Creating Disney Magic

Is it possible to enforce rules and guidelines and still focus on delivering an excellent customer experience? At Disney, we are clear to cast members about the responsibility to enforce rules and be polite at the same time.  No matter what rule or policy you have, there will be someone who does not like it.  Always remain polite and courteous and explain why the policy is in place. And be consist...

At Disney, it doesn't matter what your job is. We all have the same purpose.  Take care of the guest. It doesn't matter if what you are doing for the guest is in your job description.  A culture of customer service doesn't happen by accident. It has to be part of your culture. It has to be repeated. People have to hear it over and over.  No matter what your job is, your purpose is to take care of...

Every organization has team members resign. Some of the people who leave are popular. Some of them fill an important role in the organization.  How you handle the resignation will have an impact on other employees.  Begin by telling the right people in the right order about the resignation. Doing so will eliminate the wrong story getting into the rumor mill. Within a couple of hours, everyone who...

Your job is not to motivate employees. Your job is to hire the right employees. When you hire the right people they will motivate themselves.  Not everyone agrees with this idea. Some people feel the main responsibility of a leader is to motivate employees.  During my career, I have had obstacles, bad bosses, bad work situations, bad pay, lots of stress, bad work environments, and in all of those...

How you manage your time is how you manage your reputation.  Nobody is born disorganized. It is a learned thing.  With discipline, you can do the right things when you are supposed to do them.  Time Management Magic is not just a book, it is a way of thinking.  Most of my career success can be attributed to 3 things; organization, time management, and persistence.  But you can't just focus on work...

What if you are so busy you don't have room to fit in a new customer? It happens. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with our current workload it is difficult to fit in new customers.  But you should never leave it to someone else to get back to you. Put in a system where you get back to a potential customer without putting the burden on them.   If you leave it to a potential customer to get back to...

Is it better to get an education or the experience that comes with a promotion? Education pays off down the road. Take the opportunity to get an education over the chance for a promotion. Sometimes you have to make decisions that will pay off later. Passing up the temporary rewards of promotion in favor of getting an education is one of those times. A promotion pays off now, with more money and re...

Early in my career, when I worked at Marriott, I begin working away from my office. A Library was the first place I worked away from the office.  At Disney, I used to leave my office and work at an unoccupied office or work from the California Grill when it wasn't open.  Now, I still do work away from my office, which is in my house.  There are too many distractions at home. My productivity has go...

Is it better to have experience with a Brand Name company or a bigger role with a small company? This is something to consider, especially early in your career.  When you have a brand name like Disney on your resume, people notice. If you have worked at Disney or Marriott, other organizations will know you have received a high level of training and know how to serve customers.  On the other hand,...

People are looking for experts to help them.  The more you know about your products, the more people will trust you.  Knowing everything you possibly can about the products you offer will lead to better customer service.  Product knowledge doesn't happen by accident. You have to be deliberate. Schedule time to get out in your operation and see what is really happening. Use your product in the way...

 The customer is not always right, but they are always the customer.  Sure, people are going to take advantage of you. But overall, you still shouldn't make your policies too strict because a few people will take advantage of you.  Treat the customer like they matter to you.  Mr. Marriott told me, "Always give the customer the benefit of the doubt." Go in favor of the customer.  If you find a tren...

Your people are your brand. The way staff look represents your company to every customer who walks through the door.  At Disney, we have appearance guidelines because we are putting on a show. If you want to tell a story people will believe, everyone has to look like the part they are playing in the show.  Every business should have appearance guidelines. Staff should be dressed to fit the theme o...

One of the most difficult things you will have to do as a leader is to handle uncomfortable situations with employees.  Talking to an employee about their behavior is hard. Terminating people is probably the hardest thing you will have to do.  All of the hardest things you have to do at work, and in life, involve people. Decisions about products are easy.  Unfortunately, too many people don't deal...

For many people, your reputation will reach them before you have the chance to meet them in person.  Don't underestimate the impact your phone conversations have on people.  Your demeanor on the phone will help people know you are respectful, professional, helpful and will show people they can ask you hard questions. Phone conversations will help you build trust with people.  Don't do phone calls...

Taking time to celebrate milestones is an important part of any organizations culture.  With that, we are taking the opportunity to celebrate episode 250 of Creating Disney Magic.  Over the past 5 years, with each episode approximately 15 minutes long, we have produced more than 62 hours of lessons in leadership, management and customer service. If you have listened to the episodes, with only 15 m...

Some people don't get the development they need at home. Working with you is the first opportunity they have to learn how to be professional and get ahead in life.  We all have ability and potential if developed properly. But not everyone gets the development they need to be successful.  As a leader, your responsibility goes beyond technical training. Upfront, let them know what matters. Be clear....

If you want to get your message out, you have to do the work.  Don't count on people hearing your message until you put it directly in front of them.  Sometimes you have part-time staff who aren't always around. Or staff on different shifts.  Use technology to make sure all staff members hear the same message no matter what time they work. Or, move around meeting times. If you want to figure it ou...

When I brought on a new employee at Disney, I would have a 2-hour conversation with them, but we would not talk about work.  A corporate feeling meeting can leave a new employee feeling unsettled. A one on one meeting to find out more about them as a person sets them at ease and welcomes them to the company. Having a  conversation without talking about work gives a new employee a positive onboardi...

More than ever, it is important to get some of your team out of the office for team building exercises. People are running so fast we don't have time to settle down and think about what to do long term.  Getting out of the office and into a new environment allows your team to bond without the distraction and routine of the office.  When teams have fun, they do better work. When teams have fun away...

At Disney World we use four keys to make decisions.  The four keys help people understand how to make decisions.  Here are the four keys: Safety - Is the decision you are about to make going to be safe? Courtesy - Disney is famous for being friendly and clean. Any cast member you meet will go out of their way to take care of you.  Show - Are we ready to put on a great show? Is the area clean? Are...

Your legacy is the only thing you can take with you and leave behind.  As I get older, I think about what I have contributed to the world. More than anything, I want to be remembered as a teacher.  If you have experience and knowledge, there is no upside in keeping it to yourself. Give it away.  The proof of what your legacy is will be what people say when you are not in front of them. Do you do w...

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer several listener questions.  How does taking care of customers and employees reduce risk? When you treat people right and are sincere it creates an environment and culture where guests want to help you. Guests will report issues before they are real problems because they like your company and want to help.  Is there a difference in running meeting...

It's not magic that makes it work, it's the way we work that makes it magic.  And we are able to create the magic with our work through clarity.  Here is the secret about clarity people aren't talking about...If you are not clear, people will begin doing what is clear for them. People fill in the blanks and do what they either want to do or what they think they should do.  When you want your brand...

Walking through your operation every day, especially the beginning of the day, is the best way to know what is going on.  When I ran a hotel, I walked the entire hotel every morning. By 7 am, I was aware of every issue and had checked in with most employees. Again, around lunch time and before I let for the day I would walk the operation again. Every employee saw me each day.  Lee Cockerell was pa...

Delegation is hard. But if you want to get more done, you have to delegate work to other people.  Often, we don't delegate because we think we can do it better than other people.  As a leader, you should be doing bigger things. If a small project takes you 30 minutes, then you misspent 30 minutes you could have used doing something only you could have been doing.  Your time needs to be used wisely...