From Disney to Netflix: What Hoteliers Can Learn About Employee Training
We live in an age where we consume multiple sources of information in mere seconds. Statistics wager one has 8.5 seconds to capture attention and 40 seconds before the reader moves on to new content. A January 16, 2023, Forbes article by Shane Snow, entitled "Science Shows: Humans Have Massive Capacity for Sustained Attention," offered storytelling as the ingredient that can hold our attention longer than 40 seconds and keep us captivated. How, then, can hoteliers apply this approach to training and capture the attention of their teams? The answer may be right in our hands.
Drawing Inspiration from Netflix and Disney
Netflix uses a unique method of storytelling by creating what could be one movie and dividing it into a series of episodes. The user has the option to watch all, skip, and assess continued interest. At the end of a movie or series, the user receives a simple question: Was this for you? All that's expected to determine future content for that same user is a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
Hoteliers can take a page from this storytelling book by sharing their own and delivering it in an appealing modality. As a former Disney Cast Member, I was, and still am, guilty of feverishly taking in Disney content. I wanted to learn everything I could about the man behind the magic. I was fascinated by Imagineering, internal growth, innovation, and redefining the cinematic experience. The parks were a 3D experience in the movie world.
Hotels have exciting stories including entrepreneurs with humble beginnings, from Conrad Hilton and J. Willard Marriott to Isadore Sharp and Howard D. Johnson. These visionaries saw a new frontier for service and hospitality that previously did not exist in the way each transformed it. Lessons can be learned from their journeys. Within hotels are even more interesting stories, from the birth of cocktails and American food trends to the use of electricity, elevators, and digital keys. Sharing this history helps employees understand change is the only constant.
Now that we know we have more than enough stories to tell, how can we convey them meaningfully to foster learning? The answer is at the fingertips of every employee, our phones. Rather than scrolling through non-stimulating, detached content, hotels can create interest using IG stories focused on the employee audience.
In a December 13, 2022, McKinsey Quarterly article, "Every company is a software company: Six 'must dos' to succeed," it was noted that "CEOs and business leaders …highlighted three keys to success: leadership, communication, and investment." Without investing in leadership and communication, the culture would not thrive. Taking this line of thought further, "Companies often undercut their success in wooing top talent by shortchanging the employee experience, resulting in significant retention issues. Top software engineers, for example, want autonomy, opportunities to grow, and the ability to build their skills."
Fostering Growth Through Engaging Training
Building skills and the opportunity to grow stem from training and experiential learning. By investing in people, employees will reinvest in the business. With that, training must be tied to the opportunity for growth and with a clear understanding of how the learning will be applied.
Using storytelling as bite-size learning unlocks employees' potential for growth and opportunity. The connection to the business and how employees fit into that next chapter stimulates a sense of belonging and ownership. With a calculated approach to learning, the ripple effect translates into higher engagement and guest service. Invested employees want to perform well and make a difference.
For knowledge acquisition to translate into progress, certifications or credits must be tied to the content library. When I worked for Disney, they offered hundreds of complimentary courses. You could register and take them in your free time. The courses were for personal enrichment, but they could also be applied to new role opportunities. While not mandatory, certain courses could support experience for a leadership position. Cast Members who may not have work leadership on their resume may desire to take human resource-focused classes.
Technology unlocks the potential to drive learning. By inspiring employees to use their time dedicated to honing their skills and trade, hoteliers can divert employee energy toward sharpening their saw. It requires hoteliers, in turn, to take McKinsey's advice and invest in these resources. Effective customer service training requires leadership and communication centered on empowering and stimulating growth.
About the Author
As the founder and CEO of MDA Hospitality Solutions, Mary is leading the charge of designing, developing, and delivering unmatched training programs for leading international hotel companies, national grocers, residential communities, country clubs, entertainment venues, and independent restaurants, to name a few.
D’Argenis-Fernandez began her hospitality career at the happiest place on earth, the Walt Disney Company, where she held successive leadership positions. Her career trajectory continued to soar after Disney, where she held progressive leadership roles at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and Fairmont Hotels.
Fueled by her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for the hospitality industry, D’Argenis-Fernandez established MDA Hospitality in 2015. This full-service training partner delivers skills-based employee training that results in exceptional, consistent guest service, increased employee engagement, and increased client profit.
Under D’Argenis-Fernandez’s leadership, MDA has been instrumental in partnering with forward-thinking companies committed to investing in their team’s development. Notable clients include Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Great Wolf Lodge, Pyramid Global, Oasis Experiences, and The Fresh Market.
Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross, a Master of Education from Worcester State University, and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. Mary is a passionate traveler and fitness enthusiast who resides in central Florida with her two daughters. And, yes, she still visits the Mouse.