Page 41 - The Apple Experience

2. Training. All new hires from cast members to senior leaders are required to spend

a day at Disney University where trainers share the past, present, and future of the
Disney organization. The program is called Traditions because Disney traditions

and values are shared through stories, examples, and activities. The goal is to build

pride in the brand. The Disney trainers who facilitate the classes are also selected
more for attitude than aptitude. Sound familiar? During one period when the

recession forced organizations, including Disney, to cut costs, the Traditions
program was trimmed back. The reaction was immediate. Supervisors began to

complain that the hiring process had been changed. Disney was hiring the same
type of candidates but not putting them through a culture course. The resulting

decline in customer service was so obvious, Traditions was reinstated and has

remained in place ever since. Values and culture matter, but not if your team
doesn’t know about them.

3. Communication. Senior leaders at Disney have learned that trust is built through

an active feedback loop with the employees responsible for delivering guest
experiences. Disney leaders are encouraged to spend 60 percent of their time with

employees and guests. They are constantly having conversations with employees,
listening to their concerns, and taking steps to improve the experience for both

internal and external customers—employees and guests. I once heard that Phil
Holmes, vice president of the Magic Kingdom, posts a confidential voice message

for internal employees and leaves his direct number. Holmes doesn’t just tell
people that he listens. He actually does. When Tim Cook took over as Apple’s

CEO, he, too, told employees that they could contact him at any time. One

Apple Store employee told me that he sent Cook an e-mail asking a question
about the signature glass doors at the entrance of his particular store. This

employee was surprised to hear back from Cook, and a couple of days later an
executive in Apple’s retail division personally called the employee to answer his

question. With one short e-mail response to an employee’s question, Cook
responded, delegated, and built trust with the employee and the other staff

members who heard the story.