At Disney Institute, we were recently conducting a brainstorming session with our team for future content ideas, and we found ourselves reflecting on the phrase, “simple is the new smart.” This reminded us of a principle we often share with our clients and training program attendees – keep it simple so that everyone understands.
Walt Disney was a master at this philosophy. One of the simplest, yet most powerful and timeless leadership lessons we learned from Walt is: “You don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them.” This has defined our Disney customer experience philosophy from the very beginning, and we have spent decades working to perfect it.
So, how can we truly know what the people (our customers) want? The simple answer is to treat them as though they are guests in our own homes and ask them face-to-face…save the survey or online chat for later. Think about it. We would never welcome guests to a dinner party and then “manage the event” from across the street, or even across the hallway. Nor would we rely solely on a post-event survey to ask our guests if their expectations were met. No, we would simply join in the mix and ask our guests what they would like to drink, eat or watch on television. And, having anticipated their needs, we would do our utmost to fulfill their requests.
That does not mean we should ignore traditional research methods. In fact, Disney parks and resorts employ all means of research to know who our guests are and to understand what they want and expect from their Disney experiences. But, we then must go into our parks, resorts, stores, theaters, stadiums, ships, etc. to validate that wants and expectations are actually being met and find out how to make the customer experience even better.
In our book, Be Our Guest, we share this leadership lesson, which Walt Disney imparted to his team early on:
“When it was suggested that an administration building be erected for the management at Disneyland, Walt was vehemently opposed. ‘I don’t want you guys sitting behind desks,” he said. ‘I want you out in the park, watching what people are doing and finding out how you can make the place more enjoyable for them.’” And, when Walt learned that his staff had been leaving the property to eat lunch, he steamed. ‘Stand in line with the people…don’t go off the lot to eat like you guys have been doing. You eat at the park and listen to the people!’”
Walt even went so far as to construct a personal apartment inside Disneyland, above the Fire Station and overlooking Town Square, from where he could watch guests (customers) as they got their first impressions of the park. Walt clearly understood that customers were the most important – and final – judges of the entertainment produced at his company.
Today, leaders in our parks and resorts regularly spend the majority of their time away from their desks, out in their business locations interacting with fellow cast members and guests. Combined with robust research, this daily, face-to-face contact amplifies our efforts to develop a profound, in-depth understanding of our guests and their desired experiences.
To summarize Walt Disney’s leadership lesson: In order to “know what the people want,” get out there, be willing to listen and interact with your customers, and then incorporate learning and continuous improvement with your team on behalf of your customers.
Think about it: How well do you truly understand what your customers want and expect?
Source: Leadership Lessons From Walt Disney: Perfecting the Customer Experience | Disney Institute Blog