Inside the Magic Kingdom : Seven Keys to Disney's Success

by Tom Connellan

Fifth Printing Dec 1999 Hardcover - ISBN 1-885167-23-7

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Management, Buisness, Education

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 1997

Reviews

[Crystal Messing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST! If you're an employee/boss/manager anywhere this book will give you insight on business you've never seen. Student at a university? Athlete on a team? It can work for anyone! LOVE

[Siobhan Conners · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for work, but real ones know I’m a Disney adult so was excited to read it. Not very interesting- author uses fictionalized characters to demonstrate the “important lesson” which felt hokey and forced.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Business book set in a fictional story. I picked this up because I'm willing to read *anything* that relates to Disney in some way, and I did find the seven keys to Disney customer service to be fascinating (although several of them had already crossed my radar). Some of the information is outdated since the book was first written in 1997. For example, in 2006 I learned from cast members that the Traditions training session and two weeks of specialized training had been decreased to a whirlwind session over only 2 days. A lot of the cast member appreciation had been lost, and it really showed in cast member attitude and guest experience. That doesn't mean that the business practices in the book aren't still applicable. Just not to the current company.

That being said, I didn't care for the story created to present the Seven Keys. The characters were underdeveloped and unbelievable, and the plot was predictable. I found myself skipping past the cheesy passages of dialogue to read about behind-the-scenes Disney. Easy, fast read. Worth reading once, but not twice.

[Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a headache of a book for me. I was really interested in the "7 Keys to Success" but it was buried in a strange fictional story.
The first two chapters are dedicated to introducing the characters- "Alan looked younger than his thirty-eight years, something he hoped would turn into an advantage by the time he was fifty-eight."

Thrilling.
And of course they had to throw in a dude with a bad attitude, who by the end of the book, changes his tune. Sigh.
Their "guide" through Disney, and the "7 Keys to Success" was Mort. Mort calls these five people, "The Gang of Five". It it capitalized in this book- the characters love it. They loooovve being called "The Gang of Five" They giggle about it, they joke about it, the whole thing is loathsome.
I felt like was the author patting himself on the back everytime I read it.
The keys to success were interesting, but I'd recommend a different book.

[Bridgette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was required to read this by the company I work for and I must say, it was a major disappointment. First of all, I hardly learned anything other than I have a desire to interview with the Disney company. Second, the book was poorly written and seemed choppy. The author felt it necessary to keep the pace going by introducing a storyline with six unrealistic business owners. I found them annoying and ridiculous. If I am reading a business book , I like to get right to the point. It was dull, light-hearted, and predictable.

[Kurt Francom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The principles in this book are great and made me think. However, I dislike business books that try and put their principles in a fictional story. It feels like the author is just trying to make his book longer. This book is a good example of that. There is very little character development so it's hard to understand who is who. These principles could have been effectively taught in a blog post or at least a much shorter book.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically this is a novel. It's about a group of business executives who visit Walt Disney World to attend a workshop to learn how to apply the lessons of Disney's experience to improve customer acquisition and retention. Putting business lessons into the mouths of fictional characters usually results in something cringe-worthy, but Connellan is a good enough writer that I actually enjoyed this. By the end, I felt that I'd learned something *and* that I cared about the characters.

I read this during a vacation at Disneyland. It was interesting to compare the characters' idealized trip with my experience of the real world. Of course, the real world came up short, at times distressingly so.

This leads to my principal criticism of the book: The author presents a set of rules for excellent customer service. (I thoroughly endorse his rules, by the way, even for people who aren't in customer-facing jobs.) The problem is the book's premise that Disney follows these rules and has achieved the highest possible level of customer service. I believe, on the other hand, that these rules describe goals to aspire to, rather than ones to achieve.

As Walt himself might have said: No matter how good you are, it's always possible to be better.

The book's lessons [and my edits]:
1. The competition is anyone the customer compares you to [including the customer's imagination and your own past self].
2. Pay fantastic [and fanatical] attention to detail.
3. Everyone walks the talk.
4. Everything walks the talk.
5. Customers are best heard through many ears.
6. Reward, recognize, and celebrate.
7. Xvxryonx makxs a diffxrxncx. [You'll have to read the book.]

P.S. Many people will be tempted to reply that everything about Disney is terrible these days and they don't care about their employees any more and all they want to do is squeeze the maximum amount of money out of their customers and so on and so on and so on.

If you feel that way, ask yourself why you believe that. What happened to make you feel that way? What do you believe Disney is doing wrong? What do you believe changed? How has this affected their financial position? What lessons can you learn from this for your own business?

Tell me what you think in the comments. Be as specific as possible. Comments like "Disney s*cks!!" or "They've gone woke!" or "They're a bunch of corporate fascists!" are neither amusing nor useful.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I giggled a little at how cheesy this is, but honestly, it's the most interesting business book I've read so far. Fictionalizing the characters but keeping real concepts allowed for a natural flow and an easy way to put yourself in their shoes. The book keeps a consistent pace and tone that made me feel engaged all throughout, presenting only what was necessary with very little extra. The focus was strongly leaning toward B2C companies, and I'd love to see more examples focusing on businesses that aren't consumer-facing. Props for the cheat sheet in the back, too! Nobody likes to flip through the whole book to find a reminder. Got this at a garage sale and wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, but I'm not mad at it.

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Disney fan, this great book on Customer Service shows you how the magic happens!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for work. Overall, I like the lessons. But I didn’t love the cheesy format and am not a big fan of Disney, so I could have lived without it. Could definitely see why companies would want their employees reading it, though!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great easy quick read to help put some perspective and thoughts on great customer service.

[Romina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro me ha encantado ha sido de los mejores que he leído. En particular ves la vida secreta de Disney, que yo creo que es un lugar que a tod@s nos gusta.Sin spoilers jajajaja. Yo lo recomiendo mucho. Mi calificación de este libro es un 10 de 10. 🤩

[Daniel F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly an amazing book, I would recommend it to anyone who can look past its cover and understand its true meaning. When I was about 9 years old my parents took me to Disney world; at that age it really did feel like a dream. Now, when I look back at it I can't remember anything bad about it. There was no gum stuck to the ground, no trash wherever you looked, it was all clean and shiny. Not a single employee strayed out of character.
Why don't I feel the same when I go to San Antonio's Zoo, Seven Flags or Sea World?

This book explains why. The quality of the Disney World entertainment is based on a series of decisions which make the place magical. My favorite quote in the whole book is "Xvxryonx makxs a diffxrxncx". It tells the foundation on which Disney World is built. Nobody and nothing is too little to ignore. Each employee is important, each detail of each ride is critical. There are no insignificant aspects of the business.

Did you know that the carousel is covered with 23kt gold instead of regular gold paint, that Bill Clinton's watch is not only identical to his own but also shows the correct time, and Washington's cloths are handmade out of material from those times? I didn't either, but these things were not meant for us to see, they were meant for the employees. It makes a difference to them, and we can only see it through the respect with which they do their jobs.

This book is different from what I normally read. It is supposed to be a business book but I found that it teaches moral values. It helped me understand the importance of values in everything we do, and how that makes a difference to ourselves, even if not to the others. There is always hope that the quality of our work shines through and is been noticed, like the quality of the Magic Kingdom.
I'd like to imagine a world where everybody would follow Disney's lessons.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard that there's going to be a new Disneyland coming out in China, so before I 'lose' my title, let me just state: I've been to all the Disneylands in the world. So obviously I have a great interest in Disney and how it works.

And if you're looking for an easy-to-read introduction to the Disney business way (this book was written in 1996 so it may not be true of the company anymore), Inside the Magic Kingdom is a good book to read.

The author uses real-life incidents and incoporates it into a fiction narrative about a group of five business people who come to Disneyland to learn about its business practices. Basically, everything can be summed up into 7 principles:

1. The Competition is anyone the customer compares you with
2. Pay fantastic attention to detail
3. Everyone walks the talk
4. Everything walks the talk
5. Customers are best heard through many ears
6. Reward, recognise and celebrate
7. Xvxryonx makxs a diffxrxncx

And of course, there are many examples of the legendary Disney customer service. They make Disney sound like an awesome company (I'd like to work there!) and a role model for other companies to imitate as well.

I admit to not caring much about the characters, but I did think that the story format made the "lessons" easier to digest. The book isn't dry at all, and can be finished in one sitting.

This book is for anyone who cares about customer service, or just wants to make their company memorable.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! If I wasn't already impressed by Disney as a company, this book WoWed me!! Wish I could attend some of the Disney Institute Workshops! They go to incredible lengths in customer service and how they achieve such high standards is by treating their employees really really well! Especially fascinating to me that the Disney company goes to such great lengths to include EVERYONE as family, especially in the completion of EPCOT. They halted construction once a month and invited all contracted laborers and their families to an on-site picnic with tram rides and tours to show off progress as well as models of what was to come. Children played, wives danced and they all gained great pride and ownership in their work. They also published a weekly newsletter for them with pictures interviews and updates. They wanted as much "buy-in" as possible - as much investment in quality and attention-to-detail as they could squeeze out of these often transient disconnected laborers. They go even further in their commitment to Disney employed Cast Members!! Lowest turn-over on record!! I want to work for Disney!

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great message told through a story to make it memorable. Some of my favorite insights: Pay is like water and you die without it quickly. Recognition is like food and you can't last long without it. We need passion for the total customer experience. Your competitor is anyone that raises the bar for customer expectations.

[Tanise Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro incrível. Uma história fictícia com situações reais para ensinar lições que toda empresa deveria absorver e passar para os seus colaboradores. Para uma criança "criada a base de Disney" como me considerado, chegou até a ser emocionante descobrir como funciona a fábrica de sonhos e aumentou mais ainda a vontade de visitar o lugar.

[Kshappert]

So Mort and the Gang of Five were kind of cheesy, but the insider info into Disney's company policies was fascinating.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dived into the evil empire and made it back out. I even kinda of liked it.

[Sofia Santillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro escrito por Tom Connellan reconoce y explica cuáles fueron los puntos claves para que Disney se convierta en el gigante empresarial en que se ha convertido, se distingue mucho por la capacidad de lograr que sus clientes estén completamente satisfechos de su estancia en el “Reino mágico”, se expresa que en promedio el 70% de los visitantes regresan, por lo menos una segunda vez.

El libro presenta un caso específico donde 5 empresarios vistan Disney para ver ejemplos de maneras específicas en el que el personal de Disney se supera a sí mismo para retener a sus “invitados”, como ellos le llaman a sus clientes.

Lección #1: La competencia es cualquier persona con quien el cliente te compare.
Los ejecutivos y nosotros muchas veces podríamos pensar que los competidores de Disney son parques de diversiones como: Estudios Universal o Six Flags pero lo que Mort les explica es que podrían ser General Electric, Federal Express, L.L.Bean, ya que la competencia es cualquier persona o empresa que satisfaga mejor que tú a tu cliente, sin importar el tipo de negocio de que se trate, a la hora de las comparaciones lo padecerás.
Las personas juzgan no solo la experiencia global, sino también por lo que ocurre en cada transacción, se puede comparar una llamada, una factura, un registro de entrega, entre otras muchas cosas.

Lección #2 : Presentar una exagerada atención a los detalles
Los integrantes de reparto hacían cualquier cosa para que la experiencia de los invitados fuera de verdad mágica, por ejemplo Bill observó una situación en donde la encargada de la entrada saludó por su nombre a “Mary” y quedó sorprendido de cómo, con la cantidad de gente que entra al parque podría recodarse de su nombre, ella le explicó que eran varios puntos, primero que más del 70% de los que están en Disney, es su segunda vista y que ella había visto unos aretes parecidos anteriormente, simplemente era una sofisticada combinación de atención al detalle, conocimiento previo, intuición y ser dinámicamente amistosos.
El término de “Ser dinámicamente amistosos” quiere decir que todos los integrantes de reparto de Disney tienen instrucciones de interrumpir cualquier actividad que hagan cada vez que observen a un invitado en apuros.

Lección 3: Todos predican con el ejemplo.
Disney se basa mucho en predicar con el ejemplo, pero en este caso explica como todos los integrantes de reparto predican con el ejemplo, es decir aparte de todo el trabajo que tienen que cumplir ellos siempre están al pendiente de los invitados por ejemplo, el personal de vigilancia en  Disney lo integran 45 000 personas, todos son parte del personal de vigilancia, la limpieza es parte de la cultura organizacional, no es una política  sino que es el liderazgo que exhibe cada integrante de reparto, integrantes de reparto, supervisores, presidentes de la administración, directores, todos recogen basura al igual que cualquier otra persona, la limpieza es parte de todos.



Lección 4: Todas las cosas predican con el ejemplo.
Aunque muchas veces los invitados no se dan cuenta de todos los detalles que tienen las cosas dentro del parque, siempre hay detalles que de una forma u otra forma les hace saber a los invitados,  que ellos son lo más importante. Como por ejemplo, todas las partes del carrusel son pintadas con hoja de oro de 23 quilates y aunque la mayoría de los invitados no puedan ver la diferencia o no noten esos detalles, muchas veces es también para mostrarles a los propios integrantes de reparto que cuando se trata de los invitados, se hace el mayor esfuerzo en todo lo que hacen.

Lección 5: Muchas orejas escuchan mejor a los clientes.
La mejor manera en la que ellos pueden atender a las necesidades de sus invitados es por medio de los puestos de escucha, ya que permiten tomar acción inmediata sobre la información, pueden mandar a hacer pasteles de sorpresa en cumpleaños, preparados por el mismo personal de mantenimiento, un ramo de flores o una comida especial para unos recién casados.
Muchas veces en las empresas se sienten incapaces de cumplir con las expectativas de los clientes, siempre hay que encontrar la manera de llegar a la causa raíz del problema y asegurarse que no ocurra de nuevo.
El objetivo de los puestos de escucha es que la empresa escuche a los clientes, en el lugar de escucharse a sí misma, por último se puede entender que es fundamental hacer encuestas pero es igual de importante usar otra fuentes de información.
Si se ignora a información de los empleados, es probable que se pase por alto la fuente más valiosa de información que se posee sobre los clientes.

Lección 6: Recompensa, reconoce y celebra.
Siempre es importante para cualquier empleado tener reconocimiento de sus acciones, por ejemplo una integrante del personal vio que en una montaña rusa, Gloria no podía entrar con su helado y el le dijo que se lo sostendría mientras ella se subía a la montaña rusa, y cuando salió de la atracción, ahí estaba Murphy con su helado impecable, obviamente el helado se derritió en 20 minutos, por lo tanto ella tuvo la iniciativa de ir a comprarle otro helado siempre con la idea de que los clientes deben vivir esa magia del parque en todo momento.
Carmen, la madre de Gloría mando una carta de agradecimiento por el detalle, Mort como supervisor bajó la copia de la carta y la puso en el mural de los avisos para que los otros integrantes de reparto vieron como él influyó de manera positiva en la vacaciones de alguien, aquí se puede ver una combinación de recompensa, reconocimiento y celebración

Lección 7: Todas las personas constituyen la diferencia.
En esta parte explican que todas las personas que son parte de las empresas son importantes, que las competencias de cada uno de alguna manera complementan a otros y de esta manera pueden trabajar al 100% explican la existencia de los “Silos” que son personas que trabajan en un departamento y que solo piensan  en sus propias funciones, piensan y actúan hacia arriba y abajo y rara vez con otros departamentos. Este tipo de  personas deben eliminarse, para lograr un buen trabajo en equipo y aumentar al máximo la lealtad de los clientes es preciso derribar los silos.

Algunos puntos importantes que se tocaron en el libro son:
• La zona roja: En el preciso instante en que todos dicen los grande que alguien es, éste se vuelve más vulnerable.
• Todos en Disney son uno solo, aunque unos trabajen directamente en los parques y otros trabajen en alojamientos, no existe esa mentalidad de nosotros y ellos.
• Responder a una pregunta no expresada es una habilidad realmente especial.
• Es más importante adquirir clientes que cuenten, en lugar de contar clientes que se adquieren.
• La mayoría del tiempo los empleados tratan a los clientes del mismo modo en que son tratados.
• Las empresas que desarrollan a su personal generan más utilidades.

El objetivo que realmente cumplieron es: llevar al lector, y por lo tanto a su empresa a un nivel mayor de satisfacción del cliente.

[Kaity Hitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my principal gave this to us for summer reading, I rolled my eyes so hard, you could’ve heard it in Canada.

I am honestly surprised that I ended up enjoying this book. I found a lot of good takeaways to use in my classroom and with my coworkers.

Obviously, everything doesn’t apply because “students” and “customers” are not synonyms, and my job is not to fix every issue they have (because some issues are growing pains of becoming responsible adults), but there’s a lot of good things.

Yes, the story was cheesy, but it made the book move a bit quicker and it allowed people to see multiple examples of how this would work across a broad range of companies. I wasn’t reading this for the cheesy stories - I was in it for the lessons.

The biggest thing I noticed being repeated through this was that “it all starts with leadership”. If leadership doesn’t walk the talk, others others won’t either. So we’ll see if my Admin decides to walk the talk this year.

So, teachers, if you’re being forced to read this, too, go into it with an open mind. It ain’t so bad.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me parece muy interesante la forma en que el autor decidió escribir el libro de una forma que pareciera más una historia que un simple libro educativo. Siento que ese aspecto facilita comprender las formas en que se pueden aplicar las lecciones que trata y en mi caso lo hace más memorable. Me gustó mucho que permite a la gente, que como yo ama los parques, ver lo que se requiere para lograr crear esa magia y como los Cast Members son lo que mantienen a Disney siendo uno de los lugares más felices del mundo.
Finalmente, me gustó mucho que las lecciones se pueden aplicar a cualquier aspecto de la vida, no sólo en la capacitación de empleados o el servicio al cliente, y creo que eso lo hace aún más valioso.

[Justyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book made promises that the content did not fulfill. 2 thumbs down. I bought this book with full faith that it would blow my hair back like the other books about Disney I’ve read. I lost way too much of my life trying to get interested in what I was reading. If you want to learn about Disney business practices and how their customer service sets them above the rest, then go read the book titled ‘be our guest’. It’s written by a different author but that book is actually worth reading. That is only 1 example of another book about Disney, but there are many amazing books about Disney. This book is not worth reading. I recommend you go find something else to read. 2 thumbs down.

[Kathy Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping Don would stay true to himself. Oh, well.

For a self-published book, intended to get your employer to hire the author as a keynote speaker for the next company training, it's not God awful. Of course, the next best thing is to get your employer to buy a copy for each employee. That's how best-sellers are made.

I'm waiting to see how my employer turns our organization into the Magic Kingdom. In times of Covid-19, it is already apparent that attention to detail is not being paid and not everyone is valued. That's going to make walking the talk tough.

At least no mice were injured, and no cheese was moved.

[Susana Ordaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro redacta de diferentes empresarios acuden a Disney, Orlando, a aprender cómo Disney ha logrado ganar la lealtad de sus clientes.
Una de las ideas principales de Disney es que tu eres el que debe satisfacer de mejor manera, las necesidades del cliente sin importar nada ya que los clientes te van a juzgar de manera que abarque todos los elementos que conforman tu empresa. La cultura organizacional es un elemento clave ya que no solo es mantener el cliente a toda cosa, sino que tu personal es feliz trabajando para ti, así mismo, prestando atención en cada detalle para satisfacer las necesidades del cliente. No tienen barreras de jerarquía entre sus empleados; fomentan la limpieza poniendo el ejemplo y en todo lo demás también, como el trabajo en equipo. De misma manera es elemental mantener el contacto con el cliente para atender todas sus necesidades; para medir el nivel de satisfacción en ellos se hacen encuestas así atender sus quejas o sugerencias. Se tienen atenciones específicas con los clientes, por ejemplo, si es el cumpleaños de alguien le traen un pastel, o si es el aniversario de alguna pareja se les llevan un ramo de flores. En cuanto para los empleados, existen otro tipo de recompensas, para ellos existen tarjetas de felicitaciones por su buen trabajo y al final de un periodo se sortean los nombres para recompensarlos.
Otro punto que ha llevado a Disney al éxito es que son muy cuidadosos si es que llegan a tener errores, ellos siempre tratan de resolverlo lo antes posible. Además, que su personal no se enfoque en solo un departamento.
Al final del libro, menciona la recapitulación de los empresarios. Lo sintetizan tomando encuentra los elementos que observaron en Disney en relación a su enfoque de empresa.

[Irving Sun ☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un buen libro para conocer la perfección de la empresa; trabajar con el ejemplo, atención extrema a los detalles, el trato con la competencia, atención al cliente, reconocimiento, recompensas y celebraciones por un trabajo bien hecho y el valor de los empleados. Un libro con una historia sencilla, y a pesar de tener 160 páginas, me atrevería a decir que es un poco largo dado las frases clave que se pueden producir en menos páginas. Un libro interesante para quien ya tiene una pequeña o gran empresa y quiere aprender a trabajar la perfección.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I appreciate the "tale" and how it made each point. The seven keys to Disney's success are from the mind of Tom Connellan. I think they're right on! They give you something to think about and a way to raise the bar in customer service. Gary Sinise says "You can never give enough, but you can always give a little bit more." You can apply that to being successful in customer service. "The 1% Solution" sounds like another book that will increase inspiration for improving customer service.

[Víctor Pacheco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se cancela todo, me voy a trabajar a Disney World 😬. Muy buen libro para conocer por qué esta empresa es tan exitosa, qué hace diferente, todos los detalles en los que se fijan, el compromiso de su personal (perdón de su reparto) para hacer cumplir siempre su promesa y que todo invitado que entre tenga una grata experiencia. Y lo mejor, estas claves sirven para cualquier empresa, es de lo que trata el libro, de decirnos: mira lo que se hace en Disney lo podría estar haciendo tu empresa y seguro mejoraría rotundamente, solo hace falta rociar un poco de polvos mágicos.

[Tyler Odell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing the lessons into a fictional setting was not nearly as insufferable as the bad reviews are making it sound. It allowed a very easy flow with natural pointers of the relationship between how Disney runs its business versus how to apply it elsewhere, which I always find interesting.

My only complaint would be that the “Don” character wasn’t really necessary. The whole “Debby downer turns cheerful in the end” shtick was not needed to make this story work, and the random observances of how “disgruntled” he is was unnecessary.

[Chalinviri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó este libro!!! Es una historia y creo que fácilmente puede ser un documental o una película.

Por lo general este tipo de libros quedan fuera de mi zona de confort, pero en este caso, me gusto la forma como llevaron las lecciones, sino, como encajarían en el Mundo Mágico de Disney.

Vale mucho la idea leerlo y más que nada reflexionar, porque son los pequeños detalles que podemos aplicar y elevaría nuestro producto o servicio.

Sip, vale mucho la pena ☺️