Head Tilt #86: Adventure is out there

I broke up with Disneyland.

 

The Last Ride

After nine years of being an annual pass holder, I let my pass expire today.

 

When things were good between Disney and me, they were so good!

 

For years I have loved Disney’s commitment to excellence. It was apparent everywhere. I studied their leadership, took their classes, and visited the California parks an almost embarrassing number of times.

Cliché as it was, Disneyland was my happy place. In my eyes, Disney provided manufactured perfection. It was clean and safe. The cast members were always kind.

 

Then slowly, gradually, we both changed.

 

Disney changed their ticketing, pricing, crowd-control, attractions, customer service, and processes. All changes were strategic and well-intended, but not favored by me. Where before I saw magic, I now see dollar signs.

 

But I changed too. While playfulness is still a priority, my patience has waned. I long for Disneyland as I knew it, and I don’t have an interest in learning to love Disneyland as it is now.

 

A few weeks ago, my son and I took one last visit while I still had my pass. (I mean, if I was breaking up with Disney, I wanted to do it in person.) We had so much fun. We experienced several Disney magic moments. Twice, I got the giggles so hard -- I thought my face would break. We made great memories.

 

We noticed all the things that bugged us, too, but still, we focused on the good.

 

For our last ride, we chose King Arthur’s Carousel, one of the attractions from opening day in 1955. Since watching his daughters ride the merry-go-round at Griffith Park in LA inspired Walt’s vision of Disneyland, this carousel seemed like a perfect selection to end not only our visit but also our era as pass holders.  

 

Late at night, the crowds were light. We were at the tail-end of the line, and most of the outside carousel horses were taken. Since there was no one behind us, I kindly asked the attending cast member if we could wait until the next ride.

 

“It would make my job easier if you didn’t,” she grumped.

 

Oof! Further evidence of change, this was not quite the Disney service standard we knew and loved.

 

I guess I was feeling a bit rebellious; this was my last ride for a while. We stepped to the side and quietly waited anyway. We chose the horses we wanted and enjoyed the ride. We slowly meandered down Main Street and exited the park when it was over.

 

Thank you, Disneyland. I am grateful for all the memories my family and I have made on your properties. I love the Disney lessons I’ve worked into my career. I’ll still visit every now and then, it’s just not a priority anymore. As Charles Muntz said in the Disney/Pixar movie, Up, “Adventure is out there.” I am off to find my next one.

 

Head Tilt #33: Lessons from Disney #3 of 4 Everything Speaks

Photo of The Matterhorn at Disneyland by Brendan Waters

Walt Disney is famous for following the philosophy of "Everything Speaks." 

He knew that excellent service exceeded the interactions between the cast members (employees) and the guests (customers). The customer experience extended to everything guests could encounter with their senses. 

The following well-known bits of Disneyland trivia exemplify Walt's belief that Everything Speaks. Rarely is anything done by accident in the Disney Parks. Intentionality prevails.

• The music in each land purposefully reflects the theme of each area. For instance, the 1930s-inspired music loop that timestamps Adventureland or the yodeling polka that accents the Swiss Alps' Matterhorn Bobsleds.

• The scent of popcorn greets visitors when they enter the park as if they were walking into a magical movie.

• Walt famously had trash cans designed with lids so guests wouldn't have to see the garbage inside. Trash isn't part of the Disney magic unless it's Forky the Spork from Disney Pixar's Toy Story. Each trashcan in the park is strategically placed for ease of waste disposal. Each is also painted to match the theme of the land it's in. 

• The terrain changes immediately as guests step into a new land. In Frontierland, the dirt-colored nests imprints of horseshoes and wagon wheels, whereas in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, tracks embedded in the ground reveal the past travels of droids. Not only does it look different, it also feels different to the soles of guests' feet. 

• Oh, and that tap-tap-tapping you hear at the train station in New Orleans Square? It's Walt's dedication speech on Disneyland's opening day. 

Disney trivia buffs (like my son) can give you many, many more details you might not know. Disney's attention to detail continues to blow my mind!

And still...

Most of us don't work at or live in Disneyland. (I wish I did!)

For context, let's take Disney's lens into our daily business transactions. 

If everything speaks, what is everything saying? 

• Are the menus sticky in a restaurant? That sends a message.

• Is the scent at a coffee shop as expected (delicious) or does it smell of cleanser? That sends a message.

• Is the carpet in the lobby of a building spotted and stained? That sends a message.

• Is the signage in a parking lot or foyer clear, accurate, and easy to understand? That sends a message.

• Is a company's website up to date and simple to navigate? That sends a message. 

• Are customer email inquiries answered promptly and courteously? That sends a message. 

• Are you replying to the customers or your team's emails in a timely fashion, or are you hoping for "I'm busy" excuses poor communication? Not sending an email sends a message. 

And, of course,

• Are the people who interact with the public happy to be there and happy to help? That sends a message. 

I've asked many organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area what messages they might be unintentionally sending to their customers.

• Police officers have confessed that the interiors of their cars are a mess (and this matters because they have many citizen ride-alongs). 

• Municipalities noticed that parking was awful and customers were frustrated before they even came in the door.

• Executives realized their offices were disorderly and less than welcoming, which, in turn, sent an unintended message to their visitors and internal customers. 

Today's lesson: 

If everything speaks, make the messages intentional. 

Recognize and reinforce the right messaging.

Manage or make up for the messaging that isn't in alignment with your mission, vision, and values!.

And for my fellow Disney fans,  I'll conclude with one of my favorite Walt Disney quotes:

"Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do."

Head Tilt #32: Lessons from Disney #2 of 4 "We don't have bad days."

Anger from Inside Out, as displayed at Angry Dogs hot dog stand in Disney's California Adventure

The entire Disney experience parallels that of a big production. It's all a top-rated show. Disney employees are dubbed cast members. Customers are guests. Things happen on stage (customer-facing) or backstage (in the break room, perhaps-- never in front of the customer). 

Once while bumming around the parks researching, I asked two cast members at Elias & Co, a shop at Disney's California Adventure, how they dealt with bad days. 

They exchanged glances with wide eyes. 👀 

"We don't have bad days," one said with a smile.

What?! Everyone has bad days! 

Except when you work for Disney. 

The standard is set high. Of course, they actually can have bad days, but that happens backstage, never onstage. 

When at work, the customer experience rules the cast member's reality.

If they are doing their jobs well, you'll never hear a Disney cast member

• complain
• gossip
• be rude to guests
• be rude to each other

The standard is set high, and they reach it nearly every time.*

I think back to my college days as a bartender. I was young and was never taught this standard. My co-workers and I would gather around the cash register and complain, vent and gossip. So what if customers heard?  Whatever. We didn't even notice. Plus, it didn't matter.

But it did matter! 

When the customer comes to you for a service, don't drag them down with your own stuff!

When leading a customer-facing team, Don't assume your team knows what to do. Instead, make customer service standards explicit.

Think of it: 

Would you pay for a glimpse 

into someone else's bad day? 

Probably not. 

Today's lesson:  We all have bad days, and still, the customer doesn't need to know about it (even if they are the ones who caused it).

Make your service expectations clear to all employees.

Put a plan in place that supports your service providers and elevates the customer experience. For example,

• Give employees a place to "shake it off" or express negativity after challenging situations. 
• Create a plan for getting back into action when they are thrown off track. 
• Help your team realize that the way they treat internal customers (their co-workers) is as important as the way they treat external customers. It's a ripple effect.
• And most importantly, recognize people on your team who model the way of exemplary customer service and positivity.

Make consistency your team's super power. 

Be consistent with EXCELLENCE!

*Note: When I have seen them crack—and I have—it really stands out!

Head Tilt #31: Lessons from Disney #1 of 4 Everyone is in on the MAGIC

A quick photo op with Marie and Clarice during Disneyland's Tinkerbell half marathon, several years ago

The day before my birthday in May, I am going to my home away from home, Disneyland. 

I

can

hardly

wait! 

(I get butterflies even thinking about it!)

Yes, I am a big Disney fan. I'm a Disney Nerd. A child at heart. 

But my love of Disney is less about the mouse, and more about the house, i.e, the company.

I love the precision with which Disney consistently executes  INTENTIONAL PERFECTION. 

Through firsthand experience and research, here are service lessons I've learned from visiting Disneyland. 

Everyone who works for Disney is committed to the magic.

Many years ago, I went to Disneyland's City Hall on Main Street, USA. (stop-- it's a thing!) to see if I could get a special note from Mickey Mouse himself for a five-year-old child I tangentially knew who was undergoing a heart transplant. His two siblings had already died from the rare defect. 

The cast member (employee) said that Mickey Mouse was busy conducting the Fantasmic show across the park, and she'd see if you could get someone in touch with him. 

I played along-- sure, I'd wait since Mickey Mouse was busy elsewhere. (Wink! Wink!)

And I did wait... 

on one of the benches for about 15 minutes. 

And then the cast member approached me in the waiting area with a signed hand-written letter from Mickey Mouse-- made out personally to the young boy. 

It didn't matter that I was an adult. It didn't matter that I knew that Mickey Mouse was a shorter, thin human being in a big costume. 

The cast member kept the magic alive. She was committed to the story and the brand. And I've never forgotten it. 

What magic do you keep alive? Is it your company culture? Is it a family tradition? Is it your personal "brand"?

💗  PS: The boy mentioned above is 21 now!  I just heard he has another heart transplant coming up- think happy thoughts for him, please. 💗