Tag Archives: The Walt Disney Company

Why most businesses aren’t prepared to embrace what’s necessary to actually innovate

innovate or dieNot all entrepreneurs are innovators, only a handful. The result is that the vast majority of businesses out in the world were not born from creative ideas, rather derivatives. And when these non-innovative businesses want to explore innovation, they enter a dilemma: In order to innovate, an existing business must keep running the core business while also trying to find the revolution; exploit and explore.

Top storytelling tips for innovators and entrepreneurs

As a well known Disney fanatic, I get asked about storytelling quite a bit. And, my number one and only tip is this: be authentic.

It doesn’t seem like a lot, but many people are afraid to be authentic. A great way to express authenticity through story is by talking about a time or situation when you were the best version of yourself (success); and likewise when you were not (learned from failure).

Why? Because it tells us two things that any person can empathize with: your success and your lessons from failure.

In essence, there is a transformation. Those are stories worth telling because they shaped who you are :).

Ed Catmull on how Pixar’s continued success is enabled by it’s culture of candor

A key for unleashing innovation in any type of organization is the willingness to let employees try stuff without feeling that they will be punished if they fail. Creativity is only unleashed when people feel safe that they won’t be judged.

Ed Catmull, CEO of Pixar, describes in his talk below why he believes a culture that focuses on being “necessarily honest” is integral to creating the best work possible.

Creativity Inc.: what it takes to build and sustain a culture of excellence

I just finished reading the book Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull, this is my review…

Unlike books written by consultants about how wonderful the companies they study are, and how they have reverse engineered their formula for success into repeatable soundbites, Creativity Inc. was written by someone who was in the trenches; from the beginning. Written by Ed Catmull, co-founder and President of Pixar, Creativity Inc. is a first hand tell-all about what enables Pixar to do its thing: successfully turn original ideas into blockbusters, one after another.

Mr. Catmull’s motivation for writing this book stemmed from a simple question: why do successful companies fail?

Customer satisfaction is no longer enough, we have to create new expectations

exceed customer expectationsHere’s a pop quiz for you, do you think it is easier to be innovative if:

  1. you consistently aim for excellence
  2. you pursue excellence only after there is a crisis

If your answer is #2, pay attention because this post is for you…

I’m proud to say that the people and companies that I’ve worked with have always complimented me on, sadly something that isn’t common, my follow through.

Why? I have a sense of mission to get things done. As a result, I have issues with people with poor follow through.

Guestology: How Disney anticipates guests needs

Spotted this question at Disney Institute’s Facebook Fan page:

how disney anticipates guests needs

Here’s more in-depth look at how Guestology works:

The power or the Disney Magic comes from knowing customers and looking beyond the words being used to figure out how to exceed guest expectations. Something that happens on-site may not be our fault, but it is our problem. And that means that it must be fixed to exceed expectations.

Disney even has a Guestology compass: Needs – basic, Wants – preferences associated with needs, Emotions – the positives, and Stereotypes – maximize positive stereotypes/minimize negative ones.

I’m a big Disney fan and had no idea about Guestology. Very exciting!

 

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