The Disney Way This page intentionally left blank REVISED AND FULLY UPDATED The Disney Way Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson Foreword by John Christensen, FISH! coauthor of the best-selling book McGraw-Hill New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2007, 2002 by Center for Quality Leadership, D.B.A. Capodagli Jackson Consulting. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07-176681-4 MHID: 0-07-176681-2 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-147815-1, MHID: 0-07-147815-9. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. 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THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUAR- ANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMA- TION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the func- tions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inac- curacy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of li- ability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. To those who continue Dreaming, Believing, Daring, and Doing despite continual economic change and a nation at war—we salute you. This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword to New Edition by John Christensen ix Preface to New Edition xi Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1. Walt’s Way 1 DREAM Chapter 2. Make Everyone’s Dreams Come True 17 BELIEVE Chapter 3. You Better Believe It 37 Chapter 4. Never a Customer, Always a Guest 61 Chapter 5. All for One and One for All 83 Chapter 6. Share the Spotlight 105 DARE Chapter 7. Dare to Dare 127 DO Chapter 8. Practice, Practice, Practice 149 Chapter 9. Make Your Elephant Fly—Plan 169 Chapter 10. Capture the Magic with Storyboards 185 vii viii The Disney Way Chapter 11. Give Details Top Billing 201 Chapter 12. Re-Creating the Magic 215 PUTTING IT TOGETHER: FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS Chapter 13. Dream, Believe, Dare, Do 225 Epilogue. The Magic Continues 267 Appendix 277 Notes 285 Bibliography 293 Index 297 Foreword I can still remember the feeling of excitement that came over me every Sunday evening—the great anticipation of getting my grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup on a TV tray and awaiting the start of my favorite show. Then, on the screen it would begin. The beautiful castle would appear, Tinker Bell would wave her wand and the “pixie dust” would drop, and the “Wonderful World of Disney” would begin. Wow! All those feelings come back like it was just last night. For me, that was over 40 years ago, but that feeling still excites me every time I have a Disney experience. What is the magic? Part of me wants to know, while the other part of me just wants to keep on experiencing it, like wanting and not wanting to know how a magic trick is performed. Bill and Lynn have cracked open the curtain so we can all have access to some of the insights into the Wonderful World of Disney. It was the Disney standard of imagination and engagement that inspired me so many years ago, and with that “pixie dust” in my heart I discovered the FISH! Philosophy, a group of daily practices that reflects the ideals Walt Disney shared with the world. Now, Bill and Lynn bring these ideals and practices into practical use, with something for any dreamer to use. We have all heard of the Disney secrets: customers are called “guests”; theme parks are called the “show”; and behind the scenes is called “backstage.” But the real magic that Bill and Lynn share with us is Walt’s underlying philosophy of “I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true: Dream, Believe, Dare, Do.” ix