Visiting Disney World in the mid 1990’s, a rule was communicated several times while waiting in long, unwieldy lines for rides: Move up and fill all available space. That was much more easily done for an adult couple (such as my wife and me) than for a large group. Following this guidance created a great benefit as we shaved at least an hour or two off our wait times over the course of several days (and created only one small incident with a father at It's a Small World).
It strikes me that the same opportunity is true in business – smaller, more nimble players should be better able to identify market gaps and move into them than their bigger competitors.
I was in Orlando recently, but didn’t get a chance to go the parks. Nevertheless, this photo taken at an Orlando Airport Burger King rekindled the lesson and prompts a question – how many artificial “lines” do we wait in all the time without seeing or sensing the opportunity to step to the right or left and move up?
So next time you or your business feel stymied and tired of looking at the back of heads, ask yourself, “How can I move up and fill all available space?” You’ll be surprised at how often the only thing keeping you waiting in line is you.
