Igniting Central Florida's Future Through Experience
- Tony Johnson
- 7 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Orlando’s 2045 Vision is bold. Becoming a Top 10 Innovation Hub, A Region of 15-Minute Cities, and the Number 1 Place to Live In the Nation is no small feat.
It’s visionary, inspiring - and absolutely achievable.
Last week I had the chance to spend time with the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) at the beautiful Yacht Club Resort Convention Center to learn about the their Orlando 2045: Igniting Orlando's Potential plan. First of all, anything with Ignite in it has my attention, but more to the point, it is a visionary approach that will require bold transformational thinking, collaboration, and commitment to change.
Orlando’s 2045 vision demands more than strategy - it requires leadership, execution, and culture built from the ground up.
Key insights from the Regional Leadership Conference centered on workforce readiness, housing access, and designing for human experience.
Success starts with frontline leaders, clear expectations, and a collective commitment to act because no one else is coming to save us.
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But vision alone won’t get us there.
That message came through loud and clear during the Regional Leadership Conference. Throughout the day, one theme kept surfacing: execution matters. We don’t just need new ideas, we need leadership, culture, and clarity to bring them to life.
Mike Ritz of Gallup shared insights that hit close to home for many leaders and businesses. He reminded us that context is the foundation of happiness and purpose. Employees want to feel connected to something bigger than themselves, but far too many don’t.
Mike shared a great quote by Margaret Wheatley that really got me thinking.
“There is no one to rescue us. There is no rescue party. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the ones who can bring change. The promise that someone else will save us is seductive - but it's not true. It's time for the heroes to go home.” — Margaret J. Wheatley
Gallup’s data reveals a troubling drop in employees who say they know what’s expected of them at work. That’s not just a communication issue, it’s a productivity and engagement crisis. We must also understand the impact of leadership (meaning direct, front line leadership) on team engagement and retention.
70% of the employee experience is shaped by their direct supervisors.
Only 31% of U.S. employees are currently engaged at work.
Understanding expectations at work is a fundamental driver of engagement.
It takes buy in from about 1 in 10 people (10%) to create a tipping point for change.
When we train and equip the people who lead closest to the work, we build alignment, momentum, and accountability into the culture. If we ignore that, all the strategy in the world won’t stick.
Three Themes That Matter Right Now
The conference centered around three transformative goals - each one requiring action at the human level.
Becoming a Top 10 Innovation Hub
Innovation requires more than ideas. It requires execution, meaning:
Aligning talent pipelines with emerging industry needs.
Recruiting the best companies in aerospace and business services.
Supporting the areas foundational industries and companies through infrastructure.
Building 15-Minute Cities
Mobility and walkability are powerful, but only if they’re easy and accessible.
Planning must prioritize frictionless travel, access, and lived experience.
Perceived safety is as vital as actual safety.
Systems must be built from real journey mapping and listening to what people want.
Becoming the No. 1 Place to Live
The vision of “livability” is about creating an "it" city where people want to be.
Housing and workforce development must be connected.
Support the explosion of cultural, sports, and arts activities.
Retaining talent requires placemaking, internships, and community connection.
In other words, the future of this region belongs to all of us and together we can impact the innovation, culture, growth, and livability of the Central Florida corridor.
There are many lessons from this for all the expanding areas in the Sunshine State. As someone who lives in Lakeland, but also does business in Orlando and loves to spend weekends there enjoying the many destinations, I feel a responsibility to be a part of the long term solutions for this amazing area.
What We Need to Do Now
Turning this vision into reality will take a coordinated, people-first, tactics-enabled strategy. Here’s how we can begin:
Train the 70%
Gallup research tells us that 70% of the variance in employee engagement is tied to their direct supervisor — not executives, not policies, not perks. That means frontline leaders: supervisors, shift leads, and assistant managers are the most important influence on whether employees are productive, committed, and connected. Yet these leaders are often undertrained and under-supported. If we want to retain talent, drive performance, and sustain culture, we must invest here first.
According to Gallup, the most important things employees want from their leaders are Hope and Trust:
Hope (56% noted this as a key requirement): Leaders must help their teams feel positive about the future with a clear direction
Trust (33% noted this as a key requirement): Employees need honestly, respect, and integrity from leaders
Supervisor training must go beyond task management. It must include:
Expectation setting and feedback
Emotional intelligence and trust-building
Day-to-day coaching that builds belief in what’s possible
We offer live, onsite training workshops for entry level supervisors, site leaders, and even district managers.
Drive Culture by Activating the First 10%
One of the most powerful insights shared was this: culture change doesn’t require everyone. It can start with just 10% to create a tipping point. We have long discussed that just 10% more effort can create amazing customer experiences - and the data shows that 10% can be a powerful number for transformation.
Research shows that if just 1 in 10 people adopt and embody a set of values or behaviors, that can be enough to tip the culture. Movements aren't won or lost with numbers, they are driven by will and commitment.
To reach that tipping point:
Identify and train the cultural “first adopters” across departments and communities who are open and ready.
Recognize and celebrate the behaviors you want to scale
Make it visible, repeatable, and contagious and let their example inspire others.
This strategy is faster, more realistic, and more sustainable than waiting for universal buy-in. It just takes enough people in the right places, doing the right things, consistently and visibly.
Clarify Expectations at Every Level
At the heart of every strong team is clarity, and right now, that foundation has a few cracks.
Gallup’s Q12 is one of the most widely recognized employee engagement surveys in the world. It’s a set of 12 rigorously tested questions that measure how connected, supported, and productive employees feel at work.
One of the first questions is both the simplest and the most telling: “I know what is expected of me at work.”
Gallup has found that this one question is the most fundamental driver of engagement and performance.
When teams don't feel that role clarity, they become disengaged or detached from their work, deliver inconsistent results, and leave the organization sooner.
And yet, Gallup reports that this score is trending downward across industries, which is a troubling sign for leaders who expect more from their teams.
Why is this happening? In many organizations, expectations are not clearly communicated, standards are unclear, and concepts are not reinforced. In my experience this is particularly true for new Supervisors and for new District or Area Managers.
Solving this begins with leadership and force of will to create change.
Defining what “great” looks like for every role
Reinforce expectations daily using proven methods, such as daily huddles
Communicate clearly and often - simplifying priorities and processes for your teams
Ensure you have robust onboarding, development, and feedback systems
Connect Housing to Workforce Viability
You can’t have a thriving workforce if they can’t afford to live near where they work.
Housing is no longer just an economic issue, it’s a workforce strategy. We have seen struggles with housing here in Florida since the pandemic, with construction centering on more luxury level living and a lack of affordable housing. But it is a problem anywhere there is a need for hospitality and healthcare workers, but there are no affordable housing options available.
You only need to look to the hospitality workers who live in the woods near the Hamptons or those who live on boats or a small island in Key West for examples of this.
There are ways we can solve this:
Embrace mixed-use and workforce housing near major employment hubs
Balance smart growth with affordability to ensure that development is included for everyone
Communicate why housing development isn’t just for future residents, but for those who support growth and are the backbone of tourism, healthcare, education, and hospitality
Consider transportation during the development process and ensure that it connects housing to jobs, schools, childcare, and other daily needs.
Lean into employer partnerships with developers on affordable housing solutions as a part of their growth and community outreach strategies. Disney and Publix, are both examples of this.
If we price people out, we lose the very talent we need to sustain our economy, particularly in places like Orlando and Las Vegas.
Reimagine Workforce Readiness, Education, and Childcare
It’s time to break down the silos between education, training, and employment. Too often, employers cannot find the skills they need
We need to prioritize:
Fast track programs that close skill gaps quickly and align with real job openings
Accessible, affordable, local, and visible pathways to upskilling - why import talent when you can create it.
Affordable childcare solutions that are intentionally located with capacity for a growing workforce.
Employers who embrace skill-based interviewing and understand that experience and attitude are as useful as education for many positions.
Focus on early education. Early literacy, social, and emotional skills directly predict future success and regional talent readiness.
Workforce readiness must be treated as an infrastructure priority. Consider partnerships between businesses, colleges, primary schools, community centers, and childcare providers.
The Regional Leadership Conference wasn’t just about ideas. It was about execution and accountability. The vision for Orlando is clear: a city that leads in innovation, livability, and connected opportunity. But that vision will stall if we don’t build the systems, culture, and leadership capacity to support it.
From Gallup’s warning about the erosion of trust and clarity, to the practical urgency around housing, workforce development, and mobility, one thing is undeniable: the next step is ours to take. As Margaret Wheatley said, “There is no rescue party. We are the ones we've been waiting for."
Special thanks to the Orlando Economic Partnership for hosting this event and taking the lead on this forward-looking, people focused strategy. Tim Giuliani, Mike Ritz, Sam Blatt, Sheena Flower, Chris Wimsatt, Dan Kirby, Michelle Maikisch, Amy Sirmans, and Steven Pedigo all shared compelling information around this transformation through statistics, panel discussions, and meaningful information. |
If you’re a business leader, owner, or executive, now is the time to act. Invest in the people who lead your culture. Clarify what great looks like in your workplace and consider the customer and employee journey in your planning to deliver exceptional, loyalty-building experiences.
Because when we lead with purpose, build with clarity, and connect through trust, we don't just drive transformation, we own it.
Let’s ignite the future, together.
Tony Johnson
* Written by a real human, not A.I.
Tony is an award winning speaker and author on the topics of sales growth, customer experience, and leadership. Tony speaks to thousands annually and has been featured on ABC News and Fox News. He is available for business planning, motivational keynotes, leadership workshops, and employee service skills training.
Tony is the founder of Ignite Your Service and the Chief Experience Officer for 4xi Global Consulting.
Tony is available to help with your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Strategies, inspirational keynote talks, team training and development, and executive leadership coaching.