“Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth” – a genius tagline for an iconic company.

But is it really just a marketing slogan?

A few months ago, my family came to LA to visit Disneyland for the first time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to step through the gates, because I was emcee’ing an event for one of Disney’s other properties, the El Capitan Theater.

When we all got together for “family” dinner – 3,000 miles away from our actual home- we had the same story about our day: “Wow, the people are so happy and friendly. What are they on?”

Because, a family filled with MD’s must assume they are “on” something to be that happy.

My parents were impressed with the greeters, who were able to retain their same – HIGH – level of energy and friendliness throughout the day while everyone else in the family was utterly exhausted. I was blown away by my bosses who repeatedly thanked me and expressed their gratitude… for accepting a job!

As we compared stories, my mom said, “Well, I’ve heard about that Disney culture and I guess it’s really true,” referencing the book The Disney Way by Bill Capodagli.

While I encourage everyone to read it, here are some quotes that sum up this happy Disney Corporate Culture:

Building and reinforcing a strong, positive corporate culture is a keystone of Disney’s success in Cast engagement and Guest happiness.

The word “no” is discouraged as it shuts down hopes. Leaders must use positive language such as “yes if…” and “yes and…” if they want to foster a collaborative culture.

Employee satisfaction, not customer satisfaction, should be a leader’s priority. Employee satisfaction will trickle down to the customers.

Disney uses unique business language to set the right tone. Employees are “cast members”, jobs are “roles”, uniforms are “costumes”, and customers are “guests”.

Disney hires attitude over aptitude. “We can teach someone to drive a bus. We can’t teach them to smile and be happy.”

 

Happiness is the mindset the brain needs to be in order to function at its most optimal level. According to Shawn Achor of The Happiness Advantage, the brain at happiness versus negative or neutral is 31% more productive, people are 37% better at sales, and there is less turnover (aka costly turnover) when employees are in this mindset.

And therein lies the secret as to why Disney is the happiest – and one of the most successful places- on Earth.

And the best part is that you don’t need to work at Disney to start feeling the rewards of being happy, you can train your brain to work at its optimal level.

But hey, working at Disney doesn’t hurt either.