Before coming to Data Age I had the pleasure of going to several Disney seminars. When I came to Data Age and found out my first NPA Expo would have Disney doing the educational seminar I flipped out and was elated. I did not know our industry too well at the time but knew the Disney seminar would help each and every broker who attended. Over the years I have spoken with many of you and we all seem to agree this seminar was the bomb. I reflect back on this event because I just did a Disney cruise with my family. For those who know me I do actually take time off here and there… But not a lot. My time aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship along, with a day on their private island just reinforced to me their approach to business is world-class and we should all take as much away from their approach as we can and apply it to what we do every day. Before I proceed let me drop a for fact nuggets on you regarding this company.
· In 2015 Disney posted $52 billion in revenues
· They have acquired many subsidiaries we may not even know about
     · Companies like: Pixar, Marvel, ABC, Hulu and Lucas Films to name a very few
· When you google their training programs they have many millions of hits on this topic alone

Dream, Believe, Dare and Do. These four words are the credo at the heart of Walt Disney’s enviable empire and has led The Walt Disney Company to prosperity for decades. This company constantly embraces change. The book “The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company, Third Edition / Edition 3” really outlines many of the core principals this company embodies every day. Below are a few I took away, which we apply here at Data Age. These principals start the foundation for the main ingredient, which is establishing a “winning culture that is driven by high integrity people who care”.

This culture:
a– Gives every member of their organization a chance to dream and tap into their creative minds
b– Stands firm for what they believe in
c– Treats every customer like a guest or family
d– Rewards their employees
e– Builds long term relationships
f– Has attention to detail
g– Loves their employees, their customers and themsleves 

Pretty powerful stuff and I think we would all agree. As we find ourselves in the holiday seasons there is no time like the present to continue these approaches if you are doing some of them but also start embracing some of the items listed here if you haven’t already. A great read, a great American company and great ways to live by.