Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[trs518]

I find it quite difficult to know what is the "right" amount.

If you do too little praising, you are accused of becoming jaded (this happens to me all the time).

If you do too little criticizing, you get accused by the longtimers (who really notice the decline) of pandering just for the sake of balance.

There's also the problem of perceived "fairness." I could arbitrarily give 50% attention to praise and 50% attention to criticism, but that doesn't really send a clear signal. Are things bad or aren't they? A hypothetical column like that written in 1966 or 1971 could point out a 50/50 ratio, too, but the objective-me would howl that there's no comparing 1966 with 2011. It's a forced, artificial balancing of good and bad.

I also worry about "reverse-jaded" attitudes. Just as we might imagine a "jaded" visitor, I could easily posit a corporate person at Disney who reads online criticism and gets "reverse jaded" if the criticism ALWAYS contains 50% good and 50% bad. It would make the 'bad' seem less of a problem. "Oh, this guy always has 50% bad; it's what he does."

So the true, most objective way to characterize the park is to call it as you see it. I strive to point out the good when it happens. But I'm open to the idea I ought to do it more. I just don't think that I ought to do it "just because."

I have personally enjoyed your articles, mostly because:

1. You care.
2. When you have a critique something, you back it up with facts.
3. You're don't sensationalize things, whether they're good or bad.

As always, keep pointing out when things are good and when things are bad. Don't feel obligated to pander to either side. No where in Merriam-Webster's definition of fair does it say 50/50. I think this part of the definition applies:

"6a: marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism <a very fair person to do business with> "

 

[HMF]

Sometimes the WDI staff would even paint the dinosaurs themselves on their own time!

To be honest that does not sound so bad.

 

[HMF]

This is so true and something to consider. The media of course uses negativity and drama to attract and maintain your attention, so we get that non stop and have a very cynical society.

I used to draw editorial cartoons and ads for my grandfather and when I would write or illustrate something cynical or negative, he would make me redo it and give it a funny, but positive tone. He hated negativity in that forum. He knew that people get that for real and reading for fun looking at ads could just as easily be upbuilding, not degrading.

Your quote reminding me of the power of being positive and looking for ways to build each other up, not continually tear down. I got off on a signage rant and while I still feel that it's not right, there are so many things there that are very right and well done. Good to point that out as a result of being balanced. Thanks for the post.

Walt Disney created entertainment that appeals to one's better nature.

The problem is the media thrives on sensationalism. Basically, making it seem like the world is a more dangerous place than it actually is. The serial killers and child predators and all that stuff is the vast minority of the general population. You never hear on the news all the great things people do for each other on a daily basis. Then of course you have 24-hour Cable fear machines (especially a certain "Fair and Balanced" one) that essentially tell people they should be afraid of everything and preach conspiracy theories. We probably have the worst news media on Earth.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I find it quite difficult to know what is the "right" amount.

If you do too little praising, you are accused of becoming jaded (this happens to me all the time).

If you do too little criticizing, you get accused by the longtimers (who really notice the decline) of pandering just for the sake of balance.

There's also the problem of perceived "fairness." I could arbitrarily give 50% attention to praise and 50% attention to criticism, but that doesn't really send a clear signal. Are things bad or aren't they? A hypothetical column like that written in 1966 or 1971 could point out a 50/50 ratio, too, but the objective-me would howl that there's no comparing 1966 with 2011. It's a forced, artificial balancing of good and bad.

I also worry about "reverse-jaded" attitudes. Just as we might imagine a "jaded" visitor, I could easily posit a corporate person at Disney who reads online criticism and gets "reverse jaded" if the criticism ALWAYS contains 50% good and 50% bad. It would make the 'bad' seem less of a problem. "Oh, this guy always has 50% bad; it's what he does."

So the true, most objective way to characterize the park is to call it as you see it. I strive to point out the good when it happens. But I'm open to the idea I ought to do it more. I just don't think that I ought to do it "just because."

You do a good job and bring facts along. IMO..I like constructive critique. Commitees do not always provide that, but they can. The most successful forms of governance in history are benevolent dictatorships. The good king.

 

[yankspy]

You do a good job and bring facts along. IMO..I like constructive critique. Commitees do not always provide that, but they can. The most successful forms of governance in history are benevolent dictatorships. The good king.

The fact that you just paraphrased "The Republic" in regards to a Disney conversation makes you my new favorite person.:sohappy:

 

[KevinYee]

The fact that you just paraphrased "The Republic" in regards to a Disney conversation makes you my new favorite person.:sohappy:

Now how do we get the executives in TDO to stop seeing the shadows on the cave and view actual reality instead?!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Now how do we get the executives in TDO to stop seeing the shadows on the cave and view actual reality instead?!

By rationally discussing things in a public forum as you do so well. They do read this stuff. Maybe Kevin should do his wish list of fixes as an open letter to Meg and publish it? I venture a guess that these things are known and obvious to them, but there are hidden business realities we are unaware of. We don't know exactly what is getting in the way of maintaining the quality (that we as guests have been trained by them to expect BTW). Let's hope maintenance is not a quarterly gathering of assignments.

In the case of BTM, the solution is probably obscenely expensive and has to do with a series of proposals as to how to fix it and then there are dozens of meetings on it. Finally, it is so costly, it has to go into the next years budget for approval and they have to have several choices as to how they want to address it. Then they have to schedule it into the rehab schedule. Etc. It should not, but could take years.

I want to believe that they have ordered more shrink wrap signs and they are on the way. Or better yet, they invested in doing it right this time and are making porcelain enamel ones that last for years.

This is what I do not understand. They know that the fans know these things. They have outreach and ways of posting what they plan to do if anything. They could explain that they intend to fix it and how the process works in that regard and to be patient. No communication leaves people to speculate that they do not care, and that is far worse as most fans will respect that a reasonable amount of process can take time if the intent is to do the right thing. Silence on the part of TDO in these cases is worse IMO.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

The fact that you just paraphrased "The Republic" in regards to a Disney conversation makes you my new favorite person.:sohappy:

I was actually referring to the reign of King Solomon but I'll take the Republic if that works!

Solomon didn't pray for riches, but for the wisdom to lead his people fairly and in the upright ways of the law. For his selflessness, he was rewarded with a 40 year reign of peace and unspeakable wealth.

I think when you see strong focused leadership as with Disney, Jobs, and others you have employees who align themselves and live "the mission" because it's more than a job, it's doing or being the best. Walt was tough, but humble and would share lunch with the construction workers. Disney was a people driven company then and not just a profit driven business. Walt was approachable and personally generous. There are qualities in leadership and ethics that are missing today that galvanize the workers into an unbreakable loyalty.

Herb Ryman loved Walt and could have been a very successful artist, but loved "the mission" of what Disney was trying to do and lent his hand to that instead. He was humble as well and gravitated toward the idea of using his art to make people happy, to appeal to their better nature. Like Solomon, or most people Herbie saw the value and wanted to work for a "good king".

 

[Alektronic]

By rationally discussing things in a public forum as you do so well. They do read this stuff. Maybe Kevin should do his wish list of fixes as an open letter to Meg and publish it? I venture a guess that these things are known and obvious to them, but there are hidden business realities we are unaware of. We don't know exactly what is getting in the way of maintaining the quality (that we as guests have been trained by them to expect BTW). Let's hope maintenance is not a quarterly gathering of assignments.

In the case of BTM, the solution is probably obscenely expensive and has to do with a series of proposals as to how to fix it and then there are dozens of meetings on it. Finally, it is so costly, it has to go into the next years budget for approval and they have to have several choices as to how they want to address it. Then they have to schedule it into the rehab schedule. Etc. It should not, but could take years.

I want to believe that they have ordered more shrink wrap signs and they are on the way. Or better yet, they invested in doing it right this time and are making porcelain enamel ones that last for years.

This is what I do not understand. They know that the fans know these things. They have outreach and ways of posting what they plan to do if anything. They could explain that they intend to fix it and how the process works in that regard and to be patient. No communication leaves people to speculate that they do not care, and that is far worse as most fans will respect that a reasonable amount of process can take time if the intent is to do the right thing. Silence on the part of TDO in these cases is worse IMO.

I have worked in WDW maintenance for over 25 years and things have changed quite a bit. I can give some insight about what goes on in some maintenance depts.

First, everyone has work assignments to do, which is Preventive Maintenance but it is different for each shift. 3rd shift has the most work to do and so they have the most manpower. 1st and 2nd shift are operating shifts so they can only do limited backstage work while the rides and attractions are running.

There is Show Quality and the people who do the reviews are very good at their jobs. If you actually saw a real Show Quality review form and saw what was actually broken or not operating properly then a lot of people would be really upset. So what happens is a work order is generated so it is documented and added and added to longer and increasing backlog. So management is aware of all the problems and many, many more.

The bottom line is money, do they want to spend the money to repair it? How long will it take? Do we already have the materials? Do we have to order it? Or have it specially made or manufactured? Does anyone notice? Can we live without it? How many manhours will it take to repair it?

So another problem is manpower. Maintenance depts have really shrunk, mainly by attrition, when people leave, transfer, or retire. They simply don't replace them, but the same amount or even more work needs to get done.

My friend who works in Animal Kingdom maintenance says their dept is down by over by 50% in about 5 years. My dept hasn't hired anyone "off-the-street" in over 10 years, we have had some transfers here and there.

They have been contracting out more and more work, so pretty soon the specialized and skilled workers like the ones who are specialized in audio-animatronic repair will be stretched farther and farther. And that is just few of the problems.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I have worked in WDW maintenance for over 25 years and things have changed quite a bit. I can give some insight about what goes on in some maintenance depts.

First, everyone has work assignments to do, which is Preventive Maintenance but it is different for each shift. 3rd shift has the most work to do and so they have the most manpower. 1st and 2nd shift are operating shifts so they can only do limited backstage work while the rides and attractions are running.

There is Show Quality and the people who do the reviews are very good at their jobs. If you actually saw a real Show Quality review form and saw what was actually broken or not operating properly then a lot of people would be really upset. So what happens is a work order is generated so it is documented and added and added to longer and increasing backlog. So management is aware of all the problems and many, many more.

The bottom line is money, do they want to spend the money to repair it? How long will it take? Do we already have the materials? Do we have to order it? Or have it specially made or manufactured? Does anyone notice? Can we live without it? How many manhours will it take to repair it?

So another problem is manpower. Maintenance depts have really shrunk, mainly by attrition, when people leave, transfer, or retire. They simply don't replace them, but the same amount or even more work needs to get done.

My friend who works in Animal Kingdom maintenance says their dept is down by over by 50% in about 5 years. My dept hasn't hired anyone "off-the-street" in over 10 years, we have had some transfers here and there.

They have been contracting out more and more work, so pretty soon the specialized and skilled workers like the ones who are specialized in audio-animatronic repair will be stretched farther and farther. And that is just few of the problems.

Sounds accurate. Manpower is a big issue and was at DL over a decade ago. I can't imagine what it is like today. Thank you so much for giving us some recent insight and perspective as to how things do or don't get done and why. everyone wants it to be right, down to the person making the repair. I know about those forms too and they are quite extensive.

 

[Alektronic]

I was actually referring to the reign of King Solomon but I'll take the Republic if that works!

Solomon didn't pray for riches, but for the wisdom to lead his people fairly and in the upright ways of the law. For his selflessness, he was rewarded with a 40 year reign of peace and unspeakable wealth.

I think when you see strong focused leadership as with Disney, Jobs, and others you have employees who align themselves and live "the mission" because it's more than a job, it's doing or being the best. Walt was tough, but humble and would share lunch with the construction workers. Disney was a people driven company then and not just a profit driven business. Walt was approachable and personally generous. There are qualities in leadership and ethics that are missing today that galvanize the workers into an unbreakable loyalty.

Herb Ryman loved Walt and could have been a very successful artist, but loved "the mission" of what Disney was trying to do and lent his hand to that instead. He was humble as well and gravitated toward the idea of using his art to make people happy, to appeal to their better nature. Like Solomon, or most people Herbie saw the value and wanted to work for a "good king".

When I came to work at WDW in the 80's, it was the place to work. It was hard to get a job here because they were always looking for quality employees. And they really treated the cast members right. I loved working here and so did my friends. Everyone took ownership for their areas, rides, and attractions because management also cared back then. Show Quality was serious business back then and rides would go 101 if certain figures weren't working and everyone would rush to fix it.

And they took more personal approach to their CM's like they are part of the family. I remember CM Christmas parties at MK, where they closed the whole park for the CM's and their families(which DLR still does to this day) and they had CM maintenance picnics at Little Lake Bryan and all the maintenance execs would mingle with all the families. A lot of free food and drinks and giveaways and my family always enjoyed that.

Now, it is run just like a business, everyone is just a number, PERNR, assigned to a cost center and organization. Benefits always getting cut, about 5 years ago, they cut out the pension plan and medical retiree benefits for new employees. Now it is just a 401K plan where they only match a measly 2%.

A lot of talented engineers and creative people have been leaving for Universal down the road for better pay, benefits and better opportuntities.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

When I came to work at WDW in the 80's, it was the place to work. It was hard to get a job here because they were always looking for quality employees. And they really treated the cast members right. I loved working here and so did my friends. Everyone took ownership for their areas, rides, and attractions because management also cared back then. Show Quality was serious business back then and rides would go 101 if certain figures weren't working and everyone would rush to fix it.

And they took more personal approach to their CM's like they are part of the family. I remember CM Christmas parties at MK, where they closed the whole park for the CM's and their families(which DLR still does to this day) and they had CM maintenance picnics at Little Lake Bryan and all the maintenance execs would mingle with all the families. A lot of free food and drinks and giveaways and my family always enjoyed that.

Now, it is run just like a business, everyone is just a number, PERNR, assigned to a cost center and organization. Benefits always getting cut, about 5 years ago, they cut out the pension plan and medical retiree benefits for new employees. Now it is just a 401K plan where they only match a measly 2%.

A lot of talented engineers and creative people have been leaving for Universal down the road for better pay, benefits and better opportuntities.

I'm truly sorry to hear that. I'm no longer a Disney Imagineer but try and export that spirit and fun into the work we do for others. there is a lesson to learn when you meet a new client. You really need to believe that they want and are up to the task of maintaining what you give them. You also have to be reasonable and not design things that cannot be maintained. If they aren't, then opening night is the best day the project will have and it's downhill from there. I embrace the difficult challenges and sometimes you need the client to know that innovation is messy and unpredictable. the longer you do this however, the less risky it is as you know what to avoid and plan contingencies. We try and make the work "hard fun" so we don't get bored by doing the usual and that gets frighting at times. The challenge is out there and so is the right environment.

 

[Jeanine]

This is what I do not understand. They know that the fans know these things. They have outreach and ways of posting what they plan to do if anything. They could explain that they intend to fix it and how the process works in that regard and to be patient. No communication leaves people to speculate that they do not care, and that is far worse as most fans will respect that a reasonable amount of process can take time if the intent is to do the right thing. Silence on the part of TDO in these cases is worse IMO.

I totally agree with this. I've always thought that the Disney appeal is not just maintaining the illusion of being taken to different places/times, but that the illusion of people caring about you (the guest) is just as important. I know people who couldn't care less about the broken yeti--their feeling is that you only see it for about 3 seconds, and they can't tell whether it's moving or not. I think the reason why things like that bother people is the disrepair makes them feel that nobody cares--"it's only a business about money, after all"--and that pulls them out of the illusion just as rudely as if they saw a cowboy walking through Tomorrowland.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

This discussion really follows my own experience. I have worked for companies that only treated everyone like a number (as Disney appears to do now), and ones that treated you as a valued member of the team. Care to venture which employer got 110%? It would NOT have been Disney if that is how they treat the CMs. They are the greatest, and Disney needs to treat them better, no matter the cost!

On another note, is there really a block for "will people notice" on a maintenance form? Really?!?!?! Of course we will notice!!!

I see positive signs that maybe a few people in TDO mgt "get it", and I hope that the maintenance of the parks can once again be given a top priority. I hope we don't have to wait for the 50th anniversary to see some improvement. I guess time will tell.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

This discussion really follows my own experience. I have worked for companies that only treated everyone like a number (as Disney appears to do now), and ones that treated you as a valued member of the team. Care to venture which employer got 110%? It would NOT have been Disney if that is how they treat the CMs. They are the greatest, and Disney needs to treat them better, no matter the cost!

On another note, is there really a block for "will people notice" on a maintenance form? Really?!?!?! Of course we will notice!!!

I see positive signs that maybe a few people in TDO mgt "get it", and I hope that the maintenance of the parks can once again be given a top priority. I hope we don't have to wait for the 50th anniversary to see some improvement. I guess time will tell.

I love Steve Job's comment about building a piece of furniture...

When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I love Steve Job's comment about building a piece of furniture...

When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

Seems to be the way that Mr. Jobs designs all of his products (I admit, I love my IPhone!). and it used to be the way that Disney looked at everything. Pity that some of the management team doesn't know or seem to care for the quality over profit that Walt seemed to stand for. It would be nice if they would put the guests ahead of the shareholders, since in the long run, that would make them more money, not less. So shortsighted, it's a bit ridiculus.

 

[CountryBearFan]

This thread seems to have taken a negative turn for the worst.

 

[wm49rs]

This thread seems to have taken a negative turn for the worst.

Yes, furniture-building always depresses the he!! out of me too....

We now return to our regularly scheduled fine thread.....

 

[KevinYee]

New questions for you, Eddie.

Let's veer away from design and toward management and leadership. I liked what you said about "hard fun." How intentional is that kind of thinking in giving out assignments? Do you ever try to consciously channel leaders you've known (or maybe the Walt of myth himself?) Can you really let people to stretch themselves creatively all the time? (I would think sometimes the work just turns humdrum but still has to be done)

 

[HMF]

I see positive signs that maybe a few people in TDO mgt "get it",

Jim Macphee and Rilous Carter are well liked. Everyone else, not so much.
I once again defer to Disneyland and TDL as to how a Disney Resort should be run.