“We have internal customers, and the business depends on them.”
Early in my career, it was easy to focus on the “real” customer. The person standing in front of you, buying the product, checking into the hotel, or riding the attraction. As the years went on I realized that some of the most critical customers never walk through the front door. They work right beside you.
If you’re in a support role, your performance directly impacts the people who serve the guest. If engineering doesn’t keep things running, the front line can’t deliver. If IT doesn’t respond quickly, operations slow down. If housekeeping falls behind, the entire experience suffers.
Internal service drives external results.
The challenge is that many teams don’t think this way. They see coworkers as coworkers—not customers. And when that mindset exists, service levels drop, communication weakens, and frustration builds. So how do you change it? You start by asking better questions.
What do the people we support actually need from us?
Where are we making their jobs harder instead of easier?
What could we do that would make them more successful?
When you begin those conversations, people feel seen and supported. Suddenly you’ll notice they start working differently. At Disney, we worked hard to break down silos. We made it clear that every role mattered and that everyone was responsible for the overall experience. Leaders didn’t just talk about it. We were intentional about modeling it. We showed up, helped when needed, and reinforced the idea that we were all on the same team.
It didn’t happen overnight. It took time, repetition, and consistency. Then once it clicked, the culture changed. The magic happens when people stop asking, “What’s my job?” and start asking, “How can I help?”.
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Episode Highlights
[00:02:20] Recognizing Internal Customers
[00:03:52] Elevating the Value of Support Roles
[00:09:32] Getting Team Buy-In and Changing Mindset
[00:11:36] Building a Culture Where Everyone Supports Everyone