There’s this story about Walt Disney. He was walking through Disneyland’s Tomorrowland with an area supervisor one day and mentioned that a trash can was overflowing. The supervisor for the area replied, “I’ll call Custodial.” That didn’t work for Walt. He immediately went over to the trash can and picked up trash himself. That supervisor was soon out of a job.

It’s hard to know if the story is true or not. What is true is that Disney personal are fanatical about picking up trash. Walt believed that if the employees respected the park, the guests would too.

It’s a tradition that carries on to this day. The snap above, taken at Disney's Hollywood Studios, shows two managers armed with their picker-uppers and ready to grab the trash before it even hits the ground.

These managers are a large part of the reason that the trash pick-up habit still exists. They set the example for all of their cast members. It’s a simple rule. If you want your people to do something, you have to do it yourself first.

What about you and your organization? Do you live by the same expectations you expect of your employees? Do you model those behaviors at every available opportunity? If, for instance, you ask your people to smile at customers, do you? If you ask them to follow a script, do you? If you expect them to be on time, are you? If you have a specific dress code for them, do you adhere to it too? If you don’t model the behaviors you want, how can you expect your employees to?