I am just back from a family vacation at Disney World in Orlando, FL. Despite my aching feet from walking miles across theme parks, each with different flavor of attractions and shows, I can still feel the Disney magic. Every experience Disney creates is just a notch above the rest. With the masses of people everywhere, things work out smoothly; it’s all meticulously planned and practiced. No matter what you ask, the cast members, as they call their employees, are happy to fulfill your request. Nothing is done grudgingly. You get a wave with a smile, a hug, a high five, and for a moment, even a grown up can feel like a school kid again.
Disney’s values are innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency. What differentiates Disney from most other companies is the pervasiveness of these values in their organization. When Disney talks about quality, they invest in additional people to make sure that there are no glitches in the guest experience. The rest rooms shine and traffic flows, even with millions of visitors. Our friend asked a cast member where he could find extra napkins, and she offered to run downstairs to get some. In other companies, this would be considered above and beyond performance; at Disney, it is a basic expectation.
Disney spends a great effort in selecting the right people that fit their culture. They are clear about their expectations from the start. Once the cast member is in, they invest in their training and development through proven programs. A survey on management effectiveness in administered on an on-going basis, to make sure that the values are upheld at all levels.
What differentiates the best from the rest is the fanatical commitment to the vision, mission and values of the company. The magic will follow.
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Gosh, what a great blog! Nice transition from vacation to relevant information about being the best. This is my favorite post so far. Well done.
Liisa, you are spot on!
According to James Collins and Jerry Porras, core values are a critical component of a company’s vision. You saw the impact during your Disney experience. In my experience, customers, suppliers and employees see the impact in their everyday relationship with a company.
Paraphrasing Collins and Porras, core values and beliefs form a system of fundamental motivating principles and tenets—precepts about what is im¬portant in both business and life, how business should be conducted, its view of humanity, its role in society, the way the world works, what is to be held inviolate. Looked at in this light, core values and beliefs are analogous to a biological organism’s “genetic code”—they are in the background, but always present as a shaping force.
When I work with clients I take the stand that their core values must be an absolutely authentic extension of the values and beliefs they hold in your own heart. You don’t “set” values. The proper question isn’t, “What values and beliefs should we have?” but rather “What values and beliefs do we actually hold in our heart?” Ultimately, core values and beliefs get instilled by what you do, by specific, concrete actions, not by what you say.
This is unbelievable