Originally Posted By davewasbaloo oc_dean, what I will say about Special K, is he does walk the parks. I have had a few conversations with him over time at DLP. He seems interested. But he is a spreadsheet jocky first and foremost.
Originally Posted By danyoung >He realizes how just being seen in the parks and taking photos (like some celeb) and asking people their names and favorite attractions, immediately has fans standing in puddles of drool. ... Of course, these same folks don't get that was something Old Man Disney used to do. It's no biggee.< Spirit, only you could take something like this that is generally seen as positive, and put a negative spin on it! No, GK's appearances in the parks do not in and of themselves mean that he'll be a great president. But he's getting a terrific and very encouraging start - much better than his predecessor.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt As a guest I still don't see how this matters. Based on what has been posted on Internet Cynthia Harriss seemed to be out and about in the parks and yet she was reviled by fans. Paul Pressler was pretty visible too and somehow Disneyland became more and more run down each year under his charge. I don't need to mention that under the oversight of those two managers there were several high profile tragedies that left two visitors dead. The investigations revealed cracks in the way the place was being managed. I'm happy that DL cast members have a more visible leader, but as a paying customer I couldn't care less how frequently the DL president hits the pavement in the parks.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed Hans, and Special K's watch in Paris was an extremely mixed bag. Cleanliness, maintenance and cast members improved on his watch, but the overall experience got worse where it came to entertainment, the choice of attractions, dumbing down the dining, reducing hotel services, and my biggest hate, staggered opening and closing times of attractions with no warning until you got to the attraction.
Originally Posted By believe I think it only helps if the prez is out and about. However, if you are a lousy prez, it doesn't matter how "out and about" you are. You still need to back it up with "the goods". Paul and Cynthia didn't "back it up". Matt was good at both - everyone thought positive of him. Ed is still an unknown. His "success" might be because he was riding on Matt's coattail. He was probably fine. But if he just had better PR, he could have been great. George is off to a good start by being out and about. Let's see if he can keep it going by "showing us the goods".
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster In the last twenty years I can't remember Disneyland getting as much routine maintenance and freshening as under Grier's watch.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I was just about to say the same thing. The parks seem to be better maintained under Grier than anyone else in recent memory. If his only fault was that he wasn't a Disneyland celebrity then so be it.
Originally Posted By cheesybaby ^^Why do people insist on putting a "Q" in the guy's name? There is/was no "Q".
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Spirit, only you could take something like this that is generally seen as positive, and put a negative spin on it!>> Danny, I am not putting a spin on it. I'm stating it as it is. I honestly believe George K is probably the best resort leader Disney has world-wide right now. But ... I know the man. And he knows the Internet. He will read this post. That's just his nature. He is savvy ... and hopefully, he's learned a bit about Anaheim from his last stint (which was a disaster, certainly not all on him either). He knows that if he is out there and recognized, it will be on these sites and people will assume that means something. It doesn't. But folks will read into it. <<No, GK's appearances in the parks do not in and of themselves mean that he'll be a great president. But he's getting a terrific and very encouraging start - much better than his predecessor.>> Based on what? You can't answer that with anything of substance beyond the fact he has appeared in the parks and he knows ops lingo (as someone in his mid-50s that's worked for Disney his whole life, one would expect that). So, he's more Internet/fanboi savvy than Ed. Great. What exactly does that mean in any important sense?
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS I really don't know the politics of all of this, but this thread has been a great read. I like him....alot. It's not just because he shakes your hand and poses for pictures. And not just because he's a lot more visible and accessible than the others. He seems pretty genuine when you speak with him. He pays attention while you talk to him - his eyes don't shift and look over your shoulder. This may just all be good politics on his part, but so be it. He's got my vote. Who knows? Maybe someday a nobody like me will engage him in a conversation that changes the resort as we know it.. for the better.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Eh, people are so fickle. All he has to do is make a few PR missteps and then Al will launch a campaign against him and the love fest in Fan Kingdom will come to a screeching halt.
Originally Posted By danyoung >So, he's more Internet/fanboi savvy than Ed. Great. What exactly does that mean in any important sense?< It means that he is making good connections with his employees, which is a mark of a good manager. It's not the only mark, and in and of itself it doesn't guarantee that he will be a great leader. But as I said, it's a good start. Ed Grier did a lot of good for the park, but he didn't much feel the need to get out and mix with the troops. Say what you will, but that tendency to keep behind closed doors is detrimental to the employees out there on the line. The jury's still out on whether George will make a great or even adequate DL prez. But I stand by my statement that he's off to a great start.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Say what you will, but that tendency to keep behind closed doors is detrimental to the employees out there on the line." That may be true, but again, as a guest, why should I care about that? I guess my love for Disneyland has its limits. From our perspective as customers it shouldn't matter if he's visible in the parks or not. I don't buy tickets to go to DLR to see the resort's president.
Originally Posted By danyoung This has nothing to do with the guests - it has to do with the interaction between the employees and their boss. I don't need to see him either, but I'm glad he's out there getting first hand information.
