Facilitated by Mary P. Flynn of Disney Institute, the “Inspiring Creativity" Masterclass at The Premier Business Leadership Series was an amazing insight into Disney's approach to inspiring creativity and turning innovation into everyday practice. Whatever else you may feel about Disney, no one can accuse them of anything less than excellence in understanding and meeting their customer's needs and building a very, very, successful business. As Mary pointed out, 'be in no doubt, Mickey is a serious mouse and Disney is a business that needs to make a profit just like all other businesses'.

For Disney, it starts with fostering a powerfully collaborative environment where creativity is fostered, nourished and empowered. In Disney's “chain of excellence” this is based, in turn, on leadership. Committed, responsible, inspiring leaders develop a creative culture of people who themselves generate innovative products and services that ultimately provide the organisation with a competitive edge. So important is this to Disney, that leaders are expected to spend 70 percent of their time leading and only 30 percent managing. Disney's leaders are enablers - in every sense of the word; success for them can be measured in how quickly their staff are poached by other teams.

Disney's culture is built on a foundation with some key cornerstones:

• Passion for the Purpose - every member of Disney's 'cast' (staff, whether customer-facing or not, are considered integral parts of creating the Disney experience) wants to be there and knows what is expected of them. They recruit for attitude, not just experience.
• Shared Values - let there be no doubt that Disney has core, unshakeable values (things it will always do and things it will never do). Disney takes its values so seriously: it will turn down millions of dollars in lost potential revenue rather than go against one of its core beliefs (this resonated so strongly with me - being an employee of an organisation with much the same approach)
• Communication - as Mary exhibited, every member of the cast is expected to engage in open and honest feedback. Walt himself used to make a point of going out to meet staff, regardless of function and sometimes regardless of time of day. In a world where your every word or gesture can make the difference between a guest being delighted or being disappointed, you better believe this is important.
• Trust - when you have strong values, open communications and know what everybody is there for, you can build trust; especially in such a collaborative environment. When you truly work as a group with a common goal, the need to worry about placing faith in an individual becomes an irrelevance.
• Variety of Perspectives - finally, Disney not only respects diversity of thought, it positively seeks it out. Nowhere is this better exemplified than is the expression "Your idea is separate from your identity." If you have a great idea, allow others to collaborate and contribute and turn it into a fantastic idea. The originator of the idea will still get recognition for their insight and initiative, but the outcome is so much better when many people can add to the original.

Mary then shared with the group an example of their values and culture in action, the development of Disney's 'Princess Faire' experience. This show is aimed to give children memories they will treasure for a lifetime. The original idea was great: kids could get to meet several of their favourite Disney 'princesses' (Cinderella, Snow White, Bella, etc.) all at once. They could get close and interact with their heroines. But then the Disney culture kicked in, merchandising, food, photography, all got together and collaborated to provide a seamless experience - right down to offering the kinds of food children think princesses eat (fluffy, apparently). For the mums, dads and children, the experience was far better and for Disney that means happy, paying guests. And this wasn't led by management, this came from the people on the ground who personally knew what it would take and could suggest improvements or enhancements.

So it's easy to see why creativity is so important to Disney. It's the engine of their innovation. But it's not some poorly defined 'magic' that comes about all by itself; Disney is creative every single day and they are even better about turning ideas into practice. Mary gave us an exercise to illustrate this: we were given 2 sheets of paper - first we drew mickey's head in our own style and in our own way then, on the other sheet, we followed the Disney process for drawing Mickey. When compared side-by-side the contrast was immediately apparent - the first head was more creative but the second was obviously more effective. This is part of the secret to Disney's success. Anyone can come up with the original idea, but it's the turning it into a consistent result effectively time-after-time that allows them to deliver excellence repeatedly and profitably.

Neither is creativity constrained to a special elite; "Disney has a creative culture, not a creative department," said Mary. In fact, the more Mary spoke, the more I reflected on the potential link between empowerment and creativity. In a culture where people are expected to personally resolve a guest's problem before it becomes an issue, it's not difficult to extrapolate this to anyone feeling they can suggest improvements or new things. In Disney there are two forbidden words: No and Bu' (which is really just No in disguise). If an idea looks like it is not currently doable try saying, “yes, and…”' or “Yes, if....” It may still be impossible, but now you have some parameters that might make it possible - aim higher! As Walt would say, “low hanging fruit is good, but anyone can reach it.”

Mary then shared two very powerful brainstorming tips with us: the first was “pass the paper.” Everyone adds something in a grid on a piece of paper which is passed around the group. They are not allowed to read what has been written already, just scribble down their idea as quickly as possible. Each group would have several pieces of paper on the go simultaneously, each dealing with a particular topic or idea. The ideas are then collated at the end. I particular likes the way this technique stops one voice from dominating the conversation. Typical Disney - it's inclusive.

The second tip was that brainstorming should be like improvisation theatre. It ends when someone fails to add something to the previous line. Instead of closing down the conversation with a put-down or an, “It can't happen here,” add another line in a chain of reasoning and see how far it can take you. How about that, Yes, if...” or “Yes, and...” to start the next line?

All-in-all, this session firmly fixed in mind for me the idea that this is the “mouse that roars.” And if you are thinking that you have heard this all before and it's just common sense, ask yourself this, “what is stopping your organisation from turning common sense into common practice?”

This was my first masterclass with Disney Institute, but it won’t be my last because, just like going to their parks, an encounter with Disney could stay with you all your life.

Finally, my kids are too old (?) for Disney now, but I can promise you this: if I am blessed with grandchildren, they're going to meet The Mouse - up close and personal!