Chapter: Food for Thought
From the very start it’s been a hallmark of Disney to keep their parks clean. When the original Disneyland Park in California opened in 1955, a journalist told Walt Disney how he believed that the park was beautiful that day but would quickly become dirty as the crowds continued to enter. Walt vigorously disagreed. He said: “We’re going to make the park so clean that people are going to be embarrassed to throw anything on the ground”. Walt Disney himself led the early efforts, insisting that attractions, gates and benches were to be repainted on schedule, even if a touch-up would’ve been enough. He made sure that light bulbs were replaced even before they burned out and that trash cans were emptied before they were full. The Disney culture was simple: Everyone had a part in keeping the park clean.
At Disneyland the cleaners have one of the highest status of all employees. They have good looking uniforms, shiny name badges and working equipment of high quality. They play an important role in reflecting Disney’s values. The park should always be clean and tidy. In this respect, the cleaners are the real heroes of Disneyland. Those who keep the parks looking fresh are rightfully the most important. Details like these are key elements in the park’s success. It’s most likely one of the many reasons why the number of visitors at Disneyland increased by 8 percent in 2009, despite the economic downturn, while the crowd numbers dropped at Southern California competitors like Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm. Worth mentioning is that the cleaners of Disneyland collect approximately 30 tons of trash during a busy day – that’s a lot of trash!
Possible Moral
Walt Disney truly understood the importance and value of his employees. Far too many of us look down on other people’s work, whether it’s the taxi driver taking us to work or in this case the cleaner of an amusement park. Learn to appreciate the work of others and your character will grow.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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We All Need Heroes
Short StoryHey there! Here you'll find a collection of mixed stories from my debut book 'We All Need Heroes', which celebrates people with brave and innovative ideas. The finished book is filled with a huge mix of inspirational and fun short-stories of people...
