Last week I had the opportunity to see Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. I strongly recommend that movie, and it took me back to a time some 10 years ago when I was working with the Disney Institute. For those who don’t quite understand what the Institute did/does, it provides learning and development solutions to other companies who want to come to Walt Disney World and benchmark Disney’s best practices in customer service, employee management, team work, etc. My job at that time was to host companies who came to Disney World, and provide them a customized experience. One of those companies was a major grocery store chain from South Africa known as Pick ‘n Pay. Why did Pick ‘n Pay come all the way to Disney World?
Well, it really begins with Apartheid, at a time when the country was in conflict. Many businessmen were fleeing the country with their families, anxious about what might happened if a black-dominated government took over. Raymond Ackerman and his wife were in conflict. They had been running a successful grocery store chain based on the premise of becoming “the housewives’ friend.” To leave their homeland was unthinkable, but all of their friends and associates were exiting. Ackerman stayed and set about to create a successful grocery store chain. Long before the super Wal-Marts you know now, Pick ‘n Pay created what was known as the hypermarket (think 80-plus checkout lines in a setting where you could not see one end of the store from another). Through discount pricing and focusing on customer service they became retail leaders in South Africa
But that growth came at a price. As Apartheid came to an end, Pick ‘n Pay was again caught by the political environment of the times and was soon facing a strike by its employees. Stores were being burned, managers held hostage, and, in its wake, was police enforcement, grenades and tear gas, The strikes were so antagonistic that Nelson Mandela got hold of Ackerman in an effort to bring calm to the situation. Tito Mboweni and Mbazimba Shilowa were brought in to help negotiate a settlement. The strike soon ended, but Pick ‘n Pay realized that it not only needed to win the hearts of its customers, but of its employees. Raymond Ackerman had founded the organization on the premise that people make the difference. But the actions of the corporation had fallen away from making that a priority.
The Pick ‘n Pay and Disney Institute Leadership team. I’m left of Woody in the back. Raymond Ackerman is the elderly individual seated on the front row.
That’s where Disney came in. Pick ‘n Pay wanted to benchmark great organizations, and they found that in visiting Walt Disney World. They established an initiative known as “Vuselela” meaning “rebirth.” This concept was to create an organization not only that was great place to shop, but great place to work. They created what was known as a “Dare to Dream” recognition and reward program, where the top employees were given the opportunity to be flown to Walt Disney World for a 10-day trip where we provided them instruction on customer service, management, and leadership. This for me, was an amazing experience. Most of these individuals had never left the city where they grew up in, much less traveled on a plane or even stayed in a hotel. Our first activity was to escort them into the Magic Kingdom to watch the 3 p.m. parade. They were blown away. Everything around them was so perfect, so ideal, compared to what they experienced back home. The magic of it all created a new paradigm not just about how they worked, but how they could live their lives.
Consider the comments of those who attended.
Nomsa Khumalo, a widow and mother of two children said: “Going to Disney Institute was a great achievement for me. Things that I learnt have really made my career better. The education I get from Disney is the tool that I am using to do my work. Service excellence is a different definition for different customers therefore I have made it my habit to turn good customer service into excellent service. Service excellence begins with us and can be defined in many ways. Giving service excellence we create and uphold the image.”
Disney Institute and Pick ‘n Pay Staff gathered for a group photo.
So you can really understand the impact of Disney on Pick ‘n Pay, CEO Sean Summers was in the middle of one of the first tours we offered when he suddenly an idea hit him. He stopped and called the corporation to stop work on the construction of a new grocery store located in what was known as Fourways Crossing. He had the vision that it wasn’t enough to tell employees they had to provide great customer service, but that they had to provide the employees with the development necessary for them to succeed as employees and leaders. In the spirit of the Disney University, America’s first corporate university, Summers went back to Johannesburg and redesigned the Fourways Crossing Store. On one side was the store. But on the other side was what would become the Pick ‘n Pay Institute, where they created their own orientation and other training programs a la “Disney Traditions.” Then they took the opening team and sent them all of Walt Disney World, so they could learn firsthand, and model what was expected of Pick ‘n Pay to all of the other employees who would visit that store and Institute.
I visited them 10 years ago this February just after they had opened up the Pick ‘n Pay Institute. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. I observed their “Traditions” class where they beat on drums chanting, “Build the brand…don’t break the brand.” They escorted me through this amazing building, much better than the Disney University back home, proud of what they had established. I remembered them showing me with great pride the “no touch” faucets they had installed in the restrooms, emphasizing that they had been imported from Europe since none had yet been installed in Africa.
Sales partner Jerry Yarbrough and I being greeted by staff at the Pick ‘n Pay Institute in Johannesburg.
More amazing was the sense of pride that came upon these individuals. It was a testament that when you invest in your culture, you are building your brand. I’m humbled by the opportunity to work with these fine people, who, after graduation photos with Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear, gathered as a choir and would serenade us the facilitators. Truly, “Vuselela” had come to South Africa.
I’ve gone on to work with many other clients to take these same Disney concepts to them. I’ve worked with Fortune 500 corporations. I’ve worked with some of the most powerful governments in the world. I’ve worked with schools and even zoos.
But the truth remains: You can be the greatest company in the world. You can even be Disney. But if you want to create customer loyalty, create employee loyalty.
Vuselela to a new year! All the best in 2010!
