Walt Disney said everything he had ever accomplished was a result of Mickey Mouse. Mickey was Walt’s alter ego and he was originally modeled after Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp character. So without Chaplin, who knows what Mickey would have become!
The results of “engaged” companies vs “disengaged” companies are staggering. Getting workers to be more engaging with their coworkers and customers can produce huge results.
The two greatest role models in my professional career were Walt Disney and Dr. Deming. Dr. Deming was the Father of Total Quality Management and the person who redefined quality for the entire world.
Love for coworkers, love for customers, love for the product and love for self. Walt Disney instilled all of these “loves” in his company. Each of these factors is critical to achieving success in any organization.
The two critical questions to ask are: “Who is my customer?” and “What value am I adding?” Unfortunately, many workers cannot answer these questions. They tend to blindly do things, and develop bad habits of doing things over and over for no good reasons.
Walt’s major passion was to provide the finest in family entertainment. For the most part, for nearly a century, the Company has stayed true to that legacy, and has set the standard for the entire entertainment industry.
When you focus on results, you will very seldom see a change in your culture. But, if you focus on a customer-centric culture, you will realize long-term results.
Write down your Dream or story; create your own unique Values, Believe in them, and use them to make all decisions; Dare to take some risks; and Do the planning, revisions and details to realize the Dream.
There is an old Indian saying, “When legends die, dreams end. When dreams end, there is no more greatness.” Leaders like Walt Disney inspire their organizations to keep their legends and stories alive.
Twenty years ago if you provided someone with horrible service, it may take weeks or even months for the word-of-mouth message to get out to 15-20 potential customers.
Social media can work to a CEO’s advantage. Someone with a great product in a small town in the middle of nowhere can compete in the world marketplace.
In today’s global economy, innovations and improvements to products and services are not only happening more rapidly than ever before in history, they are being communicated instantaneously. So, it’s “innovate or die”!
