430: Disney Leadership Lessons

The Savvy Dentist

In the past few episodes of The Savvy Dentist Podcast we have been taking you on a road trip across the U.S. Starting in Las Vegas where we visited famous shoe company Zappos, then over to Seattle where we visited the Pike Place Markets and stopped off at the world famous fish market.

In this episode we wrap our tour off in Anaheim at Disneyland, where we dissect the lessons of leadership that have created the world famous culture that is Disney.

If there was ever a chance to understand how to pragmatically utilise one of the most successful companies on the planet's rules for customer service, then jump on the ride and be sure to have a notepad handy.

• [3:27] - There is always a market for someone who wants to upgrade. Disney call it ‘the fast lane’. There is always a premium opportunity in your practice as not everyone is cost sensitive, so be on the lookout for people that want to go to the front of the queue. What should we offer those clients and patients?
• [4:36] - Many dentists and dental practices encounter friction in the sales process. The friction could be handover between the front desk, appointment availability, or how your team is asking for the sale. These friction points slow down the sales process. So how do you make that buying process for your patients as frictionless and as easy as possible?
• [7:12] - Everything drives back to your organisations values, and vision. How to get these two critical points right in your practice.
• [9:06] - The Culture Creation Telescope, what is it, and how to use it to develop a culture like the Disney Organisation.
• [12:10] - Everyone needs a Roy. Roy was Walt Disney’s brother. He was the guy that made Disney fiscally achievable. He was the guy that brought structure to the creations. How to find a ‘Roy’ for your practice.
• [15:41] - Be sure to be promoting people into leadership roles thoughtfully and based around their values alignment. Skills can be taught. We can't often shift someone's values, so be intentional when promoting your leaders
• [19:38] - Disney have a beautiful way of letting team members go … they simply ‘upgrade them to guest’. How do you need to modify how you upgrade someone who is not fitting in, ‘to guest’?