While Disney was preparing for the millennium celebration, some cast members recommended Disney adopt the idea of tradable pins. The cast members had been at the Olympics and noticed athletes traded pins to each other. The idea was adopted by Disney World and has gone on to become a multi-million dollar per year idea. Disney trading has become a popular past time for Disney enthusiasts.
The lesson in the story is to keep your eyes open for new ideas. Watch for ideas and concepts others are already doing that you can put in place at your organization.
Maintaining high standards can be a challenge in any setting. It becomes even more difficult when you have a large company, are dispersed geographically, or work with franchisees or independent distributors. In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, Lee Cockerell explains how you can maintain high standards in these situations.
Lee also reminds us that average is a dangerous place to be for companies and individuals.
Recently, Disney began to allow facial hair. Through guest surveys and rigorous examination, Disney realized an old policy had become a tradition. Facial hair on cast members did not tarnish to Disney image, or change the positive feelings guests have for cast members.
Traditions can get in the way in families, business, and your personal life.
In business, some policies are still in place only because they are already in place. They no longer serve the customer or add value to the business operation.
When was the last time you examined the behaviors in your organization to determine what you want to allow and what you want to change? Do you have policies that don't allow you to serve your customers? Do you have behaviors that are not fair to all your employees? What traditions do you need to let go?
If you have ever been to Disney World and made a retail purchase, you probably noticed how well the cashier treated you. Rather than going through the motion, a cast member working in retail engages customers and adds to the overall Disney experience.
This week on Creating Disney Magic, Lee answers a listener question about how Disney achieves such a high level of excellence in retail sales.
The key to success in any organization is for everyone to know their role in the show. You get there by hiring, training, and rehearsal. Most organizations do not have standards or a script and retail employees do not understand how they should act.
If you have a question you would like Lee to answer on the podcast, you can submit it here.
Referenced in this episode is Jeff Noel's appearance on the Jody Maberry Show.
Click HERE to get your name on the list to find out more about Lee's Time Management Magic course.
In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, Lee Cockerell shares about his relationship with Al Weiss, who was Lee's direct supervisor at Disney World. The great relationship Lee had with Al allowed them to partner together to become more effective in getting work done.
Lee shares examples of how you can partner with your boss to make sure you are effective and getting the right work done.
The key to partnering with your boss is to be a great performer who gets things done. Then you can begin to build a better relationship with your supervisor.