Building a Chain of Excellence

By George Kalogridis, President Disneyland® Resort

Widely used in the armed forces – and widely adopted by many organizations – is the term 'chain of command'. But in the private sector, does this phrase fit? Or does it imply a rigid top-down power structure?

Instead, the focus at Disney is on a circular, all-encompassing 'Chain of Excellence'. George Kalogridis, president of the Disneyland® Resort, describes how five core business principles create a strong and mutually beneficial bond between inspired leaders, motivated employees, and satisfied customers.

I’m always pleased when I see a product or service whose packaging or signage reveals a long and obviously successful history. Whether a product is stamped ‘Est. London 1787’ or a shop window reads ‘Serving Boston since 1810’, this reassures me that the roots of a successful business never change: Create something people want or need, refine it when necessary, and deliver it in a way that can be adapted to appeal to successive generations of customers.

That’s how we’ve done it at Disney. Every aspect of everything we do, from films to theme parks to resorts hotels, is based on this simple practice. It’s what we do best, and it’s what we teach others through the professional development programs of Disney Institute.

The lessons we share today can be adopted by nearly any industry or organization because they are all part of what we call the Chain of Excellence. In any business, the five points of inspiring creativity, leadership excellence, people management, quality service, and brand loyalty are not only interconnected, but are vastly more effective when practiced as a unified approach to business.

THE CASE FOR CREATIVITY

Since Disney first added sound to cartoons – and then invented full-length animated features and the modern theme park, one of our greatest strengths has been creativity. In Disney’s case, he improved upon his natural gifts by taking inspiration from history, art, and his environment. Enter Disneyland® Park and as you walk down Main Street, USA, you’ll see evidence of his creativity on display. Everything you see – the shops, the town square – was his creative interpretation of the small towns of his childhood.

More than a half-century later, our creative potential has grown exponentially. The diversity of employees (Cast Members) around the world provides Disney with diversity of thoughts and ideas that create an environment that constantly stimulates creativity.

Sparking creative ideas can be as simple as bringing your team to a roundtable meeting where everyone can ask ‘What if?’ questions. What if you hosted a customer appreciation party? What if you designed a new logo? The best part of encouraging creativity is that there are no downsides to brainstorming, and there are unlimited ways to generate creative ideas for every aspect of your business.

TAKING THE LEAD ON LEADERSHIP

It sounds elementary, but at Disney our leaders lead by example. It's a philosophy that goes back to how Walt Disney and his brother Roy ran the company. From the start they were very clear on the principles they demanded of themselves and those they worked with, and that approach placed everyone on the same page. Inspired by our heritage, we continue to follow this practice by working together and pursuing the same goals. One small, but effective, example of this is what’s known as the ‘Disney Scoop’. From front line workers to executive level administrators, every Cast Member makes it part of their job to scoop up and dispose of loose litter whenever they see it.

This ties in to the third link in our chain: People management. Even though there are thousands of job classifications at Disney, every Cast Member shares the common objective to make Guests happy. So everyone from Jungle Cruise skippers to graveyard shift custodians to Disney Institute facilitators approaches their role with this same goal in mind. One extension of this philosophy is that we let all Cast Members know they are valued. We encourage them to share their ideas to help us improve our service delivery and efficiency.

Now just imagine the disarray you’d witness if your business had no leaders, no clear purpose, and multiple sets of rules. Lead by example and you’ll see people management in action: Your team becomes united in purpose.

SERVICE STANDARDS

If I could put my finger on the one thing that Disney does best, it would be that we exceed expectations. Nowhere do we demonstrate this more effectively than in our service delivery. If you've ever been to a Disney Theme Park or Resort, you likely have a story to share about the Cast Member who made you feel special. That’s by design – a key part of everyone’s job is to treat each and every Guest with respect, to treat them as an individual and not just part of the crowd – to give them that feeling of being important.

Naturally what we promise to deliver is also on the minds of our Guests. Disney fans are among the most dedicated on earth, and when they visit a park or buy one of our products, they expect the highest levels of quality possible. And so we deliver. Consistently.

You should do the same.

I say this because even if you believe your product is the best in the world, more than likely it is not unique. The critical difference, then, lies in the service that accompanies it. There are several ways to know how your customers feel about your service, but the simplest method of all is to just listen.

It’s human nature that more people will tell you when you’re doing something wrong instead of praising you when you’ve done something right, but that’s OK. Even if you disagree, what they are conveying is their perspective between what they expected and what you delivered. Once again, all roads lead back to service, and these moments are actually golden opportunities to recover your customers.

FULL CIRCLE

Consider the foundation that Disney has established through this approach to business: We demonstrate creativity so our Guests know that we will consistently offer new experiences and reasons to return; our leaders lead by example which ties into a higher level of people management; and everyone within the organization is aware that quality service sets us apart.

Combined, they lead to the fifth and final link in the Chain of Excellence: Brand Loyalty. Because we aim to exceed each of these expectations, approximately 70 percent of our Theme Park visitors are returning Guests. If they are satisfied with what we do, if we listen to them when we fall short, if we consistently improve our product to capture a new generation while preserving the traditions that made Disney a household name, then we can create customers for life. Your organization has a chance to deliver on its brand promise – remember that that you are working not only for your customers, but because of them.

Now’s the time to start crafting a chain for your organization. Are you ready?

George Kalogridis is president of Disneyland® Resort. Visit disneyinstitute.com to learn more about Disney's Approach to Business Excellence.