Halfway There: The Journey Continues at the Happiest Place on Earth

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Nofziger | Sgt. 1st Class Nick Nofziger meets "Patriotic" Mickey Mouse at the Veterans Day reception at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif. November 11, 2023. Nofziger is currently serving as the first Training with Industry (TWI) communications fellow at the Disneyland Resort. The TWI program provides active duty enlisted Soldiers the opportunity to work with a corporate organization for one year, learning best practices and providing feedback to their assigned business before returning to the active duty Army for a two-year utilization assignment. (Courtesy photo from Sgt. 1st Class Nick Nofziger)  

ANAHEIM, CA, UNITED STATES

02.06.2024

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Nofziger 

Army Public Affairs Center

As part of the Training with Industry (TW) Program, Staff Sgt. Nofziger chose to complete a bi-monthly blog series documenting his journey. As the first TWI Communications Fellow at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif., this series serves to highlight the benefits of the TWI program and Nofziger’s personal experiences.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As I write this, I cannot believe I have been here at Disneyland for six months. It very much feels like a typical Army assignment, in that I both feel like I have just arrived and as if I have worked here for years. Halfway through this assignment of a lifetime, and I am not sure if I have learned enough or too much!

Here is what I do know, since last update. Little “wins” build: As leaders, this is especially important. For example, I finally received a standard Disneyland employee name tag; my previous name tag was a generic one, only worn by official contractors who are not Disneyland-paid employees. My leadership was furious that something so simple could not be accomplished or granted, and the tenacity of which I spoke last time finally paid off.

And I feel so much more a part of the team, simply because I get to wear the same style name tag as everyone else. I get to blend in, as it were, and feel like I belong. This little win has boosted my confidence tenfold. Imagine what little wins await us everyday in the military that could boost our morale and confidence.

Which leads to my next point: sometimes those little wins come because of large efforts. My time here has already spawned huge ideas for transforming the way we do our jobs, the way we treat each other, and the way we present ourselves to the world. Those transformations, in looking at the forest for the trees, are tiny changes. However, they will take a lot of work to get a lot of people on board.

Remember, though, I am tenacious. I will work my fourth point of contact off to get these changes made. No matter if they affect one person out of a million. One person’s improved quality of life makes the entire team better.

Alongside little wins, we must celebrate victories, not just on the battlefield. Business successes here at Disneyland are, of course, publicized to the team, but the largest celebrations occur for “normal” events: birthdays, anniversaries, promotions. Case in point: I was selected for promotion Sgt. 1st Class as of January 1, and my team made a HUGE deal about it. My Army leadership is flying in to Disneyland to conduct ceremonies for my promotion and required reenlistment. Birthdays are met with massive balloons and cakes in the breakroom and walks through the park to get lunch and birthday buttons.

Because people truly matter. One of the top Fortune 100 businesses understands that. Walt’s famous quote says that “it takes people to make the dream a reality.” Employees across the company have embraced that idea and truly focus all their energy on that one message: the park could operate flawlessly, food served impeccably, guests continue flooding the operation and renewing their annual passes, the company making trillions of dollars. It would mean nothing if the employees hate coming to work everyday because they do not feel valued or appreciated.

I challenge anyone who reads this to examine their own work environment: how many of your fellow Soldiers, be it peers, subordinates, or superiors, are just miserable to work with? Is it because their personality truly lends to just being a grump, or is it because no one ever tells them their work matters, that their time is appreciated, that what they are doing is important and that it is done well? If it is the latter, what can you do at your level to impact a change and improve the life of even one person?

One of my favorite examples that I used during my time as a staff member for high school leadership camp attendees is that of paying it forward. It requires no actual financial contribution, but a simple word of encouragement, filling someone else’s bucket with words of praise, recognition, acknowledgement that what they are doing is seen. That they are seen.

We may be in the military, but it does not mean we have to lose all humanity. Quite the contrary: as the greatest fighting force in the world, we are hyper-vigilant of how we treat our enemies, governed by numerous international codes of conduct, yet we forget to check in on our own teammates. I have always, throughout my career, checked up and down in terms of well-being. I once informed my Senior Rater’s rater of the difficulties facing her and her family, because I wanted her to be taken care of. I knew she would never burden anyone else with her problems, but that she needed time to take care of herself; so I “ratted”, and she immediately received the assistance she deserved and was ordered to take time off work to better herself and her family.

It’s little things that matter.

A kind word, a smile, a “congratulations,” a “thank you,” or crossing what you may think is a line that could make the biggest difference.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2024
• Date Posted: 02.06.2024 17:16
• Story ID: 463336
• Location: ANAHEIM, CA, US
• Hometown: CINCINNATI, OH, US