It’s Not The Business Excellence Magic That Makes It Work

two rocking chairs on brick porch
Day 13: Liberty Square, Hall of Presidents exit.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe Magic Kingdom
Looking across the way at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe.
Hall of Presidents exit
Hall of Presidents exit. Right next to the two rocking chairs.
disney speaker Jeff Noel sitting on Magic Kingdom rocking chair
Work from anywhere, before WFH became a thing.
Walt Disney's Main Street window
Walt’s Main Street window faces Cinderella Castle.
Meg Crofton Main Street window
Meg Crofton at one time was Walt Disney World’s President.
Disney balloons
Heading home after Day 13 writing at Disney.

It’s Not The Business Excellence Magic That Makes It Work

It’s the hard Disney Organizational Vibrancy work that makes it Magic.

It comes down to being focused and disciplined.

  1. Focused on the basics.
  2. Disciplined to never take our focus off the basics.

Seems ridiculously simple right?

It is.

Remember, though; simple doesn’t mean easy.

If focus and discipline were easy, we’d all be outdistancing ourselves from our competition and achieving “the impossible”, competitive immunity.

Disney’s Single Biggest Business Excellence Secret Revealed

Disney Institute van
Day 12: Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort Convention Center.

Disney’s Single Biggest Business Excellence Secret Revealed

Disney over-focuses on the same things other businesses under-focus on or ignore

Disney’s Organizational Vibrancy banks on being intentional where others are unintentional.

This is the key to Disney’s long-term success.

The Five World Class Business Excellence Basics, Disney Style

Disney's Contemporary Resort
Day 11: Disney’s Contemporary Resort Grand Canyon Concourse. September 2016.

The Five World Class Business Excellence Basics, Disney Style

  1. Leaders
  2. Employees
  3. Customers
  4. Reputation
  5. Improve

Never get bored with the basics.

Focus and discipline.

Excellence.

Exceeding expectations.

All day.

Every day.

Never be satisfied.

The road to excellence has no finish line.

If the Business Chain of Excellence, Disney Style, doesn’t make perfect sense, nothing i say will matter

Downtown Disney, September 18, 2016
Day 10: Downtown Disney, September 18, 2016. Photo taken from Star Wars Galactic Outpost
man sitting next to Disney shop
Intentionally behind a trash can to avoid being a Guest trip hazard.
someone typing on iPhone closeup
Trash can acts to protect guests, and me, from an accident.
man looking at phone sitting on ground at Disney
Tucked back in against the store wall.
man looking at phone sitting on ground at Disney
The shop entrance pole also serves as a safety device.
man looking at phone sitting on ground at Disney
Writing like i mean it.
Disney Institute twitter quote
September 2016. i, and every other Cast Member learns this (me in 1982) on Day One in Disney Traditions.

If the Business Chain of Excellence, Disney Style, doesn’t make perfect sense, nothing i say will matter

When you believe in something all the way, no convincing is necessary. When you don’t, no amount of convincing will be enough.

If what Disney Organizational Vibrancy does, how we do it, and why we do it doesn’t make perfect sense, no amount of my content will ever be enough to convince you.

The good news?

It’s not worth it for either of us to convince the other of anything different.

There’s irrefutable evidence in the form of historical Customer and Employee loyalty that needs no defense.

That said, may you and your business endeavors bring you the personal vibrancy and organizational vibrancy every great leader dreams of.

Ps. In the off chance, you’re feeling compelled to take a risk, the worst that will happen is you’ll have lost an hour of your life to “what might have been.”

An hour.

Two 30-minute “Big Bang Theory” reruns. Almost makes the chance seem worth it, no?

The Why of Disney’s Business Chain of Excellence

Man sitting outside Disney University
Day 8. Back at Disney University. DU is the easiest onsite Walt Disney World location to get to.
Jeff Noel quotes
You are CEO of You, Inc. Impress us.

The Why of Disney’s Business Chain of Excellence

Why does Disney focus on the positive ripple effect driven by great leadership?

Here’s how easy the answer is; if you could only pick one of these two, which would you pick?

  1. A team of good and very good leaders.
  2. A team of excellent leaders.

Sometimes, the answer is that obvious.

Why does Disney focus on employee engagement?

Here’s how easy the answer is; if you could only pick one of these two, which would you pick?

  1. An employee culture architected by design.
  2. An employee culture that happens by default.

Sometimes, the answer is that obvious.

Why does Disney focus on delivering world-class customer service?

Here’s how easy the answer is; if you could only pick one of these two, which would you pick?

  1. Consistently exceeding customer expectations at every touchpoint.
  2. Focusing on meeting customer expectations and occasionally exceeding expectations.

Sometimes, the answer is that obvious.

Why does Disney focus on creating powerful and lasting emotional connections?

Here’s how easy the answer is; if you could only pick one of these two, which would you pick?

  1. A legendary customer service culture reputation every employee believes is worth defending.
  2. A customer service culture that can never seem to go from good to world-class.

Sometimes, the answer is that obvious.

Why does Disney focus on continuously improving it’s products and expanding it’s offerings?

Here’s how easy the answer is; if you could only pick one of these three, which would you pick?

  1. Stay with the industry pack.
  2. Lead the category.
  3. Become the category.

Sometimes, the answer is that obvious.

Disney Business Chain of Excellence Beliefs

Man sitting next to Disney University trash can
Day 7 at Disney University.
iPhone 7 package
Arrived September 16, 2016. A new writing instrument.
Man sitting at Disney University's outdoor break area
Disney University’s outdoor break area.
Man sitting at Disney University's outdoor break area
Time flies. It’s been a week so far.
Disney Institute Performance Center
Disney Institute. Not to be confused with Disney University.

Disney Business Chain of Excellence Beliefs

Leaders drive the employee experience.

Employees drive the customer experience.

Customers drive the repeat visitation.

Loyalty drives your fiscal health.

Creativity is the DNA that runs through everything you do.

Leaders create the internal service quality; employees stay if they are happy; if employees stay they get good at what they do; when employees are happy and good at what they do, they present a good external service quality; good external service quality creates customer satisfaction; (satisfaction is dangerous because it means you’ve only met expectations); the key now is to provide the perception of superior value, which is the key to creating customer loyalty; loyalty leads to revenue growth and profit; grow and profit lead to shareholder value.

What this Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book will do

Disney Custodial Cast Member drawing Mickey with water
Day 6: Notice the rubber band on the trash broom.
Disney Custodial Cast Member drawing Mickey with water
Custodial Cast Members came up with this unique idea to Wow our Guests.
Main Street Confectionary Cast Member asks Guests for their autograph
Main Street Confectionary Cast Member asks Guests for their autograph. This is done when the shop is slow.
Jeff Noel speaker headline
Learned Disney’s secrets, did and mastered Disney’s secrets, teach Disney’s secrets.
exhausted Guest resting on ground in Magic Kingdom
Exhausted Guest resting on ground in Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland
Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.
Man on iPhone while traveling on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority's PeopleMover
Writing while traveling on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority’s PeopleMover.
Man using iPhone while traveling on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority's PeopleMover
Team USA shirt and Disney “I’m Celebrating” button. PS. Still writing and traveling on the PeopleMover.
quote and tagline for Disney speaker Jeff Noel
Quote and tagline. Who writes seven Disney Business Books? And does it on an iPhone. And, from Walt Disney World. Who?

What this Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book will do:

It will offer a simple fix: however, it will not provide an easy fix.

It will intrigue, rather than entertain, you.

It will reveal Disney’s Organizational Vibrancy cultural architecture.

It will answer, “where do we start” by providing Disney’s Organizational Vibrancy cultural blueprints.

What this Disney Business Excellence Book will not do

view of Town Square from Magic Kingdom double-decker bus
Day 6. September 14.
Man wearing head phones typing on phone at Disney
Beats headphones. Apple’s AirPods debuted December 2016.
Magic Kingdom Main Street and Castle view from bus
Writing from here. Pretty cool.
Magic Kingdom Main Street and Castle view from bus
September 14, 2016.
Magic Kingdom Main Street and Castle view from bus
Clock in center displays 6:12 PM.
Magic Kingdom Partners statue from double-decker bus
When you change what you see (raise your elevation), what you see changes.
Magic Kingdom Partners statue from double-decker bus
Grateful and humbled to be able to visit daily.
Cinderella Castle forecourt from double-decker bus
Writing was easy while the bus stopped, unrushed, to unload and reload.

What this Disney Business Excellence Book will not do:

It will not offer an easy fix; however, it does provide a simple fix.

It will not entertain you.

It will not hold your hand.

It will not answer all your questions.

This Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book is perfect for

Cinderella Castle
Day five’s writing location. September 13, 2016.
Guests dressed as The Incredibles
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties start in September. Walkway from Hub to Tomorrowland. Make a left U-turn and head behind Cinderella Castle.
Disney Speaker Jeff Noel writing a book on Cinderella Castle steps
Change of pace. Open-air steps. Umbrella by knee.
thunderstorm approaching Cinderella Castle
Umbrella weather.
Four Cast Members in Halloween themed Cast Member costumes
Heading home. Cast Members “greeting” departing Guests. All Day Guests must exit before the start of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween hard-ticket event.
Storyboard for a book
Disney Leadership book storyboard early stages.
Storyboard for a book
Additional detail: some post it notes have a second layer.
iPhone 7 case in package
Arrived today, September 13, 2016.

Writing seven Disney Business Books in one year, from the iPhone 7 release to the iPhone 8 release.

This Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book is perfect for:

People who want to change the world.

People who admire Disney’s Organizational Vibrancy best practices.

Outliers.

Misfits.

Weird people.

High achievers.

Driven people.

Hopeful people.

Optimistic people.

Visionary people.

People who are tired of excuses.

People who are tired of regrets.

Confused people seeking clarity.

People who are tired of formulaic templates.

People who want someone they can implicitly trust.

Committed people.

People willing to “burn the ships”.

What this Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book is not

Five Sheriff cars near Magic Kingdom
Day 4: September 12, 2016. Protection for a famous person?
steps on Main Street
The steps on Main Street is today’s first of two writing locations.
Disney button on man's shirt at Magic Kingdom
Today’s second writing location. The air conditioning and quiet are welcomed.
Disney button on man's shirt at Magic Kingdom
Always wear the button. Why? Because it’s a celebration. Who gets to visit Walt Disney World everyday to write books?
Magic Kingdom first aid station lobby
Magic Kingdom first aid station lobby. Perfect for someone writing a book on an iPhone.
Disney button on Main Street at night
Heading home. Thank you Day 4.
Walt Disney's Main Street Window
Walt’s “Main Street” window faces Cinderella Castle.
Balloons for sale on Main Street at night
Heading out after a productive writing fourth-day.

Writing seven Disney Business Books in one year, from the iPhone 7 release to the iPhone 8 release.

What this Disney Business Chain of Excellence Book is not.

This Disney Organizational Vibrancy book is not designed for Disney history connoisseurs.

This book is not designed for Disney trivia buffs.

This book is not designed for Disney fanatics.

This book is not designed for people looking for a great story.

This book is not designed for people grasping at straws.