Dream Job
Years ago I managed to convince my then-CIO to let me attend Disney Management Training at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. “After all,” I smiled slyly, “I work with a bunch of characters.” My boss was amused and I worked hard so he let me go. It was a fun class and we got a free pass to the park each night for the entire week. I learned a lot about the Disney operation, their hiring practices, how the parks are run and a few cool team games that I used for years afterward. Disney is a huge operation. They have their own dry cleaner, they recycle, they have a huge cafeteria and it’s all underground and hidden from visitors. Disney is an impressively run operation.
Did you know that you’ll never see two of any Disney character on the grounds at the same time? They do that purposely to avoid disillusioning a patron. Did you know that no character is above ground for more than 15 minutes at a time? This is because the costumes are hot and for the health and well being of employees the time they spend in the heat in costume is limited. Did you know that every manager at Disney is required to work as a regular “cast member” for a few weeks out of each year?
One of the employees told me that it was a pleasure to work at Disney because people were always happy to be there. One of the favourite things I heard while attending the class was this little gem about customer service:
“At Disney we don’t believe that the customer is always right but we do believe in allowing them to be wrong, with dignity.”
I’ve always remembered that. I think there is often a fine line between supporting your staff and the age old “the customer is always right” edict. As a Customer Service Manager, I didn’t allow customers to abuse my staff but I also didn’t allow my staff to talk down to my customers.
Disney artists were know as Imagineers. I think that title is made of win. If I had any real drawing talent that would have been a great job. It’s magical and Disney is all about magic.
Sadly, I just missed out on possibly the coolest job of the year! Disney is hiring it’s first ever Chief Magical Officer (CMO)! I found out about it today when registration is already closed. Still, it’s fun to watch the videos of applicants. Even thought they are no longer taking applications you can still take the Aptitude Test, just for fun!
Just in case you’re curious, I passed!
If you’re a crazy Disney fan, you might want to join the Disney Movie Club!
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Disney, World, CMO, Chief Magical Officer, Contest, Application, Dream Job, Imagineers
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