Meet a Facilitator:
Lisa Spahn
Since 'landing' her first role as a Disney Cast Member at the Epcot® Living with the Land attraction in 1988, Lisa Spahn has ventured out from Walt Disney World® Resort to traveling around the world; circling the globe to recruit Cast Members for Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Lisa's knowledge of the world and its cultures led to her recent role as manager of College and International Programs at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park where she facilitated the Cultural Awareness Class what welcomed and introduced international Cast Members from widely diverse backgrounds into the Disney culture of excellence.
What inspired you to become a Disney Institute facilitator?
In 1989 I was hosting a live show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ when a Disney Institute facilitator saw me and asked me to shadow a program – which I did and which I loved. I joined the team as an associate facilitator, delivering tours and participating in team building programs and serving as a field captain for multi-day programs including Disney’s Approach to People Management and Disney’s Approach to Quality Service. When my career path allowed, I joined Disney Institute full time in 2000.
What’s the best work-related advice you ever received?
When I was promoted to an assistant supervisor, my leader told me that whether the message was positive or not so positive, always provide feedback to my fellow Cast Members (employees) and follow through on all requests, both stated and implied. It’s advice I still use today.
Considering today’s economic environment, what’s an important lesson for companies to know?
I consistently hear from organizations that they want to develop a customer-centric culture to acquire a sustainable, competitive advantage through their delivery of service. We emphasize that it requires leaders focusing on their employees that allows them to focus on their customers which leads to positive business results.
Is there a favorite “A-ha!” moment from a program?
Once an executive stopped our Common Purpose program cold when he cried out, “I get it!” He explained that their executive team carried with them vision and mission statements on laminated cards and would stop employees and ask them to quote their statements. If the person missed even a word, they would “coach” them. “Oh, you missed the word ‘they.’” What he learned from Disney Institute was that it’s not about employees memorizing words; it’s about the entire team internalizing the vision and mission so they can emotionally connect and deliver the essence of their organization more effectively. That’s when their entire executive team agreed: “A-ha!”
How would you define “Business Excellence?”
I believe business excellence is the ability of an organization to focus beyond business results and recognize the value of the entire experience. At Disney, that includes the Cast Member and Guest experience which subsequently enhances business results. There’s a passage from Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity that says it all: “A committed, responsible, inspiring leader develops a creative culture of people who generate innovative products and services to provide the organization with a competitive edge.”
Which core concepts from Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence do you think are the most beneficial?
It’s so hard to narrow this down – which is why I suggest attending our full programs – but I’d first suggest that they visualize the ‘three-legged stool’ – the employees, the customers, and the business results – for decision making; and second, practice the art of exceeding expectations. You don’t have to create big “wows” all the time. You’ll find yourself exceeding expectations just by creating little “wows” along the way.
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