Disney at Work Blog

Sharing Your Vision Through Technology

2011-08-10T09:01:00.001-04:00

There's a new video from Disney on YouTube which shows how 3 dimensional technology can communicate to workers in the construction field about how the attractions should be constructed. It also allows them to handle conflicts when they come about so that you can see what needs to be addressed before construction goes too far. Through Webex artists, designers, and contractors can meet virtually on the construction site to work through issues.

What the video is also doing is setting more clearly the expectations to guests and Disney fans about what is really going to happen, and what isn't going to happen with respect to this new area of the park. You can study it carefully and see a more clear view than what some of the original artist's concepts have detailed. Studying it you can see how people will enter outside a mountain into the Beast's castle, or move through a grotto queue to board The Little Mermaid ride.

It's all part of sharing your vision--with everyone--about where you are going and what needs to happen. If you can dream it--then you can show everyone how to do it!

New Disney Cast Member Name Tag

2011-07-29T08:19:00.001-04:00

For many years, there has been a major Cast Member recognition program entitled Partners in Excellence. For the 2% of the total Cast Member population who received that honor, they were given a small statue similar in size to the one found in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and Cinderella Castle at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. They were also given a small pin to place on their name tag.

There is a new program called Disney Legacy, and it replaces the old Partners in Excellence. More to come later on this new program, and how well it's being received by Disney Cast Members. But the new recipients receive not just a pin, but an entirely new name tag to wear. It's based on the Cast Member's ability to dream, create, and inspire.

Look for these pins to start showing up around property, and make sure you congratulate the cast member for the hard work they do.

Harvard Business Review of Bob Iger

2011-07-19T17:46:00.003-04:00

You absolutely must read Harvard Business Review's interview of Bob Iger by Adi Ignatius. At least, you ought to listen to the audio interview. Bob talks about the challenges in becoming CEO. He talks about his predecessor and his responsibility as second in command to be loyal to the one in charge. He also expresses respect to Michael Eisner for the opportunities he had to express at length his opinions and ideas--not in some public forum--but in the quiet moments behind doors in an office or on a plane ride.

Iger also talks about an ongoing tension in the organization usually described as "traditionalists" versus "modernists". He changes the tenor of the conversation to be more about "heritage" and "innovation". In that context, he honors the importance of both to the conversation of building and preserving the Disney brand.

My thought is that Bob Iger is no Walt Disney. But as a CEO, he does a tremendous job of trying to gather as many Walt Disney's around the castle. Of course, there was only one Walt Disney, but Bob plays an important, even Arthurian-type role in building a culture that allows the Steve Jobs and the John Lasseters as well as many other individuals whose names are less familiar to have their creative voices be heard at the table. It's not perfect, but it is more poised for excellence than it has in the last 40 years.

Hats off (or Mouse Ears) to Bob Iger!

Splitsville Coming To Downtown Disney West Side

2011-07-12T12:43:00.004-04:00

Today Disney announced that construction will begin this Fall on taking the old Virgin Records store (currently inhabited by RIDEMAKERZ) and converting it into Splitsville Bowling Experience. Splitsville has high end upscale entertainment centers around the country, but none in the greater Orlando area. Indeed, no bowling franchise has a corner market on Orlando.

While Disney mentioned many of its projects today in its blog, to include the expanded Harley Davidson store, the Apricot Lane Boutique, and remodeling going on at Lego and AMC, they made no mention of the "Hyperion Wharf" project. Orlando Sentinel reports today that the Wharf "will be delayed indefinitely as it reevaluates plans for the site."

Nothing constructed so far has really taken this form.

Some have projected that additional Downtown Disney projects would be unveiled at D23. Today's announcement comes just weeks prior to that event. Others have already suggested that Splitsville suffers from Disney Institutus, an expression I give to Disney projects like the Disney Institute with it's crafts and hobby classes, that could be done at home (and probably for less) so why would tourists do it on vacation. Conversely, weekend nights still show packed parking lots at Downtown Disney. There seems to be a need for the locals in town to have somewhere to go to enjoy the evening. Downtown Disney still has that ability to attract. Splitsville will make it all the more attractive to locals, even if tourists don't care to frequent.

Back in 2008, a bowling stadium of 100 lanes was announced for Disney's Wide World of Sports. That facility, which could have become the biggest bowling arena in the country, would have been used by the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. This too has gone the wayside without much in the way of announcement from Disney.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Underway

2011-07-11T08:12:00.002-04:00

Game technologies being tested in May at Disneyland.

In a MousePlanet article back in April I announced that new interactive games would soon be established throughout many of the Disney parks and resorts. Similar to the concepts around the KimPossible World Showcase Adventures, participants would search around for clues that would come to life as they unscramble a mystery themed to that park land or resort.

In a few weeks work will be underway on the first of these at the Magic Kingdom. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, a name trademarked back in 2010, will have games themed to each land. It's believed that the first land to receive this will be Adventureland, followed by Frontierland.

To make this happen, a major staging area will need to be created. Word has been out on the street that the store at the Firehouse on Main Street, U.S.A. is closing soon. That is because the Firehouse will be remodeled to be the headquarters of the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom games. The theming will stay a firehouse, it will simply be repurposed as a gaming headquarters. Thus, the donation of fire patches can still be a part of the firehouse's legacy.

Firehouse is headquarters to the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

Space adjacent to the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade will serve as one of the "outposts" for the games, similar to the kiosks found for Kim Possible throughout Epcot's World Showcase.

Frontierland Shootin' Arcade under "wraps" during remodeling.

Unlike the Kim Possible games at Epcot, these games apparently won't involve cell phones or electronic pads. Rather, guests will be given cards that will signal or provide QR and/or RFID codes in some way. The card codes will randomly signal a new game and will carry the code necessary for you to successfully carry the game through to completion. It is similar to the Mickey Midship Detective Agency aboard the Disney Dream, where using your badge you move around the ship showing a 2-D bar-code that would take you through the particular sequence of that game. This way guests will not have to carry or return a phone or electronic piece of equipment.

When Disney's new Alauni resort opens, interactive games are planned as part of that experience as well along the Menehune Adventure Trail. Because those playing the games will be guests of the hotels (and will have their credit cards on file), it's easier to upgrade the games so that they use an electronic pad (not an iPad) to work through the activity. Therefore, those activities will have a much greater electronic interface involved.

This model showcased by Imagineers at D23, suggests

lots of outdoor areas for the Menhune Adventure Trail

Returning to the Magic Kingdom, these games are not just a "nice-to-have" on the side. They are part of a major strategy to better direct the guest experience as the park has had to close off areas and in anticipation of capacity increases as the park premieres new attractions over the next couple of years. Already the park has been struggling to maintain the upkeep as it has taken down many areas. Much has been said in recent weeks on Disney Fan Boards about the condition of park attractions like Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. With the major closure of Toon Town Fair at the Magic Kingdom, as well as lesser attended areas in Fantasyland (Ariel's Grotto and Pooh's Playful Spot) for the new major Fantasyland additions, it is simply difficult for the park to close and rehab major attractions. The park has tried to compensate by creating a new meet and greet experience in Town Square and by trying additional parade and show times to the schedule. This is one additional effort in that guest management strategy.

Banners have been added to the Theater

in hopes to improve attendance

which is not meeting the hoped for expectation,

especially in the afternoons.

Remember, even though Magic Kingdom's attendance in 2011 was soft with a 1.5% decline in attendance, it still reigns supreme as the number one park in attendance in the world. There has been much positive (for good reason) about how Disney California Adventure has managed the crowds with a major expansion going on throughout, but keep in mind that there are more than 10 million people going through the Magic Kingdom's gates each year (16.97) compared with DCA (6.29). Meanwhile, Disneyland, who is second in attendance (15.98), can take down attractions (as it did for several months with Splash Mountain) because its core audience is return guests and annual pass holders who ride those attractions all the time, as opposed to those attending the Magic Kingdom, whose opportunity to visit and ride an attraction like Splash is either a first time event, or a once every several year event.

Therefore, the demand on the Magic Kingdom is much greater. Sorcerers in the Magic Kingdom and other efforts right now are the most strategic way to soften the blow of taking down attractions for refurbishment. And when Fantasyland Forest opens, it will be an important key to occupy the huge (and perhaps all time record) attendance boost that park will soon be receiving.

Try your hand at this QR code using a

complimentary app on your hand-held

device like RedLaser.

A Magical Moment That Goes To The Dogs

2011-07-06T14:59:00.001-04:00

A few years ago when you checked your favorite pet into one of the the Kennel Clubs at Walt Disney World, they would sometimes provide a particular guest with a certificate that read:

Walt Disney World Resort

Kennel Club

Hosted by Friskies

It is with the greatest pleasure that we proclaim

_____________________

has been an outstanding Guest

and is hereby awarded this

Certificate of Distinguished Merit

Note that the ribbon in the design stated that the pet was an official V.I.P. or Very Important Pet.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few of these hanging in the homes of pet lovers across the country. Certainly many are found in photograph books. It was just another way Disney took time out of their day to make a pet owner feel special.

I don't know if the new Best Friends Pet Care facility at Walt Disney World offers a similar certificate. They do offer V.I.P. Suites with a flat screen TV and a web cam. But the certificate was intended more for the pet owner than for the pet. It's another way Disney has tried to create Magical Moments for the millions of guests who have visited.

What Message Are You Sending?

2011-06-20T22:53:00.003-04:00

The other day I was at a shop at Disney's Hollywood Studios that sold Muppet memorabilia. The shop inside was themed to a run-down hotel one might find in the city. There were several humorous signs posted.

Prior to this visit I was in a downtown hotel in a major city. The hotel was associated with a long-standing brand. When I checked into the room, I found a very strange sign as well.

Below are messages from five different signs. Can you guess which one belonged as part of the theming in the muppet store, and which one of the five came from an actual hotel:

A. Out to lunch! Be back when I feel like it.

B. Please steal linen. It's cheaper than having it cleaned.

C. Check-out time is whenever you like. Patrons wishing to sneak out without paying will find it easier than they think.

D. If you are planning to use any hair coloring products during your stay with us, we ask that you kindly contact the Front desk and request a "BATH PAK".

E. Guests with valuables are invited to store them in the house safe. Simply look behind the check-in desk. A large hole in the back of the safe will enable you to withdraw and replace your valuables at any time.

Scroll down when you think you've made your choice.

The answer is D. That was what was stated on a full-page sign, found laminated in the bathroom of my room next to the sink. Additionally it outlined replacement costs for bath linens, and emphasized that you must not "use our regular bath linens for any purpose that might cause permanent stains."

I don't know how much of this goes on in hotel bathrooms. I don't remember any one I've known who has said that once they check into their hotel room, they've got to die their hair. I can't think this is common, as I haven't seen this sign any where else. And I've stayed in a lot of hotel rooms. Apparently they have a run on people dying their hair at their hotel. But it seems strange that it would be more than anywhere else.

I've stayed in that city several times since, but never again at that hotel. Something about a card explaining hair dye policies and procedures tells me that I'm not aligned with their brand. I'm not sure who would be. I'm sure it's costing that hotel in irreplaceable linen when people dye their hair. But it's costing them a whole lot more when they cheapen their image. It's cute when it's the Muppets take New York. It's not cute when it's my room after a long plane trip.

Ask yourself, what messages do you send, whether in writing or otherwise, that send the wrong message about the value of your brand?

What Are You Going to Do Next? I'm Going on Star Tours!

2011-05-04T06:33:00.001-04:00

With Star Tours opening very soon at both Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World and at Disneyland in California, it's interesting to note some of the original events that were part of the Star Tours legacy. This one is shared by Michael Eisner in his Work in Progress book.

When Star Tours opened in January of 1987, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells had dinner inside Disneyland with George Lucas and several celebrities who had been invited to the opening of Star Tours. Among them was Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan. Just a month prior, Dick and Jeana became aviation pioneers when they circumnavigated the world, nonstop, without refueling their plane, the Voyager. During the dinner, Jane Eisner turned to Rutan and asked, "Now that you've flown around the world and done the most adventurous thing imaginable, what are you going to do next?"

Rutan replied quite sincerely, "Well, we're going to Disneyland." Shortly thereafter, Jane described the conversation to Michael and told him that she thought it would be a perfect advertising campaign. The rest is history. Two weeks later, at the Super Bowl in Pasadena, Phil Simms, quarterback for the New York Giants, was asked "What are you going to do next?" He looked at the camera with a big smile and replied, "I"m going to Disneyland." The next day he was there with his wife and kids at the park. Simms was reportedly paid $75,000 for his participation.

Since then, dozens of athletes have participated in this media campaign, most recently Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers. It's become a part of our pop culture.

As for many guests visiting Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the next few months, the question might be asked, "Now that you've been on Star Tours dozens of times, what are you going to do next?" The answer may well be: "I'm going on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue!"

Haunted Mansion: Providing New Paths for Guests with Mobility Challenges

2011-03-22T16:56:00.003-04:00

There's a whole new angle to experiencing the Haunted Mansion

at The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

With all of the excitement of the addition of an interactive queue to the Haunted Mansion, little notice has been given to a very big change for Guests needing mobile assistance. Now they can go through the entire queuing experience, and therefore, the entire Haunted Mansion attraction.

To understand what this means, let's understand what happened prior. You'll recall that there was a turnstile limiting access toward the entrance to the attraction. Guests with disabilities were detoured around the ghost hearse outside the mansion. From there they were back doored a couple of different ways depending on their ability to move from their wheel chair or convenience vehicle. Depending on their ability, they might miss the first portion of the attraction.

Things are very different now. First of all, they go through the regular queue. Like other Guests, they have the option of visiting the interactive queue, or simply moving directly into the foyer.

Plenty of space is available to move through

the interactive crypt area of the queue.

From there they move into the stretch room where they experience that portion of the visit. Afterwards they experience a Cast Member who then gives them the option of walking from there to their doom buggy, or going back out and around to the exit where they can board from the exit of the doom buggy as had been done in the past. The benefit to all guests is that this reduces greatly the number of times the attraction will slow down or stop.

A new exit for the convenience vehicles and wheelchairs

to be brought out to Guests leaving the attraction.

But there's a down side as well. First is the peculiarity of seeing multiple convenience vehicles in the first rooms of the Haunted Mansion. The problem with that is that the rooms are very dark, especially if coming from the light of day. It's one thing to accidentally step on another's foot. It's another thing to being ran over by a wheel. It's difficult not to run into others in this space.

I felt the Cast Members were terrific at giving options to the Guests. When I was there, there weren't too many funneling into the single queue stretch that led to the Doom Buggies. But I have been there when it's been crammed full of people exiting the stretch rooms. I wonder how easy it will be to deal with Guests needing mobility assistance in that setting.

A bigger issue came when we boarded the Doom Buggy. I happened to be behind someone who had been in a convenience vehicle and had left that vehicle to board the Doom Buggy. His disability may have been a more temporary one, as he had a sort of shoe similar to a ski boot--probably acting as a sort of cast--and it was not too obvious that he had a difficulty walking. But when he stepped onto the moving walkway, he nearly slipped and fell. If he had entered from the exit, they would have known to slow or stop the walkway. Coming from this direction they couldn't tell him from anyone else, and thus unable to monitor the situation appropriately. I couldn't help think that the experience could have been awful.

I'm confident that if these issues can be addressed, the imagineers and operators of the Haunted Mansion will figure it out. No one handles Guests with disabilities better than Disney. Still, the Haunted Mansion is a unique physical space. It isn't just about widening queues and removing turnstiles. It's about creating a seamless experience.

By the way, there's more on this interactive queue and the names written in stone on the graveside markers when you click here.

Perfecting the Customer Experience

2011-03-04T06:54:00.001-05:00

Announcing our upcoming program in Anaheim, California April 26 to 28th! Perfecting the Customer Experience is a unique, three-day benchmarking program that focuses on best practices at Disney. It demonstrates the service standard to which all consumer-facing businesses should aspire, and delivers:

Solid ideas for perfecting the customer experience and creating loyal customers.

Proven examples from Disney and other world-class organizations.

Applications for transferring what you learn directly to your business.

This intense, small-group experience will help you see the business behind the magic of Disney. But be advised: Although you will no doubt have fun, this is immersive, hands-on work. Your senses will be bombarded with things to notice and lessons to learn, as you experience real-life best practices at the Disneyland Resort. And because the most-effective way to learn is through personal experience, these lessons will stay with you for life.

To learn more, click here. To register, or if you have any questions, contact us today at 407-973-3219 or e-mail us here! Join us in April for Perfecting the Customer Experience!

The Right Stuff...In The Hall of Presidents

2011-02-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

I think many of us growing up think about being President of the United States. But do we have what it takes? On this President's Day weekend, we head to the Hall of Presidents at the Magic Kingdom to study what others said about their Commander in Chief. Let's see if we have the right stuff.

Study the following four portraits found in the main foyer of the Hall of Presidents. Then study the quotations listed below. See if you can match the quotation to the president. You might be surprised. You might even be further surprised who made the statement. Then scroll further down to see who each quote is attributed to and who made it.

James Monroe

Fifth President

1817-1825

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thirty-second President

1933-1945

Jimmy Carter

Thirty-ninth President

1977-1981

Ronald Reagan

Fortieth President

1981-1989

Below are the quotations. See if you can match them. Scroll your mouse below each quotation to see which quote is associated with which president, and who said it.

Quotation 1:
"Contain your anger, smile a lot, laugh. Be kind to people. Those values I learned from [this president].

Quotation 2:
"He was the one person I ever knew, anywhere, who was never afraid."

Quotation 3:
"When it came to understanding the issues of the day, [this president] was the smartest public official I have ever known."

Quotation 4:
"Turn his soul wrong side outwards, and there is not a speck on it."

SCROLL BELOW WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE ANSWER!

Quotation 1:

"Contain your anger, smile a lot, laugh. Be kind to people. Those values I learned from [this president].

Answer: Ronald Reagan. Quotation by President George H. W. Bush.

Quotation 2:

"He was the one person I ever knew, anywhere, who was never afraid."

Answer: Franklin Roosevelt. Quotation by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Quotation 3:

"When it came to understanding the issues of the day, [this president] was the smartest public official I have ever known."

Answer: Jimmy Carter. Quotation made by House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.

Quotation 4:

"Turn his soul wrong side outwards, and there is not a speck on it."

Answer: James Monroe. Quotation made by President Jefferson.esiden

In summary, these presidents had some wonderful qualities and traits. You do too. You may even have enough of them to someday be...well...President of the United States!

What's Harder? Focusing on People or Money?

2011-02-07T08:51:00.009-05:00

Thomas O. Staggs, just a year ago at one of his first big media events.

There's a great little interview by Robert N. Jenkins of the St. Petersburg Times of Thomas O. Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Because it was an interview done around the cruise line, he asks about Disney's economic timing with respect to that. He also asks an interesting question about the economic impact on Disney due to Universal's big hit with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

But Tom also discusses his focus on two critical issues:

"One of the most important things I try to think about is allocation of resources. They fall into two really, really important buckets. One is capital. But the other one, which I probably spend more time thinking about and is at least as important, is allocation of our people and our creative strengths — and of our energy and focus. And more often than not, it's the energy and focus that we're worried about making sure we have in the right places, rather than whether we can find the money."

He goes on to acknowledge that the company is well-capitalized, which probably means he doesn't have to focus quite so hard to as the rest of us does. But still, it begs the question, where are we focusing our greatest energy, and why?

Check out the article, it's a short read, but really great.

The Disney Way with Jeff Kober

2011-02-04T06:21:00.001-05:00

Take the time to listen to Episode 155 of the Season Passport Podcast. I had a great time being interviewed by owner/producer Doug Barnes as well as Brent Young who has been busy finishing the Madagascar attraction at Universal Singapore. Joining us was Rick West, the owner/editor of Theme Park Adventure, and Don Schockow, the owner of Theme Park Audio Archives (I love theme park music). It was a great opportunity to talk about my career, my years at The Disney Institute, and the many projects I'm working on right now. Most importantly, it was just fun talking about all things Disney. Please take the time to listen. You'll absolutely enjoy it!

Doing Disney So Much Better Than Disney That You Become Disney

2011-01-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

Garner Holt's first Disney creation--Haunted Mansion Holiday.

I've been listening to the Season Pass Podcast. If you are not listening, listen. The show is wonderful. This month was an interview of Garner Holt of Garner Holt Productions. As a child, Garner was so amazed by a Wonderful World of Disney episode of the Haunted Mansion, that he decided he would create animatronics for a living. Long story short, he now makes amazing animatronics, parade floats, and other fantastic scenery and theming elements. Do you like Haunted Mansion Holiday? Did you like the floats for Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams for the 50th Anniversary? Do you like everything that moves when you hit it on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters? That's Garner Holt.

Parades brought to life at Disneyland and
Walt Disney World thanks in part to Garner Holt.

Here's the twist--Garner has never been an Imagineer. Nor has he ever been an official Disney Cast Member. He's what you call an outside contractor. He has done Disney so much better than Disney that he has essentially become Disney. And with that, he gets to do some of the most amazing and fun projects--not just for Disney but for many other parks, restaurants, and exhibits.

Of course that didn't happen overnight. But it has happened, and yet he has never worn a Disney name tag. It's not a new thing. Hollywood has always had two modes of operation. The old mode was that the studio was a stable of talent. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney was part of the stable for MGM, and Annette Funicello and Haley Mills was part of Disney's stable. The same was true for the technical talent of the studios. That's why you know of artists like Xavier Attencio and John Hench in Imagineering. Walt Disney was very faithful to a tradition of having a stable of artists and technicians.

With the exception of Buzz Lightyear in the queue,

every thing is brought to life by Garner Holt.

But now most studios, including Disney, does much more work bringing people in from outside the company. So it's no surprise that we're seeing the same idea spilling over into the parks. In other words, if you want to grow up and be an Imagineer someday, your best chance may be having your own company. Why? Well, more than any other reason is economics. It's cheaper for Disney to hire from the outside than to maintain people like this from the inside. But beyond that, it may be that you may be able on your own to accomplish something that you can't do in a big bureaucracy like Disney. Like it or not, that seems to be the growing reality.

But with that reality comes new opportunity. And that opportunity is to be at the front of the wave in your area of specialty. Do you really want a great career at Disney? Do what you do so well, that Disney needs to come to you to be the best they can be in the business.

Beyond Garner, there are many examples of such. Take the "Glow Fest" that was held summer of 2010 at Disney California Adventure. In order to get that up and running in a short time, Disney hired an outside contractor to design and staff the event. Want a bigger example? Look no further than Pixar. It took John Lasseter and company being so much better than Disney, that eventually Disney had to acquire them.

My own fate is sort of a backwards twist on that. After a number of years working for the Disney Institute I left for other opportunities. But in time I realized that leaving the Disney Institute actually allowed me to produce a better experience for my clients than if I had stayed at the Disney Institute. Yes, I don't have the capital or the labor force behind me. But I can provide more insight, more content, more value to my clients than if I stayed at the Disney Institute.

Whatever you want to do with your life, know that you can become so much better than the very best in your business that in time you become the very best in your business. Not easy, but it can be done. To that end, take Garner's advice--put enough perseverance and focus on your dreams, and they will come true. And for you Disney dreamers, know that if you work hard enough and smart enough, you may end up doing Disney so much better than Disney that you may become...well...Disney.

Guess who is animating your next

under sea experience at the Magic Kingdom

and Disney California Adventure?

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It--If You Have Courage

2011-01-20T11:17:00.001-05:00

I taught a Creativity and Innovation program this week in Winnipeg, Canada. Cold! But the participants were warm and engaged. At the heart of our discussion was the phrase, "If you can dream it, you can do it." Probably it is one of Walt Disney's most oft quoted statements.

While oft quoted, I don't think we think long enough and hard enough about what that quotation means. Most draw the conclusion that anything you can dream of you are capable of doing. Perhaps if we turned this quote around, we might see this quotation with new eyes: "If you can do it, you can dream it." What I'm suggesting is that those who have the focus and discipline to do something, have the focus and discipline to dream the impossible.

Let me put it another way. Al Hirschfield was well known as the American caricaturist who celebrated Broadway's best through drawing. To Disney fans, Al's work was the inspiration for the George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue New York scene in Fantasia 2000. As one who knew something about art and creativity all his life, he made the following statement:

“I believe everybody is creative, and everybody is talented. I just don’t think that everybody is disciplined. I think that’s a rare commodity."

Curiously, this artistic piece in Fantasia 2000 is about

following the courage of your dreams.

I think there is a discipline for not only making dreams come true, but in coming up with the dream itself. Any one can come up with an idea, but a dream is true mental creation. Do you have ideas? Or do you have dreams? Have you labored over that dream until it is a mental creation in your mind? If you have the mental discipline to spiritually create something completely through, you probably possess the discipline to physically create it.

If doing requires dreaming, what is needed for dreaming? Walt Disney stated, "All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." Why courage? Does that mean that if I'm cowardly, I can't dream. Rulio May best answers that question: "The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice. It is conformity."

Do you have courage not to conform? Do you have dreams, not ideas? If you do, then stand back--you may just do it!

Pixie Dust Panic

2011-01-14T08:47:00.001-05:00

Have you ever experienced the pressure that builds as a project is coming under completion? That's called Pixie Dust Panic by Imagineers at Disney. If you get a chance, buy a copy of Building a Better Mouse by Steve Alcorn & David Green. It's the story of electronic Imagineers who designed Epcot. This is a riveting tale about how these folks worked to get the attractions up and running for the opening of Epcot. I promise you, after you read this book, you will never look at The American Adventure in quite the same way. In my role at the Disney Institute, I brought many executives from other businesses behind the scenes to see how this mammoth show continues to cycle hour after hour, day in, day out. It is an amazing site. But this is the story of how they managed to get that to even happen in the first place. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

In the book they refer to Pixie Dust Panic. This is when people are being stretched to work 20 hour days with no time off. This is when you start to see the worst in people. This is when personalities change and tempers flare while the clock counts down. People walk out, and others get fired on the spot. But despite it, the work gets completed. Here's just one way Pixie Dust Panic manifests itself:

"In the course of troubleshooting several things in the pit today I get the feeling that everybody's hanging over our shoulders like the vultures. They want to know what's going on, but every time we pass along a little bit of information they latch onto it and run around telling everybody, even if they don't understand it. If they would just leave us alone so we could do some serious troubleshooting, we could come up with some solutions. They're well intentioned, but counter productive. We probably did a grand total of thirty minutes of troubleshooting spread out over an entire day of trying to explain to people what we were doing."

Where is your laughing place during a Pixie Dust Panic?

Again, that's just a taste of what this team endured. But you get the picture. In fact, you've probably experienced it. What do you do when people get into Pixie Dust Panic? Better yet, how do you keep people from getting there in the first place?

And next time you're at Epcot, look a little differently at what it took to create a show like the American Adventure. You'll start to see that behind every Golden Dream is one nightmare of a deadline.

Finding Light in Fowler's Harbor

2011-01-11T06:09:00.003-05:00

At Disneyland, head to Fowler's Harbor and you'll find a sign for a Chandlery. In time a chandlery is became sort of a 7/11 convenience store to ships coming into the harbor. But originally, they were providers to the ships in fuel and lanterns for lighting the ship.

There is a quote that says that "Ships are safe in harbors, but that's not what ships are for." When your ship is in harbor, where do you go to get the light you need that gives you the confidence to again set sail? How do you provide that light to others?

Lingering on the Porch of Indecision

2011-01-11T06:08:00.001-05:00

Head over to Universal Florida's CityWalk next time your in Orlando. At Jimmy Buffet's Margartaville, there is a spot known as the Porch of Indecision. It's a great place to sit back and linger for a while, enjoying something to eat, and listening to some of Buffet's biggest hits. It's ideal for those needing a vacation from their vacation.

We all need a Porch of Indecision from time to time. We need a cozy place to stop and reflect. But life is about moving on. You can't camp out on the Porch of Indecision forever. As Buffet himself puts it: "Indecision may or may not be my problem."

At some point we have to take ownership of our dreams, our realities, and move forward. Is your Porch of Indecision a watering hole toward your next goal? Or is it the graveyard to good intentions.

The great writer Goethe states:

"Then indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting o'er lost days.
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute;
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Or as they say in Newsies...Seize the Day!

Work and Fun--Disney Style

2011-01-11T05:39:00.000-05:00

The photo above is of Huey, Duey, and Luey working the docks at Dixie Landings. It reminds me of the following quotations:

"I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun." Thomas Edison

"I think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better." Steve Jobs

"A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. Richard Branson

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." Dale Carnegie

Here's to having lots of work and lots of fun in 2011!

We've Re-Imagineered!

2011-01-11T05:08:00.000-05:00

Over the last year Disney at Work has been under more tarps and behind more construction walls than what's going on at the Magic Kingdom and Disney California Adventure combined! But good news! We've re-emerged with a fresh new blog. It's a space where we not only offer more up-to-date ideas on best-in-business Disney practices, but it's a place where you can join in with your thoughts and ideas.

Our commitment is to make what happens on these pages not only a great place for finding out about all things Disney, but a vital place for applying ideas back to your own organization. And don't forget DisneyatWork.com, where you can find a host of other resources for your learning and enjoyment.

So to all who come to this happy place...Welcome!