Friday, November 9, 2012

Pixar Keynote Review

"Bill, you were awesome and the evaluations rated you a 5 out of 5 so, thank you very much for closing our conference in such an upbeat and dynamic way!"

Mike McLaran, Oregon State Chamber of Commerce and Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives Joint Conference Chair

Thursday, November 8, 2012

PIXAR KEYNOTE REVIEW

Bandon, Oregon COC Director Julie Miller:  "Capodagli is a skilled speaker who offers big-business perspectives that work for any size business."

Innovate the Pixar Way Review

www.youngupstarts.com/2012/10/18/review-innovate-the-pixar-way/

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Disney Way Dream Retreat Sample Reviews–ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions

“I worked for the Dominion Virginia Power for 29 years with most of that in management. This retreat was by far one of the best ones I have attended! Thanks!!!”

Mr. Capodagli provided a lot of insight and he gave a different view on how to look at things. Also, the stories of what made/makes some of the companies referenced from the book (The Disney Way) successful, gives me something to aspire to within our own company. I want all of our clients to know CFS as the greatest in the business just like the Four Seasons is known in their industry.”

“I enjoyed the storyboards.  Although this was a similar activity to the Affinity Diagram, I think the storyboards work better because there is discussion allowed amongst the group.  It was amazing to see how we all identified the same issues/barriers within the organization.”

Bill’s Upcoming Keynote for the Oregon State Chamber–Dreams and Dreamers: How to Innovate like Walt Disney and the Pixarians

http://www.oregonstatechamber.org/

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Disney Way Webinar Happening in May

Event Details:

Who: Disney management expert, Bill Capodagli

What: Creating Magical Customer Service - The Disney Way Webinar

Where: On-line

When: Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EDT

Cost: $49.00

Sign up: http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco - Learn how to implement The Disney Way Customer Service Model in the comfort of your own office or conference room.

For additional information: Contact Lynn Jackson, Producer, dreamovations@aol.com

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Bill Capodagli - Michigan Disney Way Cultural Initiative

http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2012/04/25/it-takes-whole-community-for-real-change/

Disney Way Webinar…May 16th, $49.00; Register today!; http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco

WHAT:

"Creating Magical Customer Service - "The Disney Way" Webinar is a convenient and affordable way to learn how to attract customers and gain their loyalty. This is the signature Webinar in a series based upon the bestselling books: The Disney Way (a Fortune magazine "Best Business Book") and Innovate the Pixar Way. The Disney Way has the distinction of being the only book on Disney to have been cited in this week's New York Times article: "In Customer Service Consulting, Disney's Small World is Growing."

For over thirty years, management expert and bestselling author Bill Capodagli has benchmarked the Walt Disney Company, and assisted scores of organizations revamp their customer service standards; leadership practices; and innovation processes using Walt's original credo for success.

In "Creating Magical Customer Service - The Disney Way", Bill Capodagli brings to life the "Dream, Believe, Dare, Do" Disney Way principles -- the foundation of a commitment to creating customer experiences that are second to none. Bill presents solid ideas, tips, and problem solving techniques to produce great results. Along with webinar co-host and creative consultant Ken Freestone, Bill invites participants to ask questions and get real answers in this engaging "learning lab" style webinar experience.

WHY:


Walt Disney's "Dream, Believe, Dare, Do" credo is a powerful foundation that will support any business, drive any team and guide any leader to newfound levels of success.

WHEN:


May 16th, 2012 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST

HOW:


We provide a link to sign on to megameeting.com on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ipad and Android. For smart device apps, search for megameeting mobile.

EASY SIGN UP:

http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Bill Capodagli Contributes to Business Edge News Magazine

http://www.businessedge.ca/blog/?p=82

The Disney Way in the New York Times

The Disney Way has the distinction of being the only book on Disney to have been cited in this week’s New York Times article: “In Customer Service Consulting, Disney’s Small World is Growing.” http://tinyurl.com/c729kfp

Clearly, The Disney Way is changing lives. From Fortune 500 companies such as Volvo to small organizations such as YMCA’s Camp Kern, the Disney Way’s culture of excellence in service is coveted by those who want to be the best in their fields.

You, too, can learn how to offer Disney-style hospitality, attract new customers and gain their loyalty…and you won’t even have to leave your office!

Join us for the “Creating Magical Customer Service – The Disney Way” Webinar on May16th for only $49.00: http://tinyurl.com/7b75oco.

We are proud of our competitive advantage…a proven track record of implementing Walt Disney’s Dream, Believe, Dare, Do principles with organizations; 30+ years of experience in delivering excellent consulting, training and keynote presentations; an expert unbiased account of the development of both the cultures of Disney and Pixar; and affordable training for all.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Bill’s Article Featured in Hispanic Retail 360 Magazine

Misguided Perceptions…Dare to Make a Difference!

by Bill Capodagli

Some years ago, a former client of mine heightened my understanding of misguided perceptions with this story that happened in his organization. One day, an elderly gentleman walked up to the retail counter and began asking questions. The counter manager thought this man was a lonely old fellow who was just interested in conversation. He said, “My initial reaction was to return to my other duties of stocking shelves and processing orders. However, having just attended a three-day retreat in which we talked about treating the customer as if he were a guest in our own homes, I continued to talk with this guy for about two hours.”

The following day, this seemingly unlikely customer returned to place a $500 order. What’s more, he related that he had told his sons, who were taking over his construction business, about the fine hospitality he had received the day before. He assured the counter manager that his company looked forward to a long-term business relationship with my client!

First impressions and expectations of our customers, our employees and our students can cause us to act in haste, resulting in outcomes with undesirable and often damaging consequences. There are a few great historical examples of such behavior patterns. As a young student, Thomas Edison's mind often wandered, and his teacher was overheard calling him "addled” (mentally confused). This ended his three months of formal education after which time he was homeschooled by his mother. General George Patton did not start school until the age of 11 and had extreme difficulty learning to read and write. Back then, the learning disability of dyslexia was unknown. Children with dyslexia were typically mocked and discouraged. Fortunately for George (and the Allied Armies of WWII), his parents educated him at home until he could enter school. As a schoolboy in art class, Walt Disney was assigned to draw flowers. His teacher was less than impressed by the boy’s deviation from the norm, and failed to recognize the creative genius whose dream world would lead him to become one of the most famous artists of all time!

I shudder to think what the world would be like if we truly had stifled the talents of these three extraordinary men who contributed so much to our culture and way of life. Now think about how many talents we are stifling in our companies and schools by misguided perceptions…“you can’t be smart because you don’t talk like me”…“she can’t be creative, look at the way she dresses”…“I can’t be friends with him because he goes to a different church.”

In the early 1900’s when my grandfather came to this country, the US was known as the great melting pot. Cultures and customs merged. Today, many of the descendants of these early immigrants are the very ones with the misguided perceptions…“we don’t like you because you’re not like us.” This negative mindset can damage our businesses, yet more importantly, it can damage our youth – the future leaders of our communities.

Misguided perceptions are all too apparent in Holland, Michigan. In early 2010, ABC News reported that Holland (and its neighboring town of Grand Haven), Michigan was ranked #2 on the list of “Top Ten Healthiest, Happiest Places in America” by Well-Being Index. In Holland, that “happiness” factor is certainly in question…at least for some.

Over 22% of the population of Holland is Hispanic, and in December of 2010, Michigan.gov reported that Holland hosts the largest and fastest-growing young Hispanic population in Michigan. Yet, take a stroll down 8th Street (Holland’s main retail district) and you will rarely see any minorities. The perception that Hispanics are not as the Dutch say,“WELKOM!,” is all too evident here.

As many local leaders have shared with me, the perception that Hispanics are second class citizens is manifested in Holland’s educational institutions, from the K-12 system to Hope College, a private liberal arts school in the downtown area. Unspoken, yet tragic perceptions abound…“you’re Hispanic, so you wouldn’t do well in advanced placement classes”…“you’re Hispanic, so you should think of getting vocational training, because college is not realistic.” In many communities, these perceptions are addressed by blanket school board proclamations such as, “any form of discrimination will not be tolerated.” Unfortunately, all too often, this turns out to be little more than lip service resulting in no appreciable results.

I am pleased to report that there are powerful forces at work in Holland, Michigan who are doing much more than merely talking about the problem. For example, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and AT&T have chosen to work with Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) in Holland, Michigan as one of only 8 sites around the United States to conduct ¡Adelante! America. The program is “designed for those students who could use the help of a structured program and key relationships in order to develop the motivation and vision to finish high school and pursue further education/training beyond graduation.” Roberto (Bert) Jara, Jr. is the Executive Director of LAUP in Holland and the facilitator of ¡Adelante! America.

For nearly two years, Bert has been facilitating a group of 30 students who meet weekly with community leaders to learn career development skills. Bert told me, ““We are trying to teach our students to question the way things are and not to be afraid to bring their own perspectives to situations. We lose something when our young Hispanic youth learn to think only one way, in the straight-line North American/Western European way. We miss out on their creativity. Latino culture brings a lot of passion, imagination and emphasis on what is good for people. We want to release our young people to question the system, not in order to be trouble-makers, but in order to create a community that is better for everyone. If we don't allow our young people to speak up, if we don’t
cut them loose, the community will miss out.”

One of Bert’s students, Jessica Salas related, “We’ve gotten closer, and it’s easier to bring up touchy subjects. In a (school) classroom, it’s more difficult to do this…what are people going to think of me if I say this?” Another student in Bert’s group, Angelica Villegas commented, “Just being around everyone who is sincere and honest makes it easier to learn….if you have a more personal connection, you are more willing to take and apply what they teach you.”

Holland creative consultant and my Disney Way webinar co-host, Ken Freestone, has been working with the LAUP students in a variety of ways. He said, “One of my mantras is that everyone is creative. Everyone’s got great ideas…but sometimes in schools creativity gets shoved aside.” Praise for the LAUP program is perhaps best summarized by one student’s comment, “I think that all the skills we’ve learned makes us think, opens{our}minds and gives us the opportunity to be creative.”

Ken remarked, “Bill, one of the things you’ve taught me from The Disney Way is the importance of STORY. No matter what you do, whether it’s the projects the kids are working on or whatever they are doing, they have to have a story.” All the skills the students have been learning culminate in their end-of-year projects that they have chosen without consultation or censorship from Bert. This year, their three projects are: child obesity, teen pregnancy, and community discrimination.

It is amazing how these misguided perceptions have been turned around for these 30 LAUP students. One student expressed to me, “I learned to be outgoing and think more critically. Before, I was very quiet and didn’t want to give my opinion out there. Now I do. I feel my word actually does count and it does matter.” These students are on track to mature into responsible and respectful citizens capable of independent problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership.

Tony Castillo, owner of three McDonald’s restaurants in Holland, has been a long-time supporter of LAUP. Tony was one of four McDonald’s owners to be invited to the White House in 2008 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Recently, I met with Tony at one of his McDonald’s restaurants (my personal favorite!) and asked him about how misguided perceptions impact the Hispanic community within the local business arena.

“For me, it’s societal, but more than that, it’s economics. It’s going to be a ‘pay me now or pay me later’ situation. What I mean by that, if those kids aren’t educated, you’re going to be looking at a very elitist community and it’s already starting…you’ll have the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots.’”

And Tony is absolutely right. The societal implication of failing to prepare our youth to achieve their dreams, aspirations and true potential is criminal. That alone should be enough to drive change, but the economic implications should force us to do so.

Consider these economic costs:

  • A high school dropout contributes about $60,000 less in taxes over a lifetime.
  • If the male graduation rate were increased by only 5 percent, the nation would see an annual estimated savings of $4.9 billion in crime-related costs.
  • As a whole, U.S. businesses spend about $25 billion annually on remedial education. 

We are often too quick to blame the schools and the schools are often too quick to blame a lack of parental support and too much government regulation. Both are correct. Schools’ methods of delivering education need to change. All students, not just Hispanic students, need the types of opportunities LAUP and ¡Adelante! America offer.

As a consultant to both business and schools alike, I believe there is no longer any question of whether or not to change our education paradigm, but rather whether the conditions and support are adequate to enable the process to be successful. I have come to the realization that schools cannot do it alone…it takes the entire community working in collaboration to accomplish real change.

This realization was solidified in my mind during a consulting engagement in the southwestern Michigan town of Dowagiac. Several of their local entities – school district, hospital, community college, and city government – banded together to form a Disney Way consortium based upon Walt Disney’s Dream, Believe, Dare, Do success credo. Their goal was not only to transform the educational system but to revamp the community culture to become “customer-centric producers” of their own “shows.”

Dowagiac Union Schools’ dream for education is a great dream for any community:

Imagine a place where:

Ø Students have a passion for learning

Ø the focus is student-centered

Ø students achieve personal goals

Ø each person is valued

Ø our whole community is an educator

Ø children work together and learn from each other

Ø education is one in a hundred (their goal is to be in the top 1% of all schools)

So here’s a challenge for you as a business leader…get involved in the school board, chamber of commerce, civic group – anywhere that will allow you to champion a collaborative and inclusive community culture that is real and permanent. It’s time we ensure that our “happiest and healthiest” places in America are truly happy places for everyone. There’s a lesson to be learned from Bert Jara and one of his amazing LAUP students, Angelica Villegas, who said, “Bert got us out of our comfort zone…which was a good thing.” Break out of your comfort zone and dare to make a difference in the culture of your community!

In April, 2011, Stagnito Media launched Hispanic Retail 360 Magazine, a quarterly publication serving the retailer community across all trade channels. Hispanic Retail 360 Magazine is a stand-alone magazine polybagged with Progressive Grocer, Convenience Store News and The Gourmet Retailer magazines, reaching more than 20,000 C-suite executives and owners in convenience, grocery and specialty food and kitchenware retailing.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Pixar–A Case for Collaboration

Too many companies encourage competition with "employee of the month" or "team of the year" programs. Eliminating competition from the workplace is one of the hardest concepts for most managers to grasp. We are a society that rewards competition through our athletics, classrooms, achievements, etc. Alfie Kohn, author of The Case Against Competition, conducted extensive research on the results of competition in the workplace. After over five years of collecting data, he concluded that the most successful organizations embrace a culture of cooperation. Pixar president Ed Catmull stated that he often has discussions with his counterparts at other studios. The heads of other studios claim that the reason Disney and Pixar are so successful is that they get ALL the BIG IDEAS ideas. But Ed claims that it’s not about the BIG IDEA that will generate a hit such as Toy Story or Up…it’s about the thousands of ideas that come from EVERYONE on a project to produce a magical result!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Roy Disney once said, "When values are clear, decisions are easy."

Do all of your employees understand the organization’s mission and values AND how their roles fit into the entire “show?”  It’s imperative to define job scope and guidelines for performance.  One of our clients created performance guidelines for all employees. These guidelines did not define procedures, but rather identified areas of known failure or ideas that were tried in the past, but failed. As long as employees avoided repeating past failures, they were free to exercise their own initiative and creativity, make decisions and achieve results that were in line with the organization's values. Rule of Thumb: Go heavy on guidelines and light on procedures.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Bill Capodagli–Upcoming Guest on the television show: First Business

On March 21st, WGN's Bill Moller will be interviewing Bill Capodagli for the television show First Business which is carried by 100+ stations in North America and seen in 46 countries. The focus of Bill Capodagli's segment will be "the genius of Walt Disney." Stay tuned for air dates!

Bill Capodagli–Featured Keynoter for Manufacturing Innovation 2012

 

Bill Capodagli will be a featured keynote speaker at Manufacturing Innovation 2012 (MI2012) in Orlando on May 9th. This 4-day event is produced by Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and brings together over 700 manufacturers, industry experts, and MEP field staff to gain valuable information on the latest trends and technologies facing U.S. manufacturers. This event is designed to truly bring the “voice of manufacturing” and “voice of government” to an open, educational and sharing environment that makes a measurable impact on U.S. manufacturing.

Monday, February 13, 2012

LAST MINUTE SIGN UP FOR THE DISNEY WAY WEBINAR!

 

Feb. 15th from 2 – 3:30 PM EST

1. Register:

http://disneywaywebinar.eventbrite.com/?discount=FR2.15.12

2. We’ll send you an invite so you can connect to the webinar.

3. You’ll receive bonus materials and a date for the follow-up webinar for in-depth Q and A…FREE!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Tokyo Disneyland Promotes Self Discovery for Cast Members

Creating “magical” customer service – The Disney Way begins with creating a culture in which employees feel valued, trusted, and respected. The Tokyo Disneyland theme park is doing a great job of training their Cast Members in the “Disney Way.” First of all, like Pixar, Tokyo Disney Resort (where the theme park is located) claims to have “its roots in the dreams of Walt Disney.” The mission of their Cast Development Department includes: “communicate the Disney dream and philosophy…by training them in the ‘Disney Way.’”

In 2010, Toyko Disneyland created a Self Discovery Seminar series that affords cast members the opportunity to explore their dreams; discover and refine their talents; and understand what motivates them to learn, grow and succeed in their careers and lives. What a great morale builder!

You may have read in Innovate the Pixar Way that legendary Pixar director, Brad Bird said, “…If you have low morale, for every one dollar you spend, you get about twenty-five cents of value. If you have high morale, for every dollar you spend you get about three dollars of value. Companies should pay much more attention to morale.”

When people have high morale, they are able to express their creativity and achieve great things. Walt Disney believed that everyone is creative. We all may not be able to come up with the next iPad, Blackberry, or microchip, but almost everyone sees innovative opportunities in the way they conduct their jobs or serve their customers. When we encourage, trust, and reward employees to be innovative in how they do their jobs…the results are amazing!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Create a Pixar-Style Brain Trust!

Last week in the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Davos Switzerland, 2,500 world leaders rallied to further their tall order mission…”committed to improving the state of the world.” The theme was “The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models.”

In their 100-page agenda, here is a list of the “hot” words along with the number of times each was mentioned:

Economic – 76
Innovation – 35
Political - 33
War – 24
Governance – 14

Wow, even in this media crazed political cycle, Innovation, won out. It takes more than political rhetoric…our world-leaders need to learn from Pixar-style innovation that can be applied in any organization, and is essential for any long-term transformation. One way you can revamp your culture is by forming a brain trust – a group of fellow “radical” free-thinking activists who are willing to dream big!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Creating an Environment of Innovation- Pixar Style!

Hats off to business-application software market leader SAP’s chairman, Hasso Plattner, for his innovative approach to new product development. HANA, SAP’s new real-time business in-memory technology, will process complex business calculations in seconds that previously took hours or days. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Plattner hopes to put his main competitor, Oracle Corp., on the defensive. When HANA was announced in 2010, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison called it “wacko” and said he wanted to know the name of SAP’s “pharmacist.”


In 2010, SAP launched the HANA pilot program and has pledged to grow to over $25 billion in revenue by 2015 on the back of HANA. In 2011, SAP posted revenues over $18 billion, up 14%. SAP’s 2011 profit of over $1.5 billion is more than double the net profit in 2010. Today, Mr. Ellison may indeed be searching for the name of SAP’s pharmacist!


In my opinion, the real story is not the technical details of this new software…it’s in the approach SAP co-founder and chairman, Mr. Plattner, used to develop HANA. Rather than calling on his army of in-house research-and-development engineers, he recruited a group of university students from Germany. In 2006, he formed a team comprised of three doctoral and a handful of undergraduate students to study in-memory technology. In a city outside of Berlin, he converted an abandoned railway building into “the villa” with red couches, flat screen TV and a foosball table. Mr. Plattner sketched a diagram of the new database model on a white board and told the team to build it. By 2007, they were ready to unveil their prototype, and by 2009, they had a working model.


The lessons we can learn from Mr. Plattner’s approach at SAP parallel the ones we write about in Innovate the Pixar Way:


· Become a prototype junky


· Develop your own “skunk works”


· Dream Big


· Use a planning center


· Find a customer or supplier to help test and refine your product (SAP tested their prototype in partnership with P&G)


· Support innovation in schools


Each year, Mr. Plattner continues to recruit a group of 6-8 students to conduct research. Kudos to Mr. Plattner and his innovative approach to new product development!


By Bill Capodagli

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Spring Fever in January is Contagious!

The leaders of The Disney Way implementation in Dowagiac understood very well the integration and interplay of Dream, Believe, Dare, Do in their cultural change efforts.  And, now, after a year, they are on DO!!!

As you envision a Dream, Believe, Dare, Do implementation in your own organization, think in terms of a holistic approach and never give up.  Dowagiac is a great role model for any community who aspires to live The Disney Way.

http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2012/01/11/spring-fever-in-january/

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Reinvent your Company’s Policy Manual

  1. Remove any policy that does not add value to the customer, supplier or team member. Replace old verbiage with "work hard and be clever."
  2. Review the manual for "rules" that hinder the delivery of exceptional customer service. If you ever hear, "We cannot help you because it is against our policy," send up a red flag. Change this verbiage to "Use good judgment."
  3. Identify any policy that infers that you do not trust team members. Specifically, examine your expense reimbursement policy. One company decided to allow employees to issue their own expense checks. They had guidelines for tax documentation that were followed by all. The result was the elimination of most of the accounting approvals and a reduction in overall travel expense. We have worked with companies in which senior managers have multi-million dollar budgets and are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of product production, yet they need numerous approvals to spend $500 to attend a workshop. Why? That’s the policy!
  4. Use the words "have fun" in your policy manual. Pixar’s John Lasseter said, ““We worked really hard, but we also had so much fun, and it showed up in our work. We’d goof off,
    we’d laugh, we’d work together, and we’d look at
    and give feedback on each other’s stuff. And the
    creativity just sort of overflowed.”

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

DISNEY WAY WEBINAR–“Creating Magical Customer Service–The Disney Way”

Success isn't magic. It's systematic. It comes from passionate leadership and relentless pursuit of a long-term foundation for excellence. Behind the scenes at Disney is where the real vision begins. Disney excels because of its dynamic commitment to guests and to cast members.

On Wednesday, February 15th (2 – 3:30 PM EST), Bill Capodagli will share enlightening secrets to turn your customers into "guests" and into long-term relationships. You'll see how to foster a fun team atmosphere for your employees - one that energizes their talents and ideas. You'll also see "wow" in action and come away with a renewed passion for the possibilities within your own organization.
Walt Disney’s four-pillared success credo - Dream, Believe, Dare, Do - will work for any organization, any business, any industry of any size. Understanding the hows and whys will allow you to tailor your own pathway to success. You'll also see how other companies have applied The Disney Way with amazing results.

What's worked for Disney can work for you. It's that simple. If you're ready to take your organization to the next level, exceed your customers' expectations, and build a dynamic team…REGISTER TODAY on our HOME PAGE!Customer Service Model!

Creating Magical Customer Service – The Disney Way is the opportunity you've been waiting for!