 We had the opportunity to learn from the best yesterday, the magical folks at Walt Disney World. Their Business Behind the Magic tour took us backstage, underground, and into the Magic Kingdom to learn about the four core competencies instilled throughout Disney’s operations: Leadership Excellence, Employee Engagement, Quality Service, and Business Results. Disney preaches that if you take care of the first three competencies, centered on leaders, employees and guests, the fourth will take care of itself. So, at the risk of giving the magic away, here are a few of our observations on Disney’s approach to generating business results.
Leadership – From a leadership style point of view, Disney leaders are transformational with a healthy dose of servant leadership too. Transformational leaders establish a vision and objectives that raise the level of motivation and performance of leaders and followers alike. Servant leaders put followers first and seek to empower and develop them. At Disney, 75% of a leader’s time is expected to be spent out in the operations, not sitting behind a desk. When engaging employees, Disney leaders ask “what can I do to make your job easier?” Employees know their jobs best and are the best source of suggestions for improvement. And employees are thanked by their leaders for coming into work each day. Engagement – Employees at Disney are called cast members. They don’t interview for jobs, they audition. They each wear a Disney cast nametag when at work regardless of whether they are onstage or backstage. They greet each other by first name. Being onstage doesn’t only apply to entertainers in the attractions but to servers in the restaurants, housekeepers in the hotels, vendors on Main Street, and call center employees…anyone with touch points with guests. Disney cares about its employees which is evident in the variety of support they receive from Cast Member Services. And communication is considered critical, with information exchanged in many forms so that employees know not only what is going on in the company but when the fireworks are scheduled in each park. Service – Quality service is delivered at Disney through three principles: Process, Place, and People. Talented and engaged people are critical, but they must be armed with proven processes that are applied at the right place and time. In fact, everything at Disney World is intentional and purposeful, from the spacing of the trash receptacles on Main Street to the layout of the laundry facility. And multiple recognition systems are utilized to reinforce quality service, from informal thank you notes to quarterly award posters of cast members to the renowned Disney Legacy award program (hint: look for cast members wearing a blue nametag). Disney is not the first to recognize the importance of any one of these three competencies. They have, however, integrated and implemented them in a business operating system that works like magic. Further, because of the excellent strategic fit across its businesses (theme parks, resorts, cruise line, film studios, media, and merchandise), Disney is able to focus and amplify these competencies in a unique way. This is how Disney creates value, and value creates financial results. Our tour guide summed it up nicely. “While many people believe it is the magic at Disney that makes it work, it is really the work that makes the magic.” Food for thought - what is the magic that your organization provides to its customers, and what core competencies and operating principles have you instilled to make the magic happen? You can learn more about the Disney approach at www.disneyinstitute.com. |