Seminar Crowd All Ears Disney Representatives Dispense Management Tips

It’s a small world after all, but it was a large crowd that filled the meeting room at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park for a little bit of Disney magic.

More than 170 people came Tuesday to learn Mickey Mouse’s management techniques.

Representatives from companies like Boeing, Humanix, Spokane Teachers Credit Union and the Mead School District paid about $300 each to learn the magic behind managing the Disney empire and its 50,000 employees.

As balloons bearing Mickey’s face floated above the crowd, two presenters from Disney’s corporate headquarters in Florida shared details about the culture and philosophy that made their company successful.

As if Disney doesn’t do everything already with its vast entertainment business, which includes the theme parks, films, hotels, resorts, timeshare condominiums and retail stores, the company also runs professional development seminars.

Presenters like Frank Thompson and Kaye Bundey, travel the country to share a little bit of their corporate culture with others. The Spokane seminar was sponsored by Associated Industries of the Inland Northwest.

While practical business skills were the focus, fantasy prevailed.

Thompson quieted the crowd by singing softly “M-I-C, K-E-Y” and they all responded “M-O-U-S-E.”

“Management stuff is like: these are the formulas to do these things,” said Christina Buratto, an administrator at a physical therapy clinic with Health South Rehabilitation. “This is not as dry.”

To reward participants for interacting, Thompson and Bundey passed out tiny Disney figurines.

Alice Patterson, an employee at Lincoln Hospital in Davenport, had garnered a Minnie Mouse and a Chip-n-Dale figurine by the end of the first session.

“You just have to know how to work the system,” she told a colleague. She also got bonus points for knowing Disney history, having read Walt Disney’s biography last year.

Through the glitz and silliness, including titles for the company’s hiring practices like the “Pixie Dust” formula - which includes communication, selection, caring and training - Thompson and Bundey discussed solid management techniques, including building company pride.

Disney does it from the moment a prospective employee sets foot on the employment center’s doorstep and reaches out to a grimacing doorknob straight from Alice in Wonderland.

Besides humor and creativity, the company focuses on history and tradition to give “cast members” an understanding of their role.

“Do your employees know your past?” Thompson asked. “Think about the emotional connection you would make with your employees if they knew where you came from.”

At the end of the day, all of the participants likely had learned that it takes more than just a “wish upon a star” to run a business well.

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