The Power of Internal Development with Disney THINKfluencers | S3E3
ON THIS EPISODE OF LIFE AT DISNEY
Discover the Disney THINKfluencers who are revolutionizing internal mobility and career growth. These subject matter experts turned internal content creators are sharing their skills and giving a behind-the-scenes look at the high-impact projects they lead. Disney employees can build skills in an ever-evolving era of work by learning from colleagues who are navigating similar complexities in strategic, creative, technical and operational fields across the company. We’re chatting with the creator of the project and two THINKfluencers from the inaugural cohort to hear what makes this unique initiative so impactful for employees across The Walt Disney Company.
MEET OUR GUESTS
Dayana, Sr. Manager Talent & Growth Marketing & Engagement, People & Culture
“We’re not just developing talent for the sake of internal mobility—we’re doing it knowing that every leap an employee makes can ripple out to the guests, fans and consumers we serve,” Dayana explains.
As the project lead, creative strategist and producer for the Disney THINKfluencers, Dayana is responsible for connecting all the pieces: designing the end-to-end employee experience, crafting content strategy and identifying and onboarding the THINKfluencer cohort. These are just a few of the ways she’s been driving the project since its inception.
“I wanted to make sure this initiative didn’t just look good on paper,” she says, “but truly came to life in a way that feels inspiring, accessible and impactful for employees across Disney.”
Alberto, Vice President, Global Content Strategy & Operations, Disney Entertainment
“Being part of the inaugural cohort is both an honor and an energizing responsibility,” Alberto remarks. “It’s exciting to help shape something that will influence how future talent learns and grows across the company.”
Celebrating his one-year anniversary with the company this month, Alberto is still new to Disney, but he brings with him over a decade of experience in the media and entertainment world. As a THINKfluencer, he’s equally excited about sharing his own experience as he is about learning from others.
“Seeing how different areas are embracing change and driving toward the future reinforces how much we can learn from one another, and how collaboration can help elevate the entire organization.”
Mina, Manager, Decision Science Products, Corporate
“What I appreciate most is that this is a company of real people,” Mina says, “You can come here and be the person that you are, not whatever you pictured a person who works at Disney must be like.”
In her role, Mina uses qualitative and quantitative data to help get a sense of what the future might look like. But because her field is small, she never expected a Disney career in her future! As a THINKfluencer, she loves communicating what her field is about and encouraging others to incorporate the mindset of futures thinking into their work.
And like Alberto, she is also learning from her fellow creators. “I pick up new things every time I watch their content,” she explains, “Each person provides something very tactical that I can go away and try.”
DEMOCRATIZING KNOWLEDGE AT SCALE
Dayana understands that the business is evolving at light speed, so it’s her mission to help employees stay ahead by what she describes as, “democratizing knowledge at scale.” Enter Disney THINKfluencers, real Disney employees sharing their unique knowledge and skillsets through the projects they work on every day.
“By turning those real-world stories into learning experiences, we’re sparking new ways of thinking and scaling innovation across our businesses,” Dayana says. “We’re helping employees see exactly how skills connect to strategy.”
Alberto adds that, “strategies like this help democratize development by giving employees at every level access to tools and connections that can shape the next step in their journey.”
ALIGNING WITH COMPANY PRIORITIES
Disney THINKfluencers do more than just share their expertise. They’re connecting the dots between their skills and the impact they can make on the company.
“We are all purposeful and design content with intention,” Mina explains. “From the beginning, our first consideration is: ‘How does this connect with the current company priorities?’ With that question as the foundation, we make sure that what we deliver is what will help the business move forward.”
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