Making Your Business Magical

  • Home
  • /
  • Blog
  • /
  • Making Your Business Magical

By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose

If there’s one thing Disney is known for, it’s creating magic for customers young and old alike. Walt Disney World employs nearly 60,000 “Cast Members,” the organization’s term for its employees, and entertains more than 16 million “Guests,” or customers, annually. Every cast member, from those donning Goofy suits to those cleaning the bathrooms, is expected to provide exemplary service to every guest.

Cast members are inspired to make this kind of customer service magic by the way Disney treats them. In his book Creating Magic, former Disney vice president of operations Lee Cockrell sheds light on this unique culture: “The formula is simple: Committed, responsible, inspiring leaders create a culture of care, which leads to quality service, which leads to Guest satisfaction, which leads to measurable business results and a strong competitive advantage.”

What are some of the main components of Disney’s culture? In our companies, we’ve isolated some key Disney ideas that can be applied to businesses of all types and sizes.

Share respect: Regardless of their specific jobs, Disney treats all Cast Members as important, resulting in increased happiness and productivity. When people feel respected, they’re also more likely to stay in their jobs, reducing turnover and the associated costs (new employee training, etc.). We apply this principle in our family of companies by allowing everyone a say in how the companies are run. Everyone’s opinions are important, and as with Disney, all of our employees are encouraged to act as leaders.

Shun bureaucracy: Cockrell notes that “it is almost always a good idea to minimize the numbers of layers in your organization.” When Cockrell had to consolidate two Walt Disney world divisions into one shortly after coming to Orlando, he faced some resistance. However, once the merge was complete, ideas were shared more effectively and operations were more efficient. Like Disney, we have flattened our hierarchy to better allow our employees to do their jobs. As long as leadership clearly defines and communicates everyone’s responsibilities, employees don’t need to be micromanaged. This also shows them that we trust them to produce outstanding work.

Hire only those who fit: To your customers, your employees are the face of your company. Their experiences with your staff can make or break their opinions of you, regardless of how high-quality or innovative your product. Thus, it’s important to select talented, self-motivated, smart employees who fit into your organization’s culture (or “team chemistry,” as Cockrell calls it). When hiring, clearly define the attributes and skills you are looking for, then interview applicants thoroughly. Involve your other staff in the interviews—after all, they’ll be working with the new people, and they know better than anyone what type of person is needed for the position. If you don’t find the perfect fit the first time, keep looking until you do.

Teach and train: Leaders should act as mentors, not dictators. Teach your staff everything you know to improve their performance and also protect the company in case you are suddenly removed from the picture. Whether you notice it or not, employees are watching your actions, so always lead by example. In the past, our companies have conducted book studies with groups of employees and leaders from different companies to expose staff to new concepts and facilitate open discussion. Feedback is also an important tool, as Cockrell notes. He recommends immediate, constructive informal feedback (in addition to more structured reviews) to help employees learn what they are doing well and what they can improve upon.

Head off problems early: It’s much easier to fix issues when they are in their first stages than to wait until they have blown up. One of the best ways to do this is to listen to your employees and customers. Staff members can usually give you helpful information on where problems may arise and how to fix them. Cockrell also recommends calling dissatisfied customers to hear their complaints firsthand. However, when failures do occur, discuss them openly. At our family of companies, we encourage everyone to admit to mistakes, talk about them, and use them to learn what to do differently next time. But don’t just wait until problems occur—try to anticipate new problems before they have a chance to blossom.

Give pats on the back: Although respecting your employees is vital, it’s not the end of your duties as leader. You need to clearly demonstrate that you care about and are grateful for what your employees contribute to your organization. “Appreciation, recognition, encouragement: ARE,” Cockrell writes. “Together they make up a cost-free, fully sustainable fuel, one that builds self-confidence and self-esteem, boosts individual and team performance, and keeps an organization running cleanly and smoothly.” This doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money; in fact, some of the best ways to show you appreciate your staff are free. Spend time talking with your employees. Learn all of their names and some of their interests. This costs nothing, yet builds a bond that will inspire your people to work harder for you. At our companies, we use a mix of free gestures (e-mails celebrating staff birthdays and anniversaries) and low-cost goodies (distributed randomly by members of our employee liaison committee to everyone) to recognize and encourage our staff.

Seek constant improvement: “Good is the enemy of great.” Jim Collins’ statement rings true for all companies, ours and Disney included. No matter how good a company’s culture, structure, or customer service is, there is always room for improvement. Great leaders never become complacent, and they keep the flexibility to change course if needed. They are constantly seeking out new strategies and technologies that can help them stay one step in front of the competition. For example, Disney hotel guests receive luggage tags in advance by mail, and after check-in at the airport, Disney makes sure the guests’ bags get to their hotel rooms. In this way, Disney applies technology to provide above-and-beyond customer service. Ideas such as this can be gleaned by keeping up with business literature, what works and does not work for competitors, and customer surveys and research.

The Disney brand is recognized the world over for its determination to make the Disney experience pleasant, memorable, and personalized for every customer. All companies, including ours, can benefit from studying and applying many of the principles practiced by Disney.

The bottom line: it is everyone’s duty within an organization to develop and maintain a Disney-esque culture. To achieve this goal, everyone must work together and row as one in the same direction.