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by Marla Coleman
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for camp directors is
here: learn best practices from the front line by benchmarking a world-class
organization! When the 2001 ACA National Conference convenes February
21 in Orlando, conference participants will be immersed in the one-of-a-kind
learning environment of Walt Disney World. With the resort as a backdrop,
an inspiratio, and a living classroom, Disney Institute facilitators will
herald new ways to combine creativity and innovation with leadership excellence
and quality service. This professional development experience is coined
the "Disney Difference"; it’s a comprehensive passport to Disney’s
"world."
Learn Recruitment Practices from
Disney Managers
Headlining the series of seminars, each led by Disney
managers who will provide a detailed account of how their best practices
can be adapted to impact the success of our camps, will be Kristi Breen.
Kristi, the college recruiting manager of the Walt Disney World College
Program, which recruits, trains, houses, and educates 3,000 college students
from around the world every semester, will talk about what the camp industry
can learn from the Disney company and how ACA and Walt Disney World can
partner.
Similarities between camp and Disney begin with family-oriented
operations where individuals are situated in our "worlds" and
continue with emphasis on guest service and recruiting the right fit talent.
Kristi’s effective question is "how do you build loyalty in your
college student work force?" Michelle Reynolds, who heads the Disney
Heritage and Disney Ambassador programs, will join Kristi at the podium.
Michelle will draw on the history of the successes of the Walt Disney
World College Program and the best practices that have been developed
in the past twenty years for more than 35,000 students.
Learn to Dream It and Do It
If camp creates a world of magic, then ideas are the
life of the camp business. The Disney seminar on creativity and innovation
focuses on the intrinsic value of developing a corporate culture that
"encourages everyone to dream it and supports them to do
it." The program shares Disney’s philosophies for nurturing creative
excellence. Specifically, the facilitator will coach conference participants
to learn how to:
- recognize components of the Disney culture
that foster creativity and innovation and how to transfer those components
to their camp
- identify leadership behaviors that nurture
and encourage creative ideas
- foster a creative, collaborative environment
- discover methods for allowing creativity to
flourish at all levels of a camp
- recognize the significant role diversity plays
in securing creative and profitable ideas
Learning objectives for the seminar on leadership excellence
will center on tapping into personal leadership potential while also transferring
that energy into a motivational force for the entire camp. "Story-
telling, synergy, and values are an intrinsic part of the leadership structure
guiding the extraordinary success and perpetual growth of the Walt Disney
World Resort," say Disney managers. The program will help attendees:
- examine the components of leadership excellence
- model passion for the organizational vision
- encourage accountability and ownership
- develop a leadership action plan that helps
create alignment between organizational values and individual values
and behaviors
- gather insights, make comparisons, and share successes
- enhance team performance
Learn to Treat Every Camper as
a VIP
Completing the triad of enlivening presentations of Disney
management techniques is a session on quality service. With the Walt Disney
World guest service model as a guide, the program’s thrust is exceeding
customer expectations. This exploration of Disney service practices illustrates
how to treat every customer as a VIP. Specifically, during the program
participants will:
- observe strategies and methods to communicate
a service theme
- deliver consistent, measurable quality service that exceeds customers’
expectations
- experience Disney examples of attention to detail
- begin developing a plan to adapt Disney methods to camp
- promote accountability for and ownership of the customer experience
among employees
- achieve a fully integrated service solution that ensures a seamless
customer experience
This ACA National Conference is an immersion into Disney’s
conceived culture and a special opportunity for ACA members to use this
gold standard as a model for sculpting their own camp culture. It’s a
chance to discover and infuse the motivational enchantment of Disney and
to unleash a steady flow of new ideas to spark the magic in our own camps.
Originally published in the 2001 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine. |
