In the time that I have been at the Electric Umbrella I have not received the opportunity to network. Unfortunately I was not able to trail a manager because of WDW confidentiality, but I was able to interview a manager that was very helpful. According to the manager I interviewed their management tasks consist of adjusting to the business, maintaining a high revenue, monitoring food safety, speed of service, spoilage and labor needs, observing cast members and guest interactions, developing employees, keeping employees and guest safe and making sure that the employee has the correct equipment to work efficiently.
They adjust to the business by knowing what works and what doesn’t for the business and what to do in situations when the business is busy or slow. On slow days they offer early release in order to be able to give extensions when it’s busy.They maintain a high revenue by monitoring that less food is cooked more often in order to prevent spoilage. They make sure that the food temperatures is always in the safe zone by taking temperatures every 15 minutes and making sure that the employees are using their timers. They make sure that the guest are getting their food quickly by checking the time on the orders to make sure that they are not past 10 minutes. If they notice the kitchen is falling behind they jump in and help out. They keep track of spoilage by recording it on a spoil sheet. They make sure that guest service is being provided by cast members by walking on the floor and evaluating how cast members interact with guest. They make sure that their cast members are always safe by providing them with the right equipment that they need in order to perform a task. They deal with employee development by training them in different places so that their skills can expand. They also have morning and night pre post shifts where they do tasting on the food so that the employee has knowledge of the menu when a guest ask them questions about it.
Management is a position with high responsibilities, but my manager think that at WDW is much easier then at outside locations.WDW has specific departments for different categories such as finance, maintenance, scheduling etc much makes the job easier. In outside locations managers are basically on their own because they are compressed to less people so they don’t really need different departments.
There are various ways that a person can enter into a management position with WDW. One of the ways is through a professional internship where the applicant is given an interview and is evaluated based on their knowledge of the position, their critical thinking skills and the similarity of what they majored in college to the position. Another way is by leadership casting calls for current cast members. In this case the one that will have a greater chance at become a leader will be the one most supported by their local area. Those that have made a lot of networking have a bigger possibility of getting promoted because the more network the more people you know to support you. Lastly is by external hiring where one applies and if chosen is called in for an interview. During this interview one must sell themselves to the interviewer by highlighting the things that they have done in their career that they can contribute to the company as a manager.
The article on “Transitioning into a Leadership Role” has similar things to the things that I would do if I were to become a leader. The article states start off as an observer. For me that’s easy because I am more then an obsever than a talker. I like to see what other people do in certain situations and the results to their actions. This way I learn from their mistakes. I observe peoples personalities so that I can know how to approach them. What surprised me about this article is the part that reads to avoid cliques. I thought that it was better to be in a clique full of managers if one becomes a manager. That way one feels more welcomed to the team and feels comfortable asking questions when one don’t know the answer. I could see how networking becomes a big important part of management; is a start to furthering one’s career and someday getting the opportunity to become a general manager.
Irma Matias
Epcot Electric Umbrella
Food and Beverage FOH/HOH
