Tag: Disney

An unprecedented Disney management reorganization

Best Disney Keynote Speakers
While walking in World Showcase yesterday.

 

Disney Lodgekeepers (housekeepers at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge) had an idea shortly after Disney’s Wilderness Lodge opened in 1994.

To maximize daily efficiency with the fewest number of linen-room trips for supplies, Lodgekeepers packed as much onto their linen carts as possible.

A heavy linen cart on a carpeted floor is hard to push.

In the mid-1990’s Walt Disney World was unveiling Performance Excellence – an unprecedented management reorganization.

The primary goal was to tap into the knowledge “library” and experience base of the front line Cast Members.

The secret leadership ingredient that went missing from all previous “empowerment” initiatives was leadership involvement and approval.

Performance Excellence was designed to provide the missing link.

When the Cast said they wanted a self-propelled linen cart (like a self-propelled lawn-mower), leadership checked with our linen-cart vendor and you can just imagine their response.

Cool idea, but no.

Such a thing didn’t exist.

Anywhere.

So Disney leadership relayed the message to the Cast and the Cast responded, “But you said this time we promise.”

Long story longer – guess who co-owns the patent for the first ever self-propelled linen cart?

Additional backstory:

Disney’s Central Shops (where we build the Magic) and the linen-cart vendor partnered to invent the cart and receive the patent.

A Disneyland Merchandise Executive was visiting Walt Disney World – specifically, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – and noticed the self-propelled linen cart in her hallway.

She took an existing idea and made it work for the outdoor food and beverage carts at Disneyland.

Can you imagine how heavy a beverage cart is that’s full of cases of bottled and canned drinks?

Creativity, for Disneyland Merchandise, didn’t mean invention, it meant adaptation.

 

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How many Orlando-based Disney Keynote Speakers can say this?

Disney icons
Disney trifecta.

 

As an army of one – a small business entrepreneur – you have responsibility for marketing yourself.

This is challenging to do and appear humble simultaneously.

Marketing’s primary job is to shine a spotlight on why their organization, their product, and their people are head-and-shoulders above the competition.

Blogging allows random opportunities (like this post) to play around with that challenge.

Here goes…

How many Orlando-based Disney Keynote Speakers can say this?

  • I never give the same speech twice
  • My keynote speeches are unlike anything audiences are used to
  • I worked at Disney for at least 30 years
  • I worked at Disney Institute for at least 15 years
  • I’ve been gone from Disney for less than five years
  • I live less than one mile from Walt Disney World
  • I’ve received both of Disney’s Lifetime Achievement Awards
  • I offer three significant discounts for Orlando Keynote Speeches
  • I’ve spoken to over one-million people
  • I’ve spoken to 2,000 different organizations
  • I retired as Disney Institute’s highest rated, most requested speaker

How many?

PS. The i’s are capitalized because it’s not me speaking, it’s other “Disney Keynote Speakers” asking themselves these questions.

 

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Creative problem solving, Disney Style

iPhone calculator
Assuming client pays for hotel, typical 3-day expenses, using $400 average for airfare.

 

Creative problem solving, Disney Style…

Context: client and i are far apart on the daily fee for multi-day engagement.

First, please let me apologize for not baking negotiation-room into my offer. This is such an anomaly and i simply assumed you know by now that i .think .differently about everything.

Call Disney Institute and discover their parameters and fees about doing out-of-state engagements as well as on-site at a Disney Property…321-939-4600
(M-F 9:00 am – 5:30 pm ET).
While you’re at it, ask if you can request (guarantee) specific facilitators.

Working with a client – as we speak – who’s asked me to bid against Disney Institute’s offer of $46k for a one-day engagement for 50 people in Orlando at this client’s Orlando office (a rare move by Disney Institute to not require the class to happen on Disney property).

My out-of-state 60-minute keynote fee is $25k.

Disney Institute’s five-day Business Excellence class is $7,750 per person excluding travel expenses. Send only five leaders to Disney and it costs you $39k. Add conservative travel expense for five people to add another $4k…$43k for five people.

My Orlando 60-minute keynote is available for $15k. You can subtract $7.5k because there’s no three-day travel required. This brings us to $17.5k. If you want to save an additional $2.5k, you can pay 100% at contract signing.

There are several choices to negotiate with other entrepreneurs offering Disney content. Contact them. Ask them how long they worked at Disney and how long ago they left Disney, and if they actually ever worked at Disney (some haven’t). You will be astonished at the gap between them and me.

Some never worked at Disney (but they’re great curators), and some only worked a few years at Disney, and none of them have worked at Disney for two, three, or more decades. They are also less expensive.

Some of them are owners, and some have teams – ask for their very best facilitators (if you can’t get the owner) and see if they can guarantee that.

Additionally, to streamline administrative efforts (which cost money) on both ends, our contract should have a flat fee of $660 per trip for travel expenses (air, transportation, parking, meals, etc). This also assumes you will automatically book and pay for my hotel accommodations. i pay (and book) everything else from the travel fee you pay up front.

 

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If you really want to change your culture

Disney Keynote Speaker
Positive reinforcement for audience particiption.

 

Disney Keynote Speakers
i remember when i began using the reference to MLK’s “I have a dream.” vs i have a strategic plan. Nice to see it’s continued to be a valuable insight for our Disney Institute culture.

 

 

If you really want to change your culture, you have to really want to change your culture.

At Disney, you can never be rude to a Guest.

Never.

You have to be nice 100% of the time.

Essentially, you can never deviate.

There’s never a time when you can not be nice.

Never.

It’s obsessive.

And it differentiates our brand against other world-class service providers.

Fifteen years ago when our Son was 3, the daycare changed their pickup policy and began requiring parents to remain in the car.

Gone was the daily hug we’d do at the day care door.

And, not only did you wait in your car, but you were expected to not get out.

They placed your child in the car seat and off you go.

i asked a Disney institute colleague about a creative solution. By the way, Joel is gay and i asked him for parenting advice.

Why?

He sees things others will never see.

Joel suggested i drive away, find a safe place, pull over, get out, do our hug, get back in the car and drive home.

Yesterday at High School the almost 18-year old and the almost 59-year-old hugged before getting in the car.

They (we) haven’t missed a day since 2005.

Never.

Obsessive?

 

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HQ, click here.

If you want to stay on this site and read more posts from this Blog, click here.