Page 159 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

140 The Disney Way

decade, the play still delights Broadway audiences. More recently, the highly
acclaimed The Lion King has been setting Broadway records.
The opening of The Lion King represented bi-level risk taking for Disney.
First, the company poured millions of dollars into renovating the dilapidated
New Amsterdam Theater on New York’s 42nd Street, helping the city to turn
around a seedy neighborhood in the process. Then, the theatrical version of the
movie musical was brought to life on the Amsterdam’s stage. With its inno-
vative staging and imaginative use of puppetry designed by its multitalented
director, Julie Taymor, the production broke new ground in the long and
glorious history of Broadway. One reviewer said that “as visual tapestry, there
is nothing else like it.”
Not surprisingly, the show instantly became an enormous hit, proving
that The Walt Disney Company still dares to take risks, still dares to excel
and, in doing so, still dares to provide sheer magic to its audiences.
Looking ahead to Chapter 8, we’ll see how those who dare to take risks
to further their dreams implement the final piece of the four-pillared Disney
philosophy: Do. To make your dreams come true, you must know how to
execute. It all begins with the right kind of training and orientation for every
one of your cast members.

Questions to Ask
■ Is your culture stuck in paradigms that are no longer effective for your
business?
■ Do you squelch long-term thinking in favor of short-term rewards?
■ Do you avoid micromanagement of employees?
■ Do you routinely give employees the opportunity to grow beyond
their current responsibilities?
■ Do you create an atmosphere where failures are accepted and analyzed
for learning purposes and possible future innovation?
■ Do you promote cross-functional teams for the purpose of re-engineering
outdated processes and procedures?

Actions to Take

■ Grant employees the opportunity to develop and implement innova-
tive ideas in all areas of their jobs: product, process, and service.
■ Schedule off-site retreats and meetings to encourage breakthrough, risk-
taking ideas that may fundamentally change the way you do business.