After a 5:45 am call time, over 8 hours of driving, little to no sleep, and 7 hours in Magic Kingdom, I would say our day was a success. The 9th of October marked the first day of Shucker’s adventures at Disney World, and it definitely started with a bang. We joined in on the festivities at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, which for me, as a long-time Disney-lover, was an experience I had never had before. There was creepy lighting up and down the shops at Main Street, Mickey-shaped pumpkins lining the streets, and a special Halloween parade. The incredible detail and production that is the Disney standard could be seen at every corner, and it was this that helped set the scene for a fall celebration, even in the Florida heat.
At this point, we weren’t sure what the sessions or the next three days would hold. But the Halloween party provided a great way to get to know other people in our group and to prepare for the coming days ahead. It was a great way to get in the Disney spirit!
Saturday, October 10th: Disney's Leadership Strategies
Waking up at 6:15am Saturday morning required more pixie dust than one can imagine. But with a few snooze buttons, a bright overhead hotel light, and a sweet reminder from my roommates, Margaret and Meredith, I rolled out of bed. After donning my fanny pack, I quickly lost all reservations I had about the day. As a group, we began in Epcot for our first session of the Disney Youth Leadership Series College Program. We split into two groups and began having conversations about what it takes to run a successful business. We talked about three main aspects: financial success, guest satisfaction, and cast excellence. With the help of our Disney leader, we discussed how these three things combine to create success. We even got to go “backstage,” as Disney calls it, to see the costuming department. It was awesome to see how Disney incorporates all three of these things into even the little things they do, such as making one costume. My favorite thing about seeing the department was seeing that all of the office doors were open. Even the top executives wanted to feel connected to the rest of the company, as well as make themselves approachable.
After debriefing from the morning, we got to hit the parks! My crew and I spent the day traveling the world by means of food, through the wonderful park of Epcot. I had the best guacamole in my life, and I consumed way too many calories in ice cream. As the sun was setting, we made our way to Hollywood Studios where we had fast passes for The Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Roller Coaster. I absolutely love thrill rides, so I was in my element. I had the pleasure of riding with Bianca Forte, who had a slightly different approach. Her scream was frightening to say the least, but she loved it, we know she did. Knowing that we had two more days to go, we were satisfied with turning in early, having a day full of excitement under our belts. Prepared to dream of Mickey Mouse and Aerosmith, I slept like a baby. If only 6:15 am could come any later…
Sunday, October 11th: Techniques of Teamwork
On Sunday we had our second session with the Disney Y.E.S. program, “Technique of Teamwork.” This session focused on how we can be intentional as a leaders about the type of environment we are creating. The lesson was built around the framework of four main principles.
First, as a leader you need to share your vision and build consensus around it. Help your team understand your passion, and light the flame within them as well. Executing critical tasks is a whole lot easier when everyone is looking toward the same end goal. The second strategy is to define the process and delegate responsibilities. With the vision in mind, as a team and as a leader it is vital to set out guidelines of how you plan to reach your goals. A strategic plan is one of the ways Disney encouraged us to do this. Third, provide the necessary training to help you and your team achieve the vision. If there aren’t people within your organization that have the expertise to train, bring people in from the outside. Fourth, create a culture of innovation. Now that you have established the path to the vision and provided the skills to your team so that you can get there, it is vital to be open to new possibilities. Encourage the development and proposal of ideas, even if they challenge the status quo of how you would typically do things.
These principles were all taught through hands-on activities, such as having to transfer marbles from one cup to another while following constrictions on how we could do it. As a team, we also had time to develop a strategic plan of our own, for the Shucker Leadership Institute as a whole and for our upcoming Leadership Challenge Projects. This process was led by our Y.E.S. facilitator, who asked us to consider vital questions such as, “what makes a team?” She encouraged us all the write down the issues that we feel our team struggles with most, and then we all chose one particular issue to hone in on. It was an extremely beneficial time for the sophomore fellows to reflect on the leadership skills they have already developed, but also how they can improve in their last year of the program.
Waking up Monday morning was probably the most difficult morning to compete that task. After three action packed days, the task of finishing out the incredible Disney experience seemed daunting. But after a breakfast at which most of us grabbed something and ate it on the bus (we were a few minutes late due) we realized pretty quickly that the final program would be special.
Instead of walking into EPCOT we boarded a ferry that would take us to Magic Kingdom. Nothing against EPCOT, but in all honesty there is only one Magic Kingdom, only one Space Mountain, only castle that has become a universal symbol for childhood happiness, and there we were.
The program itself was unique, and we got over our general team grogginess pretty quickly. The Monday program focused on Disney’s four cultural elements: Beliefs/Values, Standard of Excellence, Heritage/Traditions, and Storytelling. While we focused on what Disney did, in the back of our minds we were encouraged to look at these core values for Shucker and for the other vast amount of organization we are apart of.
As we walked down Main Street U.S.A and took a look at all of these elements the most inspiring thing to notice was not the impressive detail, or phenomenal organization of Disney (Fun fact there is an entire underground network for Cast members to use to move around the stage and move necessary equipment without bothering the guests, except it isn’t underground, it is the first floor and the Disney we know is the second floor) rather it was how Shucker the organization had become a team in three days.
The final program ended with the leaders handing us pins of Walt and Mickey holding hands, the pins are unique and given only to people who complete the program. But it was obvious that by the end of this session we, as a whole, were excited to get back to Furman and apply everything we learned.
Alumni Event
On Monday the 12th, Shucker Leadership Institute’s Class of 09 took a break from Disney World, and exchanged our Mickey ears for nametags. We drove about 45 minutes to Jacksonville, Florida for a Furman Alumni event hosted by Dr. Shucker. The event consisted of a night underneath the stars full of conversation and laughing at a Furman Alumni class of ‘98’s own eco-friendly establishment.
#DinsDoDisney was quite the success! We are excited to be back on campus and use the techniques and strategies we learned at Disney World!
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