The Aqua Cell Epcot's Listen to the Land boat ride. Photo: Offbeat Training LLC

Gag, couch, choke. What a stink. It was the worst possible odor combination: bleach, paint, and fish.

Paint in the aqua cell (where fish were grown) on Epcot’s Listen to the Land boat ride had been peeling for months. But on this day, the entire area had suddenly been cleaned and repainted. Soon we knew why. Disney CEO Michael Eisner was there with his handlers for a walkthrough.

This is a common situation for CEOs, team leaders, supervisors, trainers, and influencers. When people know you are coming, theyß will steer you away from what they don’t want you to see, or fix issues before you get there, or tell you only what they think you want to hear. It makes it difficult to discover problems and deliver solutions. The smart leader learns by walking around. When you are a constant presence, people let their guard down and you can determine what is really happening.

Walt Disney did this constantly. When his team toured the Disneyland construction site, they asked Walt where their offices would be. He gruffly retorted, “No, there isn’t going to be any administration building. I don’t want you guys sitting behind desks. I want you out in the park, watching what people are doing and finding out how you can make the place more enjoyable for them.”

And Walt lived his own expectations. With his slouch hat, stooped posture, fast gait, and cigarette smoker’s cough, Walt easily blended into the Disneyland crowds. Former Parks president Dick Nunis, for instance, tells the story of how Walt experienced an abbreviated Jungle Cruise ride and demanded it be fixed.

Eisner was also known for venturing out alone. In his book Work in Progress, he shared two examples from the development of Disneyland Paris. When he was told that the Disneyland Paris site was a short subway ride from Paris, he took the ride himself to verify the timing. He also, incognito, attended French language classes where his teacher bragged about providing the language translations for Disney films. Seeing how terrible the teacher’s understanding of English was, Michael had his team watch the translated films. They discovered that the teacher’s translations were the reason that the French versions had been poorly received. The result was the establishment of an official Disney translation department.

I personally experienced this Michal habit. While working as an attractions lead outside the Universe of Energy, I turned towards a voice saying, “Hello, I’m Michael Eisner.” He—alone, incognito, in polo shirt, baseball hat, and jeans—needed to watch the attraction film to see for himself if some expensive updates were necessary. I seated him on the ride and afterwards, when he asked my opinion, told him that, from a guest perspective, that the cost would not be worth it.

To this day, on any day, if you look carefully in a Disney park, you will spot leaders walking, talking, and pitching in. It’s one of the Disney differences that leads to success. So, whatever your position, wherever you work, every day you can, take a walk. See your operation through your customers’ and your team members’ eyes. You’ll discover what’s going on. You may even prevent a stinky situation.

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