Traditions was a magical experience for me. I had no idea how much history Disney has and how elaborate the company is regarding their history. Traditions was beneficial to me because I had very little knowledge on the company. I would have to say that the main focus of Traditions was to teach all of the new cast members how important the four keys are to Disney (Safety, Courtesy, Efficiency, Show). Disney runs their whole company off these four keys and they are very important to bring to your work place.
At work I am constantly thinking of the four keys and if I am meeting all of them at all times. The four keys; Safety, Courtesy, Efficiency, Show are in that order for a specific reason. They are listen in order of importance. At work Safety comes before everything for our guest and cast. Traditions gave me great training on how to actually pay attention to everything around me and notice the four keys. During our tour through Magic Kingdom we were told to take notice on how Disney and the cast follow these four keys in everything going on around us. I had the pleasure to walk through Magic Kingdom at Traditions during the 3 O’clock parade and the four keys were obvious everywhere I looked. I noticed rope to keep the crowd safe and away from the moving parade (Safety). I saw a cast member blocking off an area that was frequently travel during the parade to help assist the guest in detouring the right way (Safety, Efficiency, and Courtesy). I noticed how the characters were even interacting with the cast member in true fashion as the role they were playing (Show).
In the article “Create Comapny Loyalty with New-Hire Practices” the first thing they talk about is how important it is to welcome new cast members the right way to keep them in the long run. I believe Traditions was a great way for Disney to welcome all of us. The whole production was fascinating and went off without a glitch. I always think about my first experience walking through that parade and compare it to myself when I am working. My favorite part of Traditions was when we got our name tags from Mickey !! It was so cute and the perfect way to introduce all of the new cast members into the company. Traditions was an experience I will never forget and I will take all the skills I learned there throughout my whole career.
You are right, the way new employees are welcomed helps set the stage for long term success. It is funny when I read your post I thought back, way back, to my Traditions class or should I say classes. I know many of you comment on how long the experience is but in my eyes it is only a short time. Many years ago Traditions was for two full days, yes, two days. When I read your post and those of your peers I can see the similarities in the introduction to the culture of Disney and how they still create the first glimpses of Magic in such a condensed time frame.
I do hope that you will never forget this time, as it is a special moment in your Disney experience.