The Disney Benefits Leader Who Calibrates Before She Acts

"What's the problem we're trying to solve? Because oddly enough, sometimes that's not really understood."

Before Mercedes Ikard solves a problem, she asks a question most leaders skip: Are we even solving the right problem? In a world demanding immediate action, she's built her leadership on something more powerful: the discipline to pause, listen, understand, and ensure everyone's calibrated on what actually matters before moving forward. As Senior Director of US Benefits Operations at The Walt Disney Company, Mercedes leads benefits strategy for one of the world's most complex workforces—six generations, cast members in theme parks and executives in boardrooms, each with different needs. For Mercedes, this complexity requires constant calibration.

"Empathy I think is important. And I think it's important to be a decent human. If we start out to be a decent human, that really is a good barometer and we really make decisions a lot easier." This is where calibration begins. Not with spreadsheets or plan designs, but with a fundamental check: Are we being decent humans? When issues explode in the cultural ethos, Mercedes does a gut check: Is this really an issue within this organization? She's learned to calibrate signal from noise, solving problems that actually impact her workforce rather than chasing topics du jour.

In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, discover why constant calibration might be leadership's most powerful skill. Not as hesitation, but as disciplined checking that everything stays aligned with what actually matters. From bifurcating work and home with precision to extending grace in postmortems, Mercedes has built her career on understanding before acting, clarity before speed, grace before perfection. Her superpower isn't speed. It's the wisdom to calibrate constantly on the right problems, with empathy, and with grace.

Key Insights:

✔ Why "what's the problem we're trying to solve?" eliminates most organizational chaos
✔ How listening to understand rather than respond creates scalable solutions
✔ The discipline required to separate workforce-relevant issues from topics du jour
✔ Why plain language and "side streets" serve six generations better than complex plan details
✔ How bifurcating your day prevents the exhaustion of never decompressing
✔ Why showing yourself grace isn't optional for sustainable leadership

About the Guest: Mercedes Ikard serves as Senior Director of US Benefits Operations at The Walt Disney Company, leading benefits strategy for one of the world's most complex and diverse workforces. Her leadership philosophy centers on calibration: constantly checking that she's solving the right problems, leading with empathy, and extending grace to herself and others navigating the high-pressure demands of corporate leadership.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro
2:05 Why Benefits Leadership Matters
4:03 Finding Her Passion in Healthcare and Retirement Benefits
6:59 Managing Disney's Multigenerational Workforce
10:42 Problem-Solving Framework for Complex Workforce Challenges
13:26 Leadership Skills That Matter: Empathy and Listening
15:03 The Power of Processing: Resisting the Urge to Act Immediately
18:29 Work-Life Balance and Decompression Strategies
21:11 Career Advice: Be Yourself and Show Grace

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Connect with Mercedes Ikard on LinkedIn   / mercedesikard  

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