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Xavier Leadership Center Offers You Leadership Magic

Helps you create a Culture-Driven workforce

05/28/09

With the coming of summer, many of us start thinking of vacations filled with discovery, reconnection… and perhaps a little magic. Twenty-three local business professionals got to experience that kind of adventure without ever leaving home, in the inaugural Leadership Magic  program offered by the Xavier Leadership Center in early June. This three-day program, intended for senior and emerging leaders, took attendees on an unforgettable and unique adventure as they explored real-life solutions to the challenge of creating a winning culture within their own organizations.

“Superbly useful—and fun”…”Visionary and practical”…”An interactive, high energy event with expert facilitators”…”I loved every aspect of it!” These are just some of the comments our attendees shared, whose Leadership Magic experience included both on-site and off-site instruction, meals, materials and discovery activities.

The Power of Culture

A company’s culture profoundly impacts how people behave within the organization—and is a critical focus for leaders seeking to attract and retain the best employees, and truly thrive in any market environment. Leadership Magic focuses on the way managers can successfully design and sustain a deliberate organizational culture.  The program shares tools used within the Disney companies which are focused primarily on delivering WOW customer service, and participants see the power of that service mentality in abundance. But the key learning is the formula that Disney uses to make its culture a reality every day, for each of the 65,000 workers at the Walt Disney World Resort. To understand the impact of this approach, participants visited companies in Cincinnati which employ aspects of the Disney formula in their own way. Please note that Disney® and Walt Disney World® are registered trademarks of Disney Enterprises, Inc.  Xavier University, Xavier Leadership Center, and Leadership Magic are not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliated companies.

The surprise-packed program supplied plenty of magic for all.  By experiencing the “Disney Way”, not just listening to lectures and watching presentations in a classroom, attendees shared with us that they were able to take away the tools and power to make their own change, and were better prepared to impact their companies’ culture in a positive and meaningful way, for the benefit of their employees, customers and shareholders.

The Method to the Magic

Every organization has a culture, as a result of the behaviors of people within it, but is your company’s culture healthy – and does it help your employees do the kinds of things that help increase your chances of success?  Evidence of Disney practices in use can be found in many different organizations which have what could be called a “thick” culture.  Some examples are Cintas, Zappos, Nordstrom’s, Ritz Carlton, Southwest Airlines, General Electric, Dominos Pizza, Quicken, Google – to mention a few.  What will it take to add your organization to that list?

To start, you must be deliberate about what you want your organization’s culture to be.  This requires that you know the business environment, and can identify sets of behaviors that, if practiced widely, could help your organization perform better.  With these identified, you can implement hiring that aligns with the culture, and train, reinforce, and reward the behaviors that will ensure success within the organization. Leadership

Magic can show you how.

But the impact of a thick culture goes beyond internal dynamics. Now more than ever, getting and keeping customers is crucial for every company, and developing undying loyalty from these customers is the ultimate goal.  Disney has raised this to an art form, and Leadership Magic participants learn how the smallest of changes can pay dramatic dividends.  So even though Leadership Magic is not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliated companies, our attendees carried back some very special magic with them into their own kingdom.

And you can, too. The next Leadership Magic program, offered Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2009, is accepting enrollment now. For more details or to register, please visit www.xavier.edu/xlc/leadershipmagic.cfm. CEUs are awarded for participation and groups of three or more from the same organization receive a discount.

Want us to bring the magic to you? Leadership Magic can also be customized to your company’s specific needs for a truly transformational experience. Just call Bruce Miller at (513) 745-3230 to find out more.