Disney Cast are committed to continuously improving

Disney Springs restaurants
Lunch at Splitsville with Family and the first time using new Disney Springs parking garage (middle left edge).

 

i tell people in my speeches that Disney Cast Members are never satisfied. It’s a challenging concept for “outsiders” to grasp the profound beauty (and sheer magnitude) of this.

Bottomline, every (with few exceptions) Cast Member is committed to continuously improving the Guest experience (and the Cast and Business/Financial experience). It’s a deeply engrained part of Disney culture.

Disney habits.

Disney has taken the parking garage experience to a brand new level.

There are sensors above every parking space.

This provides real-time communication to arriving Guests on what level (even down to the row) they can expect to find a parking space.

Of course this is a huge “Wow!”.

And i can’t help but wonder if people in mid-life could get to a place where they are never satisfied – with improving their own personal well being. At Disney this is called “Internal Customer Service”.

 

__________

 

This website is about our mental attitude. To leave this site to read today’s post on my physical health website, click here.

We generally suck at these three things, which explains our company culture

Orlando top Disney Keynote Speakers

 

Best Disney Leadership Speakers

 

(photos: Placing us at the scene of the crime…third row, dead center… ha, ha, ha)

It all comes down to leadership, culture and time doesn’t it? A great culture doesn’t suck as much as a poor culture because the leaders are better at using their time to intentionally drive the internal service culture (the employee experience).

Two nights ago at the Walt Disney World Service Awards, we randomly sat in the third row, dead center for a special, one-of-a-kind (and one night only) return of the comedy warehouse.

The comedian took a moment to poll the audience and have them clap when their years of service were announced. We were the only two who clapped at 30, and were also the last two to clap – the senior people in the audience. Who knew? What happened next was the question, “What was the worst thing that ever happened to you at Disney?”

Here’s the freaky thing. A brain freeze. Nothing compelling was ever remembered as a ‘nightmare’, so the answer was supposed to be fun (yet true), “Leaving each day.”

They needed something juicier, so they pressed… and got to this, “Closing New Year’s Eve and opening New Year’s Day.” At Disney’s Grand Floridian.

The six performers sang a little ditty tying the two together and closed out the show.

In retrospect a key insight was revealed: a positive mental attitude can cure many things, like the daily frustrations challenges of working in a demanding, high-pressure, high expectation, expensive, can’t-say-no-to-the-Guests environment.

Next Blog

The two biggest adversaries to workplace thriving

Disney lakes
Mutiny on the ship never happens under great leadership. Ever.

 

Can you remember the last time you spoke with a business professional who said, “Can’t imagine ever leaving this job. The pay, the perks, the schedule, the recognition, the joy, my boss, the executives. It’s like heaven on earth working here”.

… can you remember?

It hardly ever plays out like this.

Why?

Because people are willing to compromise their beliefs, remain silent, accept mediocrity, and watch the clock tick by, one year at a time.

Why?

Comfort and fear.

Next Blog

What Happens To Your Personal Culture When You Refuse To Settle For Less?

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Main Lobby, Walt Disney World

Culture is what people think and do without thinking. Disney Cast are taught from day one (even earlier actually) that excellence is the only acceptable standard. Boomers, if you’ve never worked or lived in this type of environment, it may be challenging to understand or comprehend.

Next Blog

Boomers, Stay With jeff noel On This (Disney) Train Of Thought

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Walt Disney World

In the three years since jeff noel began blogging at Mid Life Celebration, he’s written virtually nothing about his long career. This has been by design. noel has waited patiently for social media to become not only widely accepted (like microwave ovens and cell phones) and professionally accepted as a social norm, but also accepted as the new context for the way the world communicates thoughts and ideas.

Next Blog

PS. Long ago, noel posted notices, disclaimers, etc, that every one of his websites and blogs are strictly his personal opinion. This continues to be his standard.