Once I started the Disney College Program I have been extremely social amongst other CP’s starting with Traditions, at my work location and my classes. At each location, I was able to be in groups with up to four or five CP’s all from different states to countries. I will notice that I will be the first person to break the ice and spark the conversations. In every group, I’ve been in we had conversations about which schools we attend/attended, what’s our majors, what are our plans for our future, what made us get into the Disney Program, eta. In Traditions, I was able to interact with a few other CP’s through the activities they had for us and at work when a few leaders from different roles provided an informational and interesting scavenger hunt for CP’s in French Quarter and Riverside. Before we did the scavenger hunt we were able to meet the General Manager of Port Orleans Resort and there were a few leaders from different departments such as Merchandise, Food and Beverage and Housekeeping. The General Manager introduced himself to all of us and gave a mini introduction about himself. They all mentioned their role, how long they were in their role and if they were a CP when they first started or not and which location at Port Orleans they work at. I was able to acknowledge all of them and introduce myself but couldn’t ask many questions since it was a time limit for us to be done. The scavenger hunt was a great way for CP’s to meet each other and work as a team to complete the two-sided sheet of questions that consisted of information about both sides of the Resort. We were able to use our fellow castmates as resources to find out the information required of us. My team and I name were The Magnolia, we ended up winning third place, and our prize was a puzzle that has a bold and white title “Riverside 25th Anniversary, February 2, 2017”.
Afterward, when I was finished with my KAPA was when I was able to have a one on one conversation with one of my leaders, Michael, who I barely see now. He was the leader that I mentioned my major too and he has some colleagues within the Front desk role that I can network with. Ever since then I haven’t got the chance to network with leaders (so far), that I will like too. I also haven’t had the chance to attend any of the Education offerings that the Disney Program offers for CP’s such as Acing the interview, Networking 101, Resume Writing, and Personal Branding. I plan on attending these offerings real soon as once I find the time to get my assignments in order and everything else. I haven’t had an opportunity to really trail a manager and complete management tasks. However, I have been able to observe what kind of responsibilities my leaders have to intake and how they resolve issues. I’ve noticed my leaders are responsible for everything starting with inventory, schedules, money, how each shop runs within quick service and at the table service restaurant in Boatwrights as well. They also have patience with handling each cast member who culture backgrounds are different and being able to accommodate to some part-timers and full-timers needs dealing with any situation such as changing their schedules to only mornings or nights and physical needs. From the looks of it, managers must be able to take the time to really get to know each cast member and attempt to understand them even when their first language is not English and make them feel comfortable in their working environment.
After reading this article, it made me think of how one day I will get the opportunity within the hospitality field to get promoted into a leadership role and it’s okay to be nervous to rise to the challenge. I have an interest in being a manager in a Resort or Hotel one day so reading about the few ideas they mention is a significant way to keep in mind when this opportunity comes along my way. As well, advanced planning is one of the major keys to becoming a successful manager.
