Time management is something most of us struggle with. If we want to be successful, we need to understand how the dynamics of using our time effectively. There are lots of time management courses out there. Here’s a short course on time management—Disney style—as as we journey around Walt Disney World.
First Stop: United Kingdom
In the center of this square at the United Kingdom pavilion sits a fairly peculiar pole. Most pass by paying little heed to it. But with the right longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates, one can actually tell the time from this Sun Dial. At least how in precise it might be to current technology, one thing was for certain, everyone read the same dial at the same time.
A sundial in the center of this thoroughfare. Photo by J. Jeff Kober
Stereotypically or not, the British have been known for their punctuality. This was no less the case in Mary Poppins, when Mr. Banks lauded keeping home and work on schedule:
“I run my home precisely on schedule
at six-o-one I march through my door
My slippers, sherry and pipe are due at six-o-two
Consistent is the life I leadIt’s six-o-three and the heirs to my dominion
Are scrubbed and tubbed and adequately fed
And so I’ll pat them on the head and send them off to bed,
Ah lordly is the life I lead.”— “The Life I Lead,” Mary Poppins
While not quite as dramatic, that same mentality actually exists to some degree at the top of the Walt Disney Company. In a Fortune Magazine article, CEO Bob Iger confided that in addition to waking up at 4:30 a.m. seven days a week and exercising, he starts meetings on time. He notes:
“I’m zealous about that because my day needs to be managed like clockwork. If people are late for meetings, the meetings tend to go late, which throws off my agenda thereafter. I frequently start the meeting even if all the people expected to be in attendance aren’t there. I don’t need to say to people, ‘Be on time.’ They know.” — Fortune Magazine, December 6, 2007
Truth is, many organizations suffer from a lack of group punctuality.
Second Stop: Morocco
Someone once said, there is time to do what you really want in this life, but there is not time to do everything. Therefore, time must be prioritized based on what we value most. In Morocco, one of those primary values centers around one’s relationship with God. Indeed, nearly 99 percent of all Moroccans back home adhere to being Islamic. And a key observance of Muslims is formal prayer. These are held for five to 15 minutes at a time at five key times during the day.
This is an exact replica of the Koutoubia Minaret found in Marrakech. Photo by J. Jeff Kober
Therefore, key components in Morocco center around that tradition. For example, the Prophet Mohammed once told a follower to call the faithful to prayer from the highest rooftop in the city. Since then, there has been towers built in association with mosques. This is known as the Koutoubia Minaret and it stands high above the Morocco pavilion.
Toward the rear of the pavilion is a clock known as the Abu Inania Medersa. This unusual system of 13 water pots and 12 windows summoned people to prayer. As a pot filled with water, a window would open. Time was based not on a 60-minute period, but the amount or daylight, the addition of any day in this equatorial city being accounted for by the 13th pot.
Perhaps the most unusual clock to be found in all of Walt Disney World. Photo by J. Jeff Kober
All of these architectural symbols focus people on what is important–in this case, calling on God. We focus our time on what we value most.
Third Stop: Cinderella Castle
She might have been an incredible princess, but Cinderella was not the best at managing time. Photo by J. Jeff Kober
At the heart of the Magic Kingdom we find Disney’s greatest tale of time management. The focus of the Cinderella story is a girl who had to leave the ball by midnight. At the heart of Cinderella Castle is a clock declaring the hour. It’s easy to see from anywhere in the center of the park. In Medieval days, that was a blessing to the community, since everyone didn’t own a watch. But as Walt Disney World completed construction, it also became more of a curse.
More than 8,000 construction workers would participate in opening Walt Disney World in what was considered American’s largest private construction project to date. As work continued, Roy Disney started noticing tradesmen staring at the clock now positioned at the train station and at the Castle. They seemed more preoccupied by when they were getting off of work then when getting their work done in time for opening. Roy had the clock temporarily replaced with a sign, “Remember, October 1, 1971.”
But that wasn’t all Disney did to get employees on board to meeting the deadline. Though deadlines were approaching, contractors refused to work on Labor Day before the October 1 opening. Dick Nunis decided to use that to his advantage. He put the managers to work running as many rides as possible. Then he invited all of the contractors to bring their families and preview the park. Some 12,000 showed up in attendance.
The impact was incredible. Workers would proudly point to a project they had worked on to their spouses and children. Conversely, it also made them feel awkward when their families wanted to go on something that still hadn’t been completed. The experience made workers all the more determined to meet their deadlines, and Disney emphasized it by inviting their families back again after opening when they did complete their work.
Here are three lessons on time management–Disney style:
1. Focus on Punctuality: Leaders succeed by being punctual and not allowing others to have to wait on them.
2. Prioritize Around What You Value: You can’t do it all. But you can do some thing. Prioritize around what matters most.
3. Meet Your Timelines Through Others: Plan your work and work your plan by getting others on board to meeting deadlines.
As the White Rabbit would say, “We’re late…for a very important date.”
Here’s to keeping our commitments to better managing our time as we create the magic in our own organizations.
