Executive espouses leading with love

There's no such thing as too much kindness, or encouragement, when it comes to leadership, said Manby, who suggested managers spend the first 15 minutes of their work days writing notes to their staff to encourage the behaviors they witnessed the previous day.

In the vein of truthfulness, the exec encourages others to plan for performance in three categories: the same as, more of, or less of.

The author donates all book royalties and any fees for related speaking engagements to Herschend's Share It Forward Foundation, which offers financial aid to its seasonal workers. Workers contribute to the foundation, and the company matches contributions dollar for dollar.

The foundation — which aims to be an example of his unselfish, or “think of yourself less,” principle — represents less than 1 percent of the company's cash outlays, Manby said. But with the employee loyalty it builds, the foundation, he said, has a far better return on investment than any new roller coaster ever has — or ever will.