How’s the Culture in Your Kingdom? | Book Review

Dan Cockerell’s Disney Leadership Journey offers a personal testament to the power of a Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP). He reflects: The single realization – that self-leadership is paramount to team or organizational leadership – was the most valuable lesson I learned in almost three decades at Disney (p. xiv). This is precisely the focus on day one of an Academy Leadership Excellence Course.

Chapters 7 and 10, Setting Expectations and Organizational Vision, respectively, directly align with PLP elements. Further, Cockerell pierces the fiction that leadership stops at the office parking lot:

“First and foremost, we should all remember that we don’t
have a personal life and a professional life. We have
one life, and we should address it holistically.” (p. 46)

It is your responsibility as a leader to define this vision and make it vibrant and dynamic, not just a dusty framed quotation on the wall (p. 111). Let’s replace the prior word vision with philosophy:

• Keep your vision simple and memorable
• Make it part of your decision-making
• Turn your vision into a common purpose
• Communicate your common purpose
• Regularly reassess your vision 

This review maps Cockerell’s leadership story with eight PLP elements and shares ideas how we may live our philosophy.

Personal Leadership Philosophy

What Does Leadership Mean to Me?

Cockerell’s definition centers on relationships, development and an abundance mindset:

• On the other hand, an organization led by a growth-mindset individual will benefit from a leader who commits to bettering him – or herself and also in developing people (p. 24).
• I wanted to dig deeper into their personal stories: what jobs and experiences they had throughout their careers; and their families, passions, and personal goals (p. 78).
• While training imparts skills that immediately benefit the organization, development allows the individual to grow over a long period of time (p. 140).

Personal Values

Cockerell believes deeply in authentically harnessing the power of teams: 

• Some leaders shy away from [showing who they are] – because they are afraid to be found out (p. 75). Be authentic.
• The diversity of talent is necessary to the team much like in any business team. It takes an assortment of strengths to be successful, and a great leader must have the ability to identify and recognize everyone’s talent (p. 56).
• A leader can create great communication with one simple act: becoming accessible and approachable to everyone in the organization (p. 151).

Operating Principles

Cockerell creates space for dreaming big: 

• Eisenhower matrix on page 48 -- This is where you can focus on big decisions, strategize prepare for big projects, look for improvement to your operation, consider and plan for the future, and generally do your best thinking (p. 50).
• As a result, I managed to forge a relationship based on mutual respect for everyone’s contributions (p. 32).
• See beyond our own preconceived ideas and enlarge the scope of talent (pp. 62-69): 

• Identify the right skills
• Identify passion
• Identify attitude
• Build a diverse and inclusive team
• Create plans for retaining new talent

Expectations

Let’s be curious, and create windows of opportunity:

• By involving all the stakeholders – no matter the job title – in the evaluation of a process or idea, leaders can gain a much clearer picture of the outcome… (p. 170).
• The idea of a growth mindset only strengthens the need for becoming a lifelong learner (p. 24).
• Block out time on your calendar, and defend that time like you would defend an important meeting (p. 9).

Non-negotiables

Cockerell admonishes:

• You can impart the right skills, not the right attitude (p. 61).
• Focusing on Process More Than People (p. 182)

Priorities

People first:

• Simply put, I kept windows of flexible time in my schedule to address whatever would be thrown at me, be it helicopter landings or multiple Dopeys (p. 47).
• I wanted to know their career aspirations, learning needs and interests to help them prepare for future roles (p. 141).

Personal Idiosyncrasies

Take risks:

• I also happen to have the optimistic point of view if we stick our necks out and are willing to take ourselves out of our comfort zone, something good will happen (p. 25).

Commitment

Help me:

• To improve self-awareness, nothing is more important than candid conversations with people you trust and who will provide you with honest feedback (p. 29).

Applying Your Leadership Philosophy

A terrific phrase in many PLPs is Be Present. Cockerell similarly understands we can improve self-control by practicing mindfulness – the ability to focus on the present and acknowledging a variety of feelings, sensations, and thoughts (p. 31).

Receiving feedback is a tough, learned skill for most of us. Cockerell shares the necessity of objectivity, and resisting tendencies toward unnecessary personal judgement (pp. 104-105):

• is about behavior, not character
• find the right voice
• get the facts right
• make sure feedback has landed [feedback loop]
• goal is getting better

We’re rarely the smartest one in the room. But more often than not, ideas emanate from the employees who are on the frontline (p. 168).Enjoy the ride. Spontaneous recognition meanwhile, creates an element of surprise that can increase motivation and make coming into work more fun (p. 93).

Golden Nugget

Similar to Marshall Goldsmith’s Triggers questions, Cockerell observes many of us wake up each morning to take on the day without asking ourselves the important questions:

• Am I well prepared?
• Am I giving myself the best chance to succeed?
• What does success look like?
• What will it take to get there? 

Summary

As leaders, it is within our control and our responsibility to create
the right culture for our organizations. It is also the most important
thing you can do for the success of those with whom you interact.
(p. xvii)

Note: Dan Cockerell generously provided a copy of his book for review.