The leadership lesson I stole from Disney — my gift to you 🎁
I want to share a story from this week’s BRAVE® Leaders Lab…
Let me preface with the fact that this past year, I’ve learned a lot about Disney. One of my all time favorite clients (the startup team running the largest 3D printing microfactory in the world! ) is single handedly helping Disney become more sustainable… cool, right?!
The lesson this week though didn’t come from them. It came from one of our BRAVE® Certified alumni, who is both a CEO and a Dad of three girls. He shared that:
At Disney, when a child hugs a character in costume, the character is trained not to let go first. They hold the hug until the child releases it.
Think about that for a second…
The job of the character isn’t to manage time. Or efficiency. Or move the line along faster.
The job is to create the conditions for connection — to make the child feel seen, to stay until the child feels complete.
This is why Disney feels like one of the most magical places on Earth for kids. Because it’s through that unhurried connection that we feel seen, safe, significant.
To me, this is such a masterclass in leadership.
Why?
Because, from a work perspective, human connection — feeling seen, supported, significant and most of all (psychologically) safe is the foundation of high performance.
P.S. This is also why culture tends to break down when you enter hyper growth mode (when you speed up)… unless you have a structure like BRAVE in place to maintain the conditions for that connection.
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Most leaders think their job is to do more:
More direction.
More follow-ups.
More fixing.
More pushing.
But really, your people often need something far simpler — and far more powerful.
Just like kids at Disney world, when people feel seen, safe, significant, they develop confidence and they actually need less from you.
Less reassurance.
Less micromanagement.
Less oversight.
Less force.
Connection does the work for you.
The way BRAVE gives leaders a playbook for how to talk to humans, how to approach every conversation is the same as Disney giving their characters a structure for what to do in those micro moments of hugging a kid.
For us adults, conversation is the lever. It’s what can transform your workplace into one of the most magical places on Earth for your people. A place where they see their potential and are supported to rise to meet it, even through challenges.
And the best part is that it’s not another thing to add to your plate. You’re already having conversations. It’s just learning how to use them to turn everyday tiny moments into engines the drive connection and performance, naturally.
Where people leave thinking:
“I know where I stand. I know I matter.”
“I trust myself. They trust me.”
“They have my back. I can handle this.”
Just like that hug.
The character doesn’t tell the child they matter. They stay until the child feels it.
That’s what the best leaders do with every conversation.
That’s leadership.
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As this year closes, here’s a question worth sitting with:
Where are you “letting go” too early?
In conversations.
In moments of tension.
In uncertainty.
In someone else’s doubt.
What would change if you stayed — just a little longer — until the other person felt steady again?
Because when connection is real, performance follows. Ownership follows. Accountability follows. Confidence follows.
And suddenly… you don’t have to do so much.
I’m not into “hacks” (of any kind really), but this feels like the most effective, efficient leadership hack of all time.
And it might be the most important thing you carry into the year ahead…
You’re doing great.
With gratitude — and a long, steady hug,
Elisabeth
