Page 241 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

222 The Disney Way

company but had little effect on their day-to-day roles and responsibilities.
Our first trip to Walt Disney World after Eisner’s resignation was in January
2006. Bob Iger had been at the helm of the company for just over three
months. Surprisingly, in this short period of time, we observed an increase in
the level of service: it was as if someone had recovered the “pixie dust.” When
we inquired about Iger’s impact on the organization, cast members responded
enthusiastically, stating how he had publicly thanked them for their hard work,
something they seldom if ever heard from Eisner. In our attempt to validate
cast member perceptions, we were unable to elicit a response from one of
Disney’s key executives. Understandably, he was protecting the Disney brand
and attempting to close the book on the Eisner years. However, the Disney
corporate office is amazed at the candor we unleash from cast members at
the parks, many of whom have shared their thoughts and dreams with us for
nearly a decade. It may sound corny, but loving what you do and loving the
company you work for might mean the difference between providing good
service and great service. Even though there were no immediate operational
changes after Iger arrived at Disney, cast members seemed to regain the pride
in their company and truly responded to one of the “suits” taking time out of
his whirlwind schedule to compliment them on a job well done.
Can Iger bring back the magic? It’s too soon to respond accurately to
such a question, but clearly he is saying all the right things out of the gate.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Iger cited “Five Tips for
Managing Creativity”:

1. Don’t take a hierarchical approach.
2. Don’t create an approval process that’s unduly rigorous.
3. Be careful not to water ideas down or lose people’s passion.
4. Let those directly in charge make decisions.
5. Put the spotlight on the company, not the individual.

Having been on the job for less than four months, Bob Iger surprised the
business community by purchasing Pixar for $7.4 billion. Iger explained that
the revelation to purchase Pixar came to him while watching a parade at the
opening of Hong Kong Disneyland:

Disney, home of Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Cinderella, hadn’t
created any recognizable animated characters in the past decade. It