The Disney Experience

Our experiences define who we are. Without Disneyland, my life would lack the richness of wonder. Walt Disney cultivated the seeds of imagination. He gave us a place where creativity rules reality. There have been so many great experiences in my life that sometimes I get that feeling of loss. The best times of my life occurred at the Magic Kingdom. For that, I thank the pioneer who made it all possible.

King Louie's Banana Boat

The brisk chill of morning always had the ability to wake me up. Thinking back, I really wasn't all that excited about the idea of waking up at seven in the morning. Yet, being the captain of our canoe team meant waking everyone up so that we could practice going around the Rivers of America.
We named ourselves King Louie's Banana Boat because King Louie's too cool. Being part of the college program, I wanted to do something I'd remember. What better way than to join the canoe races?
We finally had two qualifying runs. On one of them, we caught up to the boat ahead of us. Canoes were constantly being released at 30-45 second intervals. Our goal was to race against the clock. The other team tried so hard to keep ahead of us that they rammed a stationary boat on the river. Talk about an ego boost!
We qualified 26 out of 60. Not bad for a bunch of college students out to have fun.

Disneyland Lead

The lead position at Disneyland consists of supervising cast members. In 1996 it was renamed Assistant Manager. It seemed unattainable for someone who only worked summers. After the first few day of work, I knew what I wanted. Over the next two years, I aimed to consistently offer superior results. I wanted to be a Disneyland Lead.
I finally did it at the end of my second year! My quarterly evaluation scored straight 4's on all performance criteria. That didn't happen very often. Lead didn't either. Being the second casual temporary promoted to lead in my area since the inception of Disneyland had its challenges. I learned a great deal about how to work with people by cultivating their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. Disneyland helped build me into an effective leader.

College Program Plus

Renamed the Theme Park Management program, twenty college students are accepted into College Program Plus annually. The members meet twice a week to learn different aspects of the theme park. This gives them an idea of what will be expected of them if they pursue a management career at Disneyland.
I was accepted into the program in 1993. It gave me a chance to work shifts in different departments. We also had area managers talk to us about their experiences at Disneyland. These classes gave me a new perspective on life. It gave me a glimpse of how much responsibility rests on solid management teams. Individuals can make a difference. Utterly effective individuals work with teams and can create major change.

-Dan Sharnhorst

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