My family and I had the privilege of visiting Disney World recently. We have been to both Disney World and Disneyland before, but this time we were there for eight days! We stayed at the beautiful Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and had an amazing time.

I’ve always loved Disney. For me, it is as much a “business case study” as it a family vacation. I love it every time I go, and could easily visit much more often than we do. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Walt Disney, who is one of the greatest visionaries ever.

We can learn a lot about business—and about life—from Walt Disney World. Here are some of the lessons I learned at Disney:

1. Walk your talk. More often than not, it seems, companies invest time and money to create a “mission statement.” But few employees even know what it is, let alone follow it. At Disney, however, everyone walks the talk. The company invests a lot in training its employees, and its efforts pay off.

I was amazed by how helpful people are. When cast members (employees) notice a guest (customer) in need, they are urged to stop whatever they’re doing, and offer to help. Whenever I stopped and appeared to be looking for something, a cast member appeared to ask if he or she could help me find something.

Contrast this with our typical experience in a store. (I’ll resist the temptation to name names.) We’re looking for something, and not only can we not find what we’re looking for, but we can’t find anyone working there, either. It’s almost as if someone turned on the lights, and they all scattered!

Are you walking your talk? Or, to paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, is what you’re doing thundering above your head so loudly that your customers can’t hear what you’re saying?

2. Exceed expectations. Whatever Disney was involved in—cartoons, animated films or theme parks—Walt always went the extra mile. He called this “plussing”, which he defined as “giving people a stellar entertainment experience ‘plus’ constant improvements on it.” If something can be made better, it’s done.

One example of this is the name Disneyland Paris. You may remember that it was originally named Euro Disney. The euro is now the official currency of the European Union, and Disney didn’t want its theme park name associated with money and commerce. It didn’t fit with the image Disney wanted in the minds of its guests, so the name was changed, or “plussed.”

3. It’s the little things. The attention to detail at Disney is unparalleled. Imagineer John Hench describes it in the book Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service. “What’s our success formula? It’s the attention to infinite detail, the little things, the little, minor picky points that others just don’t want to take the time, money, or effort to do.”

My favorite example of this is the music at Disney World. In the morning, guests hear lively music as they arrive. Everyone is upbeat and energetic, and the music supports that energy. In the evening, though, the music is mellow. Guests are tired after a long day, and the cast members are more relaxed as guests leave. This isn’t something that people are consciously thinking of, and yet Disney has invested a lot of time and energy on this one aspect of its theme parks.

4. Treat all of your guests like VIPs. One example I observed during our vacation was the way people with disabilities were served, to ensure that they, too, had a pleasant experience. I saw this numerous times on the bus, when disabled guests in wheelchairs and mobility scooters were given extra attention to make sure that they were safe and secure. I’m sure riding public transportation is not easy when you’re not able to walk, but Disney seemed to turn it into a positive (or at least neutral) experience.

For more on this topic, see an article that I wrote years ago called “How Are You Treating Your Customers… In Life?”)

http://tinyurl.com/28nz84

If you’ve been to Disney World, what are the lessons you learned there? Post a comment, and tell me what you’ve done to integrate those lessons at work or at home.

All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.

- Walt Disney