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Service is a Superpower: Lessons Learned in a Magic Kingdom
In Service is a Lessons Learned in Magic Kingdom, Louie Gravance uses his signature combination of humor and personal experience to narrate his journey through the realm of customer service. Part memoir, part self-help manual for businesses big and small, Gravance interweaves his tales of life at Disney theme parks with practical guidance gleaned during the course of a thirty-year career in the service and entertainment industries. Gravance teaches us that the importance of delivering the finest service experiences possible is not just crucial for the livelihood of a company—it also leads to developing a culture of respect and responsibility that is so coveted in the corporate world today. Throughout the book, Gravance crafts an intriguing tale that demonstrates how working at Disney theme parks changed the way he viewed customer service, and elucidates the transformational effects it can have on those who provide it. Service is a Superpower is a personal history and guidebook of best industry practices, offering a unique spin on a tale as old as time, all presented in the tone and style that only Gravance can deliver. From entertainer to training designer for the Disney University in Orlando, Florida, he shares the stories and lessons that inform his central great service serves the server first!
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2020
11 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 22, 2023
An enjoyable read, divided into two parts: a chronological and applied recounting of the author's life in service, and a manual about the ten superpowers necessary for exceptional service.
Louie Gravance started his career in acting and then table serving, so the first part didn't initially capture my attention, but the transition to a life of performance at Disney was so quick and smooth that I was turning pages like a whirlwind.
Gravance's perspective is unique because he wasn't a corporate suit at Disney; rather, he was on the frontline, serving guests directly in the parks, first as an actor deployed ad-hoc throughout the parks, and later as a showman at choreographed shows, dances, and parades. Not many performers end up writing books with such eloquence and quality, so his perspective provides an up-close and personal account of what it takes to serve the guest successfully and leave a lasting impression. The lessons he details aren't just slogans or operating principles devised in a meeting room at corporate Disney HQ; they are real life skills applied in the parks with proven success, with a human touch that can't be easily replicated or cast as some corporate rulebook.
"The folks in on the creative side want to try things that the professionals in operations find problematic. Operations wants and needs consistency."
Gravance struck a balance of both, serving guests in the park, taking their viewpoint, and interfacing with management and creative directors to improve the experience.
"People will always find what they are looking for, the the expectations customers bring can shape your own service performance profoundly as well." Gravance is humble and reflective enough to take what he saw and learned from Disneyland guests, and apply it to his evolving role on the front lines. He breaks those down as he traces his career from Disney to Hawaii tourism to advising Bank of America (ugh) on customer service.
The best part of the book comes near the end of the first half, when Gravance is put in charge of creating Disney University's program training new hires. He embodies the spirit well, bringing us into both the interviews as well as the cohorts. He directly taught everyone from housekeeping and laundry to performers, storekeepers, and cooks in park restaurants, so he weaves together all the challenges of maintaining the spirit of service even after seeing how the sausage is made. He is a master of fighting skepticism and spreading pixie dust, in a genuine, practical, results-driven way. He teaches us how to see beyond the costume, and into the magic.
The anecdotes about hosting after-hours Disneyland parties for rich people at the Tower of Terror, and detailing how messes from meals can destroy Disney hotel rooms -- as well as how to clean them -- are unique to this text. The book kept me glued to the pages because I hadn't read about this in any of the other Disney literature!
The second half of the book breaks down service into ten core skills:
1. ) Serving with Intention
2.) Serving with Knowledge
3.) Serving with Vision
4.) Serving with Presence
5.) Serving with Listening
6.) Serving with Safety
7.) Serving with Courtesy
8.) Serving with Showmanship
9.) Serving with Efficiency
10.) Serving with Your Memory
Even though this list is the author's own creation, I found these more generic and less interesting than the book's first half. Namely, though they are supposed to apply to any operation -- Disney or not -- the latter skills are more self-evident than the first few. I found the Knowledge and Vision chapters most applicable to my business, particularly since they discussed staying in character and tailoring experiences to the layperson guest.
One of the most interesting and applicable parts of vision is "serving the customers' virtual lives, as well as their real ones." His analogy of gymgoers posing and flexing for selfies was both visual and striking. "Doing something but not sharing it on social media is a wasted effort. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody tweets about it, did it really happen?" As vain as this sounds, Louie Gravance makes a sound point, a clear indicator that he keeps his eyes and ears open in the world we live in, observing normal people and viewing the guest experience from their eyes. He doesn't sugarcoat, but he always takes an optimistic view, and he's always thinking of ways to improve and modernize customer experience.
The book's production quality is much superior to other Disney self-published books, and yet it doesn't ever gloss over the dark, stark realities of working at Disney, since this isn't a "Disney Edition" book published by Disney's own in-house publishing arm. Louie Gravance is down-to-earth, his language is easy to read and understand, and his humor and insight shine throughout.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in improving customer service, that wants tips and strategies from Disney frontline performers and Disney University teaching.
Louie Gravance started his career in acting and then table serving, so the first part didn't initially capture my attention, but the transition to a life of performance at Disney was so quick and smooth that I was turning pages like a whirlwind.
Gravance's perspective is unique because he wasn't a corporate suit at Disney; rather, he was on the frontline, serving guests directly in the parks, first as an actor deployed ad-hoc throughout the parks, and later as a showman at choreographed shows, dances, and parades. Not many performers end up writing books with such eloquence and quality, so his perspective provides an up-close and personal account of what it takes to serve the guest successfully and leave a lasting impression. The lessons he details aren't just slogans or operating principles devised in a meeting room at corporate Disney HQ; they are real life skills applied in the parks with proven success, with a human touch that can't be easily replicated or cast as some corporate rulebook.
"The folks in on the creative side want to try things that the professionals in operations find problematic. Operations wants and needs consistency."
Gravance struck a balance of both, serving guests in the park, taking their viewpoint, and interfacing with management and creative directors to improve the experience.
"People will always find what they are looking for, the the expectations customers bring can shape your own service performance profoundly as well." Gravance is humble and reflective enough to take what he saw and learned from Disneyland guests, and apply it to his evolving role on the front lines. He breaks those down as he traces his career from Disney to Hawaii tourism to advising Bank of America (ugh) on customer service.
The best part of the book comes near the end of the first half, when Gravance is put in charge of creating Disney University's program training new hires. He embodies the spirit well, bringing us into both the interviews as well as the cohorts. He directly taught everyone from housekeeping and laundry to performers, storekeepers, and cooks in park restaurants, so he weaves together all the challenges of maintaining the spirit of service even after seeing how the sausage is made. He is a master of fighting skepticism and spreading pixie dust, in a genuine, practical, results-driven way. He teaches us how to see beyond the costume, and into the magic.
The anecdotes about hosting after-hours Disneyland parties for rich people at the Tower of Terror, and detailing how messes from meals can destroy Disney hotel rooms -- as well as how to clean them -- are unique to this text. The book kept me glued to the pages because I hadn't read about this in any of the other Disney literature!
The second half of the book breaks down service into ten core skills:
1. ) Serving with Intention
2.) Serving with Knowledge
3.) Serving with Vision
4.) Serving with Presence
5.) Serving with Listening
6.) Serving with Safety
7.) Serving with Courtesy
8.) Serving with Showmanship
9.) Serving with Efficiency
10.) Serving with Your Memory
Even though this list is the author's own creation, I found these more generic and less interesting than the book's first half. Namely, though they are supposed to apply to any operation -- Disney or not -- the latter skills are more self-evident than the first few. I found the Knowledge and Vision chapters most applicable to my business, particularly since they discussed staying in character and tailoring experiences to the layperson guest.
One of the most interesting and applicable parts of vision is "serving the customers' virtual lives, as well as their real ones." His analogy of gymgoers posing and flexing for selfies was both visual and striking. "Doing something but not sharing it on social media is a wasted effort. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody tweets about it, did it really happen?" As vain as this sounds, Louie Gravance makes a sound point, a clear indicator that he keeps his eyes and ears open in the world we live in, observing normal people and viewing the guest experience from their eyes. He doesn't sugarcoat, but he always takes an optimistic view, and he's always thinking of ways to improve and modernize customer experience.
The book's production quality is much superior to other Disney self-published books, and yet it doesn't ever gloss over the dark, stark realities of working at Disney, since this isn't a "Disney Edition" book published by Disney's own in-house publishing arm. Louie Gravance is down-to-earth, his language is easy to read and understand, and his humor and insight shine throughout.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in improving customer service, that wants tips and strategies from Disney frontline performers and Disney University teaching.
June 9, 2025
One of my favorite overall reads. Picked it up because I’m starting a small business that involves service, and I figured “ahh a mix between my favorite thing (Disney) and some lessons on serving, sounds good to me”. And it delivered! Learned some really interesting tid-bits about the parks, his stories were very cool to hear with experiences interacting with Disney visitors, and the lessons are very useful to apply in every day business. 10/10 recommend for a casual reader, self-help lover, or especially a hybrid of both!
March 3, 2025
Hi is a great speaker!!! Enjoyed his book but love his public speaking even more.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews