“We are in the business of exceeding expectations.” – Michael Eisner, former CEO, The Walt Disney Company
I can almost hear Michael Eisner saying those words in his semi-raspy voice. Those words encapsulate a service philosophy the Disney company, and especially the theme parks, keep at the forefront of their minds everyday. To quote from Disney Institute’s “Disney’s Approach to Quality Service,” Exceed guests’ expectations. Pay attention to details.
You may not realize this is what is happening when you walk through the turnstiles into Disneyland, but in every aspect of the park – from the landscaping to the light bulbs to the trash on the ground – is this desire to exceed expectations by paying attention to the details, and that is where the magic is made. It’s not just in what you see, but also what you don’t see.
Everyone sees how beautiful the castle is all lit up at night with its sparkling lights and reflective surfaces. But it’s also beautiful for what you DON’T see. You don’t see trash littering the ground. You don’t see gum on the walls. You don’t see tacky sponsorship ads flying from the parapets. It’s this drive to exceed expectations that creates an environment where you can be whisked away to your own Happily Ever After.
If your attention is constantly being pulled away by things that burst that bubble, you’ll not only miss what’s important, but the magic will fade away. John Hench, former Walt Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend once said, “Interestingly enough, for all its success, the Disney theme show is quite a fragile thing. It just takes one contradiction, one out-of-place stimulus to negate a particular moment’s experience… Tack up a felt tip brown paper sign that says ‘Keep Out’ …place a touch of artificial turf here …add a surly employee there… it really doesn’t take much to upset it all.” How true is it that one bad experience can really put a sour taste in our mouths?
If we want to help people come and deepen their faith in Christ, we want to create environments where it’s easy to do that and we do that by anticipating needs and paying attention to details. Sure we’ll make mistakes from time-to-time, but by putting in careful thought and planning, we can create communities of faith where people can feel immersed in the Holy Spirit. It seems small, but having Kleenex available in every row should be important, especially for weddings and funerals. And not just the Walmart brand of tissue either, but real Kleenex, something with softness and quality. The last thing you want is to rub your nose raw with sandpaper-like facial tissue.
I’m reminded of one of my favorite passages in Matthew about the sheep and the goats. God welcomes his most faithful servants and says to them, “35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Matthew 25:35-36).” And they replied (and I’m paraphrasing), “When did we do any of those things? I don’t remember seeing you.” And God replies, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).” When we pay attention to the details this is how our guests in church feel – as if you loved them enough to think about them and care for them. The more you can anticipate and meet the needs and wants of your guests the more likely they will feel loved. And isn’t that what it’s really all about? Showing the love of Christ to the world so they know him?
Mouse Church 