Time really does fly!  It seems like just yesterday I was driving through the Walt Disney World campus on my way to Disney Institute.  I must admit, it was an experience that I had really looked forward to.  As it ended up, I had every reason to be excited about the week ahead.

Expectations Meet Reality

The truth is… anything Disney comes with high expectations.  Let’s face it, when you are brought up on the enchantment and wonder that is “Disney,” most everything related to the organization will fuel a sense of over-the-top potential.  My state of mind at the time was surely on this track… and, in all fairness, perhaps altered my ability to objectively evaluate the course in the moment.  While I could understand the material and was absolutely taken by the experience as a whole, something in me kept waiting for a magic carpet ride or some crazy other-wordly experience…

Disney Institute is an amazing place to learn.  Between the environment, the instructors, the behind-the-scenes experiences and more… there is no doubt in my mind that DI serves as a very unique opportunity for those interested in expanding their professional filters.  With that said, it is a course designed for training, not frolicking around the parks like a 10 year old (or a childlike 30 year old) .  There is curriculum, you will be expected to focus and you will experience a magnitude of exercises related to the course.  As you might imagine, by the end of the week, participants are beat!

Why The “Digestion” Period?

I was invited to attend the “Business Excellence” series at DI.  The course, in a nutshell, was designed to give the participant a taste test of all the various intensive courses that DI has to offer.  While each segment of the course can serve as a standalone mini-training, the purpose is not to exhaust any particular topic.  With that said, if in going through course you find yourself highly intrigued by… let’s say Brand Loyalty, you may find it frustrating to move past that topic after just one day.  What I found was that my frustration tied directly to my desire for more… which, from my now “digested” perspective, is probably a great thing!

After the week-long adventure concluded, I put some thought around doing a wrap up post… but, ended up holding off.  Finally, after debating what to do next, I decided to sit on the information for a while before giving any final assessment.  The reasons for this have been threefold.

1. I had learned so much that I didn’t know where to start.
2. There were (and continue to be) a thousand things going on at once.
3. I wanted to see what central topics stuck with me months after the training ended.

So, there you have it… my reasons (excuses) for holding off.  Now for the meat and potatoes.

Disney Institute – Lasting Lessons from Business Excellence

As I expected, the concepts shared on branding, user experience and employment culture stuck with me the most.  For starters, these areas are of personal interest.  However, and even with my personal interests taken into account, I do believe that these three areas created some “Wow!” moments for the class.

So, I’m going to go all “Blogger” and list my lessons out here.  I will refrain from referring back to notes so that I can only relay that which stuck!

Branding

1. Branding happens at every stop along the way… if the customer can see/experience it, you have an opportunity to negatively/positively impact the perception on your organization.
2. Every company should embrace the concept of “On Stage” – Since the training and my newly embedded filters, I have become much more in tune with this!
3. People experience your brand… you should strive to understand what emotional impact you have on them when they encounter you and/or your company.
4. A brand takes work… and a lot of it!  Walt Disney didn’t just decide to make “Disney” one of the most well-recognized household names… it required a huge amount of dedication and commitment!

User Experience

1. There are primary and secondary users of your products… we must keep both in mind.  Each influences the other.
2. Thinking through the bottlenecks your clients may experience with your company can make a huge difference (think about how boring it can be to wait in a huge line for a ride… Disney works at making it fun!)
3. Consider the time that your company occupies in a person’s day… how does that impact their other relationships?  What can you do to improve that impact or, at least, make it enjoyable for all impacted parties?
4. Feedback, feedback, feedback!  Hope is not a strategy… we must ask our customers what they think and continuously implement and improve upon their suggestions… KEY!

Employment Culture

1. Disney makes it very easy for a potential employee to change their mind!  No use in hiring someone that either a) doesn’t truly want to be there OR b) has reservations about their future with your company.
2. The spirit and accountability of a workforce can be instilled in alternative ways.  Disney has a “way” of doing things… not just “rules and regulations” – Inspire the behaviors you seek from your team!
3. Make it easy for employees to do things the right “way” and they are much more likely to do them!
4. Give your employees something to be excited about by getting to the heart of what your company does.  People don’t just work for a paycheck… give them something more and they will respond!

What Would Walt Do?

I think back on my experience at Disney Institute with very positive feelings.

By the time the week was over I was exhausted and perhaps mentally overwhelmed.  However, now, almost 3 months later, I still find myself thinking about the training on a very regular basis.  Day-to-day business situations take on a whole different feel when analyzed from a Disney perspective.  It’s been both fun and enlightening to engage challenges with this new filter… and I look forward to more of it in the future!

To the kind people at Disney Institute, I sincerely appreciate the time, energy and resources you willingly gave during our stay with you.  You made it a magical experience and I’m very grateful for having been invited!

To the business people of the world who are looking to expand your training horizons… go check out what Disney Institute has to offer.  Whether for yourself, your team or your company as a whole, Disney Institute offers a wide array of courses to meet your individual needs.  I have a high level of confidence that they will not only meet, but exceed your expectations!

If you missed the fun while we were all going through the course, hop over to the Disney Institute page on my site to see photos, tweets and related blog posts!  Click Here!

Company culture is a tricky topic.  Let’s face it; we don’t all have Cinderella, Belle and Mickey running around to help us establish that childlike emotional commitment to our brands like Disney does.  The ability to excite, innovate and entertain our future employees in the same powerful way would be amazing… but, that will never be the reality for most.

So, what can we do to create the same sort of passion and enthusiasm for our employment brands that I have found in one particular Intern at Disney Institute?

Katy Ray Sears lives and breathes Disney.  Shortly after arriving to Orlando we met Katy for the first time – polite, enthusiastic and absolutely crazy for Disney.  Katy is currently serving as an Intern for the Disney Institute.  Her technical role is the Group & Convention Public Relations Intern… but, in all reality… she is much more than that!  This “Intern” bleeds pixie dust!

When it comes to Disney, Katy is a true brand champion.  Not in a forced down your throat, you must eat and breathe Walt Disney kind of way – it’s more of a childlike wonderment that is very difficult to not get excited over.  It’s not in the words as much as the way that her eyes grow wide and sparkly anytime she speaks about the organization.  She is, in my opinion, the type of cast member (internal employee to Disney) that truly captures the spirit of the organization.

So, for fun, I asked this passionate Disney ambassador to give me her top ten list of things about Disney that stick out in her mind and why she chose them.

Katy Ray Sears’ Top Ten Favorite Things About Disney

1. Walt Disney – Because he shows that one person can change the world!
2. Main Street USA – It embodies the spirit of America, comfort and memories.
3. Peter Pan’s Flight – Where else can you fly over London in a Pirate Ship?
4. Princesses – They symbolize dreams that everyone has.
5. Carousel of Progress – Walt’s own idea from beginning to end…
6. Great Movie Ride – Ride through Hollywood’s greatest movie scenes and get right in the middle of the action!
7. Parades & Fireworks – Especially “Wishes”
8. Fantasmic – Greatest show ever!
9. The Kids – Walt Disney World gives them something to believe in, no matter their circumstances.
10. Cinderella’s Castle – It’s a real representation of dreams coming true!

Here is the actual note…

Katy Ray is a fantastic addition to the Disney team.  She will represent them well now and into the future with her amazing level of intensity for the organization and her commitment to delivering on Disney’s key standards for guest satisfaction.

Company culture and the way in which it flows through your employees’ veins is highly dependent on their abilities to emotional connect and verbally communicate what makes their company great!

Give your employees something to get excited about!  Develop stories and examples of your culture that they will eagerly want to share with their families, friends and everyone else they come into contact with.

Can you imagine what a group of Katy Rays would do for your organization?

Regardless of whether or not you are a fan, most people would agree that Disney has done an excellent job at establishing a brand that commands respect.  Let’s face it; any company that makes it all the way to the multi-billion dollar mark has done something right.

Disney Institute clearly establishes to the participant that the organization is jam packed with policies, procedures and internal traditions that center around providing an amazing experience to their guests.  The goal is that this experience will be so well executed upon that guests/buyers feel compelled to make Disney a regular part of their vacation, movie and entertainment schedules… and many of their buyers do!

During the “Brand Loyalty” overview, the instructors specifically hit on six categories of brand development.  These steps are presented as a graduated set of categories for your business.

Disney’s Six Stages of Brand Evolution

1. Unbranded Goods
2. Brand as Reference
3. Brand as Personality
4. Brand as Icon
5. Brand as Company
6. Brand as Policy

In essence, a brand would develop from the category of “Unbranded Goods” all the way through to the “Brand as Policy” stage.  At that final point, brand becomes much more than a thought or hypothetical future direction… it becomes an institutionalized set of policies that guide the organization to a level of consistency – all of this, of course, leading to a consistent experience for the consumers of the brand.

The trainers in our “Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence” course have reviewed internal business approaches and methodologies in great detail.  From how lines at the amusement parks are laid out to how the organization conducts their On-Boarding classes… “Traditions”.  Branding and the overall commitment to the “magic” are obvious!

So, what can we learn from Disney about branding?  How can we apply the series of steps above to our own ventures… be them personal or professional?  Are you providing a consistent, Disney-like experience to your buyers, end users and/or internal clients?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!  Where would you consider yourself or your company to be in the branding process?

Your business and Disney have something in common?  Any guesses?

You both provide a lasting “User Experience” every single time you interact with a client.

During our classes yesterday at Disney Institute, we spent a good amount of time pondering the impressions and overall experience that we provide to our clients.  While we waited in line to see the “Turtle Talk” demonstration, we were prompted to pay special attention to the environment around us.

How would it be for a child to be waiting in line?  How about a parent who has just spent a long day walking around the park in the hot sun?  What do they see, feel, think and react to while they are in the midst of a seemingly idle process?  Do they wait uncomfortably or have you thoroughly thought through your User Experience?

In many ways, Disney Institute provides students an opportunity to translate the successes and failures of a major organization into your own business.  While you may never be challenged with figuring out how to entertain hundreds of people while they wait in line to see Nemo… you are challenged to discover the various pieces of your business process that leave a lasting impact on your clients.  Have you thought about it?

User Experience in HR & Recruiting

Naturally, I translate these questions into the challenges that we face within HR and Recruiting.  I, by no means, have all the questions that we should be asking… nor do I know all the answers.  However, I do think that there are a few important pieces in the recruiting process that we should be keeping in mind.  Add to the list in the comment section if you have more ideas… I’d love to hear them!

Candidate Side

• What experience do candidates have when they don’t get hired by your company?  A cold decline letter?  Do they still like your company after you say no?
• What’s the experience like going through your hiring process?  Are your potential hires kept informed?  Do they sit in mental limbo?
• What happens between the time that a candidate finishes the interview process and a final decision is made?  Do you help calm their nerves or do you leave them sitting in a puddle of nervousness?

Client Side

• When you are having challenges identifying the “right” candidate for your hiring manager… how is the experience for them?
• How is the experience for your client when they first present a hiring request?  Do they feel that you understand their needs?
• What happens after a candidate is hired?  Do you follow up months later to find out how things are progressing?  Are you learning from that feedback?  Does it help you improve the next time around?

What else should we be thinking about?

You don’t have to be a multinational theme park and entertainment organization in order to concern yourself with how you make your clients feel.  It may not always be brought to your attention, but you can bet that your clients make judgements about how you do business every single time you come into contact with them.  What will our clients and candidates think once we have completed our engagement?

Surely we can all improve the “User Experience” that we execute on in our businesses.  One step at a time, we have the opportunity to create a little bit of magic for all of those we come into contact with.

How can recruiting be revolutionized?  How can we leave a lasting and positive impression on those we come into contact with?  What’s your take?