http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2008/07/disneys-1000000.html
Disney’s $100,000 Salt + Pepper Shaker
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The story is simple. At 12 years old, a young Randy Pausch was exploring Disney World with his family and he and his sister decided they wanted to show their parents their appreciation for the trip. So they did what any other grateful children would do—they pooled their allowance money and headed straight for the Disney gift shop. A few minutes later, they emerged with the perfect gift. A ceramic Disney salt and pepper shaker featuring two bears in a tree holding the salt and pepper (not the ones in the photo above.) Randy and his sister left the store excited to see their parents faces when they opened the gift.
Minutes later, a mini-tragedy struck when Randy accidentally dropped the shaker, breaking it on impact. A nearby adult suggested that they should take it back to the store and they did so hesitantly, not expecting a positive outcome. To their surprise and delight, the Disney employee who had sold them the items apologized for not wrapping them appropriately and gave them a new set, no questions asked.
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In recent years as a consultant, Randy would often ask Disney executives this question: “If I sent a child into one of your stores with a broken salt and pepper shaker today, would your policies allow your workers to be kind enough to replace it?”
Randy says, “the executives squirm at the question. They know the answer: Probably not.”
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So we know have a new Leadership meme: “Does your org support 100k salt shakers?”
Hmmm, a very hard question to answer.
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Reinke Faces Life 