Page 265 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

246 The Disney Way

is right.” Katie Taylor, former general counsel at Four Seasons, gave us a
lawyer’s perspective of this practice. “If you have to go back to the contract,
there is something wrong with the relationship,” Kate told us. “In common law
cultures, relationships of a business nature are anchored by contracts. But we
operated lots of hotels without contracts. We once waited a full six months for
a signed contract, but it didn’t stop us from opening. Another hotel manage-
ment agreement went on for several years without a signed contract. Everyone
realized it when we were going to refinance the property and looked for the
contract.”
A sense of family is apparent not only with the “old guard” like Wolf, but
also with trainees and newer employees. “I have been here only a few years,
but it seems like a lot longer, and I mean that in a positive way. I really feel
like I’ve been part of this company for a long time. I think from your very first
day at Four Seasons, you actually get to know what the company is all about,”
remarked Elizabeth Pizzinato.
The real test of a people-centered culture comes in bad times, like economic
downturns, terrorist attacks, or changes in a local economy. Maintaining busi-
ness health at such times for most service firms means unavoidable layoffs. That
is not the case at Four Seasons. Wolf explained, “We come out of troubled
times stronger. We must continue to do all the things to give employees the
motivation to stay with us. We create an environment that makes them believe
that they will be here with us for the long term. That is not as easy as it sounds
because you also have obligations to other business owners and partners who
don’t always look at things the same way. It’s a hard job to stand up and say to
those partners ‘We cannot change this. You have to understand that in order for
us to have long-term success, we can’t just drop everything and pick it up in a
year or two. It just doesn’t work.’ Yes, you do less. No, you don’t eliminate.” In
many companies, upper management or the accounting department challenges
expenses and seeks ways to cut costs, especially during tough times. That is not
the case at Four Seasons. As Doug Ludwig described, “Even after 9/11, we did
everything that was smart to do to save, but we were careful about not com-
promising the guest experience or the employee experience. The two are very
closely linked, and the last thing you want to do is cut corners in the employee
cafeteria or locker rooms.”
Time and time again, we heard enthusiastic examples of the same story, the
success of Four Seasons’ shared vision and values. Comments such as, “From
the first interview, I knew I wanted to work for this company”; “I have great
pride in working for the company”; and “Everyone knows how much they have