Thursday, September 25, 2008

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do - the four basic standards that drive Disney. Think about it. How can this work for you?

You're probably much smaller than the U.S. Government, but they also hold these standards. Take the space program for instance. Dream-going to the moon, Believe-President Kennedy believed in this program, Dare-we sent rockets into outer space, Do-astronauts stepped foot on the moon.

You can't rest on the past - "it's always worked for us" takes you on the road to nowhere. Open up and allow staff to participate in these standards. It will make them feel more a part of the organization. Who has the most first-hand information? Frontline staff. A lot of their motivation comes from knowing that they're valued.

In the book "The Disney Way", by Bill Capodiagli and Lynn Jackson, they list the 10 concepts that are at the heart of the Disney standards:
  • Give every member of your organization a chance to dream, and tap into the creativity those dreams embody.
  • Stand firm on your beliefs and principles.
  • Treat your customers like guests.
  • Support, empower, and reward employees.
  • Build long-term relationships with key suppliers and partners.
  • Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
  • Train extensively and constantly reinforce the company's culture.
  • Align long-term vision with short-term execution.
  • Use the storyboarding technique to solve planning and communication problems.
  • Pay close attention to detail.
Now these are the standards that Disney follows. But you can't BE Disney. Every organization needs to have their own unique brand and identity. Gain an understanding of these standards as they apply to your business, gather your supervisors and managers, and put them to work.

Develop an organizational culture and mission that's open to change, with Dreams (ideas) coming from all levels of the organization. Talk about motivating! If you take a look at the most successful organizations today, you'll find that staff participation is a major reason for their success. Look at Disney today and remember, "it all started with a mouse".

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