The art director was beside himself. So was the horticulturalist. Disneyland had recently opened and the guests were cutting through a gorgeous display of flowers and shrubbery. The guests, hurriedly taking a short cut to an adjoining area, trampled everything in their way. The art director had the area replanted. Again it happened. Again they replanted. Again. Again. And yet again. Finally, in exasperation, they asked for time with Walt.

As he, his assistant and the horticulturalist waited, they shared their frustrations about the guests’ crude behavior. Then they heard it. “Cough, cough, cough.” It was Walt, the chain smoker, clearing his throat. He entered the room and asked, “What have you got for me?”

The art director began. He explained the situation that the guests had created. He complained about the guests. His assistant added that the guests were being inconsiderate. He complained about the costs. The horticulturalist agreed.

Walt responded, “Well, what do you want to do about it?”

The art director proposed installing a sign or building a fence.

Walt cut him off, “Now wait a minute! A path like that isn’t created by an occasional person cutting through, but many people cutting through. You’ve got to realize that people do this because they have a good reason to walk through there. Don’t fence it off. Pave it for them!”

That was the end of the discussion. Walt was, as in everything he did, taking his guests' point of view and making decisions based on what they wanted.

A new pathway soon appeared. The guests got to the attraction they wanted to quicker than they had before. And the flowers and shrubbery? It bloomed elsewhere.

What about you? In this era of mammoth change, what our customers want from us is very different. We need to adapt. Are you trying to force your customers to do it your way? Why not pave the walkways for them? Either way you get to plant your flowers. But, only one way will allow them to grow … along with your business.