Make It So Your Workforce Can Be Seen and Heard 🎯

Long before the crowds lined up outside The Mirage, long before the volcano erupted on cue or the white tigers took their place on stage, there was a quieter worry sitting in the back of my mind.

Everything about this project was enormous — the building, the expectations, the stakes. But the biggest challenge wasn’t the size of the resort. It was the size of the workforce. Thousands of new employees, many brand‑new to the company, some brand new to Las Vegas, all stepping into a company that promised to be different. My fear was simple: if we didn’t give them structure, clarity, and connection from day one, the scale of the place would swallow them whole.

So, we started small.

We broke every department into groups, each one no more than twenty employees. Each group had a leader — someone they met on day one, sat with at orientation, trained with, toured with, leaned on. In a building designed to impress millions, we created pockets of twenty where people could breathe, ask questions, and build trust. It made the Mirage feel human‑sized.

Then we did something even more radical. We told managers that if they asked employees to do something, they had to be ready to explain why. And if they couldn’t, employees had permission to say no. It wasn’t rebellion — it was discipline. It forced managers to plan, communicate, and think. It built respect faster than any memo ever could.

And we doubled down on the belief that employee satisfaction drives guest satisfaction. So, we built a back‑of‑house that matched the front. The nicest restaurant on the property wasn’t for guests — it was the staff dining room. We wanted employees to feel valued the moment they walked in the door, because people who feel valued take better care of guests.

We paid attention to what mattered early, because we knew that if we didn’t, we’d spend far more time later trying to fix what we ignored.

Starting strong isn’t a luxury — it’s the foundation for everything that follows. Plan well. Think critically. Set priorities with intention. Treat people right from the beginning.

Do it early so you don’t lose momentum today.

David Allen (born 1945):  American bestselling author and executive coach who specializes in personal and organizational productivity.