Imagine that your success is locked inside a vault. And to open that vault you must use a set of keys. And that those keys must be used in the correct sequential order. That’s what Disney does every day with what it calls its “keys to the kingdom”  (snap above, courtesy Disney).

The keys were, originally, an attractions operating filter developed by Van France for Disneyland and, when it was built, applied to Walt Disney World. That filter, in priority order, consisted of Safety, Show, Courtesy, and Capacity.

Safety – Protecting everyone from danger and injury

Show – Delivering an immersive, contradiction free environment

Courtesy – Being welcoming, friendly, and polite to everyone

Capacity – Moving as many guests as possible through the experience in a timely manner

Although they remained stable over a period of many years, these operating priorities have slowly evolved.

By the time I hired on in 1985 at EPCOT, Capacity had evolved to “Efficiency.”

Efficiency – Completing tasks with minimal waste, expense, and effort

With the expansion of Walt Disney World championed by Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, this change led to greater relevance and application for non-ride situations, such as those found in hotel, merchandise, and food operations.

Then, in the 1990s, the operating filter changed again as guest service satisfaction scores plummeted. Leadership switched “Show” and Courtesy”. The prioritized order then became “Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency.”

Click here for a more complete explanation of how cast members apply that filter in daily operations.

Disney experienced some controversary recently when “Inclusion” was added to Disney’s Keys of Operation.

Inclusion – Respecting and embracing the worth and dignity of all people

Is inclusion a worthy addition? It seems, to me, to be redundant because the central point of inclusion is covered under Courtesy. But the Mouse uses this operating filter everywhere, from front line to high level leadership decisions. Given that fact, the addition of Inclusion highlights something the Mouse House wants to make central to its decision-making process. Inclusion is therefore an appropriate addition.

There are three lessons to be learned from Disney’s experience. An operational filter …

1. ... has an important role in aligning an entire organization towards the same goals, ...

2. ... must be the guide for all decisions, in all departments, and all job tasks, both big and small, and ...

3. ... should remain in place but can SLOWLY evolve as times and attitudes change.

Disney is clear about its “keys to the kingdom” and applies them every day in every way. The keys to your success may be different, but you should know what those keys are and the order in which to apply them. That’s how you unlock your own success.