Name: Disney U
Rating: 4.2 (44 reviews)
Author: Doug Lipp

What’s in it for me? Learn the magical qualities behind Disney.

Today, most children dream of going to Disneyland or Disneyworld, where they hope to meet one of their heroes – someone like Peter Pan or Snow White or Cinderella. And consider this: that was also the dream of children a generation ago – to meet a favorite Disney character at a theme park.

How has one company managed to do this? How has Disney managed to stay at the heart of Western culture for well over half a century? The answer lies, partly, in the amazing way they train their staff at Disney University. In this special place, Disney employees are taught all they will ever need to know about treating customers like VIPs. In these blinks, you’ll learn how to do that, too.

In these blinks, you’ll also discover

why Disney managers held crucial meetings in Cinderella’s Castle;
why great customer service is a mixture of art and science; and
why you can’t buy alcohol at Disneyland Tokyo, but can at Disneyland Paris.

A company's values should help the staff stay motivated, hardworking and happy.

The employees are the most important part of any business, especially in a customer-focused industry. You can't achieve success without a well-trained, motivated and happy staff.

So keep your workforce happy by providing them with values, not just physical goods. Most companies fail here because they assume they can motivate their employees solely with pay or bonuses or little perks. They don't realize they need to share the company's values with them, too.

If your employees don't care about your company's values, they won't be interested in its progress or stakeholders. They'll only be concerned with their own material needs.

Disney strives to avoid this. They carefully promote the company's philosophy at Disney University, where staff (or cast members, in Disney terms) is trained. The cast members come to share the company's values, so they feel a much deeper connection to it.

You also need to keep your employees happy. The best way to do this is to ensure that the management stays in close contact with them. The management should know immediately if the employees encounter any problems.

Van France, the founder of Disney University, used to take walks through the institution to see how the cast members were doing. During one of his walks, he noticed a problem with the orientation program for newly hired members: the company and its parks had expanded so quickly that trainees were struggling under the old orientation program, which had become too small. It was out of date.

So France developed a new orientation program that was more suited to the needs of the company and its trainees. The management should always be aware of the organization's inner workings, and seek out ways to make work more efficient and enjoyable.

Business is a mixture of science and art.

Is building a successful business a science or an art? Well, it's really a combination of both.

Your organization's “scientific side” is about its infrastructure and physical products. For Disney, that means building and maintaining the parks and attractions. Disney's success largely depends on the layout of their parks, and on their quality, cleanliness and exciting rides.

Strong companies look to the future and the past at the same time.

You can probably name a few companies that once dominated their market but eventually fell into bankruptcy. Nokia, Kodak, Blockbuster – each suffered this fate. Why?

Companies often collapse when they fail to keep up with changes. They cling to the business practices that once made them successful, even when those practices no longer work.

Speak the language of success and adapt yourself to different cultures.

Language is what sets humans apart from other living creatures, but businesses often fail to cash in on its potential. They fall back on boring jargon, like “dynamism,” “energizing” or “going the extra mile.”

Those words aren't engaging! If you want to use really great business language, you need to step it up!

Key ideas in Disney U

What is Disney U about?

Disney U (2013) lays out the strategy behind the massive success of the Disney theme parks. By caring for their staff and providing them with the highest training, Disney ensures that their employees have the customer service skills necessary to create a truly magical environment. These blinks teach you how to implement Disney’s philosophy in your own business.