be that way. You don’t have to get stuck in the wrong job, wrong city, wrong relationship or with your the wrong boss. Take control of your life.

Don’t just get used to how things turn out. Make something happen. You have to take a risk to have a great life.

When people question the importance of checklists, I quickly mention pilots as an example. Would you like your pilot to fly the plane using a checklist or fly the plane based on what he remembers?

Many airplane crashes are caused by pilot error. The same is true in our life. Most of our failures come from not doing what we are supposed to do at the right time.

On a personal level, checklists can help you get everything done you have said you will get done. Throughout an organization, checklists will help you provide better service, implement better financial controls, and provide better training for employees.

If you don’t currently use checklists, start by sitting down with a clipboard. Gather the rest of the team around and pick one process, such as opening the business every morning. Collect all the steps and tasks involved with opening the business. Once your checklist is in place, move on to the next process.

A checklist will help you complete every step along the way so you don’t miss the details.

My Time Management Magic Course is now available. Click Here to find out more.

Measuring Key Performance Indicators are part of the culture at Disney. Cast members know what we are reaching for and how our performance measures against the goal.

Setting targets for performance is important. You can’t improve what you do not measure.

Once you hit your target, you can adjust to ensure you continue to improve.

Put key performance indicators in place and then make employees aware of them so they can help you move towards the goal.

Individuals should also have key performance indicators to help them be successful. In this episode, our discussion about key performance indicators also covers how to set goals for others and what to do if you can’t reach key performance indicators others have set for you.

Politics is a tricky subject to talk about in the workplace. No matter which political side you agree with, you are likely to offend or incite someone who feels differently than you.

Political talk at work is just like other aspects of your company culture. It is what you let it become.

Many organizations have rules in place about talking about politics at work. But it does still happen.

When coworkers try to involve you in a political discussion, simply say”I don’t feel comfortable talking about politics.” If it becomes a problem, you need to talk to your supervisor.

If you are a supervisor, you should never talk about politics in the workplace. Certainly, never allow talk about politics to take place in front of customers.

In short, if you talk politics at work, stop. There is nothing to gain and plenty to lose.

Get a preview of my Time Management Magic course HERE.

After hosting Creating Disney Magic for over two years, Jody Maberry spent four days at Walt Disney World. This gave him first-hand experience of the concepts I talk about every week on the show.

In this episode, Jody brings forward some situations he saw during his time at Disney so I can discuss why it works the way it does.

If you have ever spent time at Disney and wondered why the service is so good, how Disney stays on top of the trash, then you will enjoy this episode.

If you want to hear more about Jody Maberry’s time at Disney World and the lessons he learned, you can find all the episodes here.

If you would like to get my new Morning Magic Planner, enter your name and email address below.

When your competitor makes a mistake, should you take advantage of it?

United Airlines has been in the news lately for mistreating customers. This is an obvious opportunity for competing airlines, but what is the best way to handle it?

Some airlines have published advertisements mocking United Airlines. Other airlines have done nothing different.

Aggressively beating up a competitor in advertising can set you up in a bad way when you make a mistake. And you will make a mistake.

The best way to take advantage of your customer’s mistakes is to remain excellent.

When you are excellent, people will forgive you when something goes wrong.

By the way, situations like what happened at United Airlines happen because of the culture of the organization. The way staff talks about customers, even when no one else is around, makes a difference in how customers are treated. Not giving employees the authority to take care of customers leaves them helpless when a situation arises.

Referenced in this episode:

Jody Maberry’s Customer Experience Tour to Disney World

Time Magic Management Course

Imagine what it would be like if you went on vacation without planning first. You would pay more for a flight. You would end up staying in a hotel you don’t like. All of us would avoid having a bad vacation through planning.

Yet so few people take the time to plan out their day. If you take the time to plan out your day, it just turns out better.

The key to planning is to examine the responsibilities in your life and consider if you are putting enough time toward them this year, this month, and this week. And you take the first step today.

Do things now that won’t pay off until later. Most people hope, wish and pray things will work out. But you don’t have to do that. Spend time planning your day so you get the most important things done.

Before I began planning every morning, I was working late at night, bringing work home, coming into work early, working every weekend. Time Management and morning planning helped me get under control. My workweek dropped by at least twenty percent.

If you don’t don’t take the time to plan the life you want, you will spend a lot of time living the life you don’t want.

If you would like my morning planning guide, enter your name and email below.

One key trait in becoming a successful leader is self-awareness.

You have to begin by being aware that you want to be more self-aware. But you also need someone else you trust who is willing to speak truth to you.

You need people who are willing to speak into your life. You need someone who will tell you the truth.

Early in my career, I was defensive. Do you like to work closely with someone who is always defensive? No one does.

My boss did me a big favor when he spoke up. His advice helped my career dramatically.

Be open to taking a profiling system like Gallup or DISC to better understand your personality and how you work.

You have to begin by being aware that you want to be more self-aware. But you also need someone else you trust who is willing to speak truth to you.

If you are interested in getting a copy of my morning planning worksheet enter your name and email address below and I will send it to you as soon as it is ready.

Implementing change can be hard.

A new policy can bump into many roadblocks, including seniority.

Before you make a change, you have to understand how and why you are making a change before you sell it to employees in your organization.

Take time to consider all the rejections, objections, and complaints you will receive when trying to implement a new policy. Develop your responses, so you have an answer ready for any challenge.

You should not be implementing a new policy until you know it is right for employees, customers, and the bottom line. When you are certain it is time for a change, don’t cave into the pressure of the people who complain.

Understand people want answers. They deserve an explanation of why you are making the change.

What seems like a big change now will work out eventually. Get through the early resistance and people will settle in as they get used to the new policy.

The Time Management Magic on-line seminar is now available. You can find it here.