Page 17 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

xvi The Disney Way

John and Stacy DiJulious of John Robert’s Spa; and George “I Guarantee It”
Zimmer of Men’s Wearhouse.
We thank John Christensen, our friend and FISH! guru, for his heartfelt
and well-penned foreword. We appreciate our years of friendship with John!
After September 11, countless U.S. organizations faced some degree of
financial hardship and were either contemplating or instituting cost-cutting
measures such as reducing staff hours and positions. Many of the leaders of our
seven featured organizations, however, made a different choice: they put their
people first. These were among the few who were steadfast in their conviction
that their employees were the primary reason for their corporate strength,
and these same employees would be the ones to achieve great things for their
companies in the future. Thankfully, there are still leaders like these who will
not compromise what they believe—that employees should be cherished, no
matter what.
A special thanks to Joan Hoffman and Bill R. Capodagli, Bill’s son, for
their help: to Joan, who worked tirelessly in the editing of the manuscript,
and to Bill, who assisted with statistical research and graphics support.

Bill Capodagli
Lynn Jackson