Page 23 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

4 The Disney Way

Benchmarking a Legend

Like many other young men of his time and place, Walt Disney held a
succession of jobs punctuated by stints of formal education. His skill as an
artist and his interest in cartoons took him to California in 1923, and only
four years later he formed Walt Disney Productions. Disney’s first big suc-
cess came the following year, in 1928, when he introduced the character of
Mickey Mouse in the synchronized sound cartoon Steamboat Willie. The
cartoon and the mouse were an instant hit.
By the 1930s, this endearing little scamp had captured the hearts of
audiences worldwide. Known as Michael Maus in Germany, Miki Kuchi
in Japan, and Miguel Ratonocito in Spain, he even had a car named after
him! When Fiat, the Italian automobile company, produced its first small
car shortly after World War II, it was christened Topolino, Mickey’s Italian
nickname. Even though Mickey became a senior citizen a few years back, his
ageless persona continues to be recognized and loved by young and old on
every continent.
Mickey may have led the parade, but Disney was not a one-mouse band
by a long shot. No other company in the notoriously chancy entertainment
business has ever achieved the stability, phenomenal growth, and multidirec-
tional expansion of Disney.
In spite of its ever-increasing reach, however, The Walt Disney Company
has consistently kept to the central course described by its founder at the out-
set: to provide the finest in family entertainment. Firmly grounded in Walt’s
innate sense of principle and his Midwestern values, this mission has, over
the years, become clearly associated with the Disney brand. Audiences expect
it, and they are seldom disappointed.
Whatever form the entertainment might take—a theme park ride, a
Broadway musical, an Ice Capades production—it has to be a good show in
every regard. When Walt talked about delivering “the good show,” he didn’t
mean simply a glittering spectacle relying on superficial bells and whistles. He
meant an entirely original, perfectly executed production with substance—one
created to delight a wide audience. He believed that this was what customers
wanted and expected from him, and he was fanatical about providing it.
What’s more, the concept of a good show encompasses far more than the
on-stage action in a single production. Because Disney insisted that custom-
ers be treated like guests, great customer service has become a standard fea-
ture of the total package The Walt Disney Company offers. And wrapped up