Page 14 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

Preface xiii

created one of the most recognizable brands in the world. It was high time for
the new chairman, Bob Iger, to reawaken this sleeping princess of a company
using Walt’s legacy as a compass. Chapter 12, “Re-Creating the Magic,” pro-
vides our recommendations for restoring the magic relished under Walt.
Nothing was ever really easy for Walt Disney. From the early days of
teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after dumping his entire savings into his
“dream,” to being viewed as small time by Hollywood insiders who refused
to view cartoons as candidates for Academy Awards, Walt lived his credo: an
unwavering commitment to Dream, Believe, Dare, Do. These four sound
principles are essential to reaching desirable outcomes in personal and busi-
ness endeavors alike. Yet, there is never any real “pixie dust” for making things
happen. It’s simply about stepping up to the plate and being willing to swing
the bat. The great nineteenth-century Swiss writer, Henri-Frederic Amiel, said,
“The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides,
never decides.”
Every business has two choices:

1. Wait to see if competing on price alone will generate a profit, or
2. Exercise the passion required to produce truly “magical moments” that
keep guests coming back for more.

Thriving in the new economy will never happen without strong values
that are embraced by all employees. With these values as an internal compass,
employees will provide their customers with a unique experience that is not
easily duplicated by others in the marketplace. Similarly, every individual
has two choices:

1. Wait and hope that something or someone will provide the motivation
needed to act, or
2. Take control of your own dream and work to see it through.

This book tells the inside story of just how Disney’s success was achieved—
not by epiphanic flashes of creative insight that produced a Pinocchio or a
Dumbo, but by the force of a much considered, carefully wrought process of
managing innovation and creativity by the adherence to a firmly held system
of beliefs. The succeeding chapters will bring to life how passion for people,
product, and service translated into immeasurable success for Walt Disney
and other great role models. Their stories come to life through examples of