Ever notice how things at Disney look so fresh, new, pristine. It’s a philosophy that comes directly from Walt. He once said, “Those sharp pencil guys tell you, ‘Walt, if we cut down on maintenance, we’d save a lot of money.’ But I don’t believe in that; it must be kept clean and fresh.” To Walt, the goal was clear: to emotionally communicate his MESSAGE of happiness through a pristine CONTEXT.

The Disney Cruise Line articulated that philosophy with a bold claim wrapped in simple language: Every day, the ship will look as good as it did on the day it was launched. They called it “Day One.” Through that philosophy, the cruise line can aggressively look for, and correct “Bad Show” items.

“Bad Show” is like a virus. If you don’t aggressively stomp it out, it spreads. Consider, for example, coffee spilled on a carpet. The first day, the stain is noticed. The second day, less so. The third day, it becomes a normal part of the scenery. This acceptance leads to less notice for the next carpet stain, and the next, and the next until the carpet is too dirty to clean and must be replaced. The nonchalance about stained carpet spreads to dropped trash, scraped walls and broken furniture. Before you realize what has happened, the entire facility needs a facelift. The MESSAGE patrons receive is one of uncaring personnel.

Disney seeks to ruthlessly quash “Bad Show” items. Sometimes, it is, as we discovered in Post Parade Magic, MIC Key Snap V1 I7, through immediate clean up. Other times it is through aggressive after-hours repair. Perhaps Disney’s most effective method for finding and stomping out bad show, is through its cast members. Any one, at any level, is encouraged to speak up when they see Bad Show. This can be uncomfortable experience for inattentive leaders being called out for not fixing something. But the end result is positive. When your entire workforce understands, and cares about maintaining a Day One look, Bad Show dies. And the message the guests receive is one of magic, competence, and comfort.

What about you and your organization? Do your employees seek, and stomp out, Bad Show issues? Are you laser focused on maintaining your show? Do you conduct daily walk throughs of your customer and employee areas? Several times a day? And, when you walk these areas, do you look at them as if it is the first time you have seen them? Do you then aggressively fix the bad show items you find? Be watchful or the Bad Show virus will undercut your MESSAGE. It may even overwhelm your business.