It’s spring, and time for another round of coursework at Kent State University. This time, only 1 of the 6 remaining courses I need was available, so I lobbied to design my own – a book study of sorts.
The plans are plentiful, and in addition to working with my advisor Dr. Cenker on the outline and chapter resources for a book I plan to write [exact title forthcoming…], I wanted to explore what Disney can teach me in terms of leadership, the guest experience, and most of all – excellence in service to others.
I’m starting with three books:
- The Wisdom of Walt – Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth, by Jeffrey A. Barnes, and
- Beyond the Wisdom of Walk – Life Lessons from the Most Magical Place on Earth, also by Jeffrey A. Barnes, and
- Be Our Guest (Revised and Updated Edition): Perfecting the Art of Customer Service (A Disney Institute Book), from the Disney Institute.
I will also sprinkle in a few others I think (list incomplete), and really give myself a boost this semester:
- How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, by Peter Boghossian, and
- Revisiting the Art of War (basic leadership stuff), and
- Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
Here’s how I see this thing going… I will read a few chapters per week, think about it, and then create a mind map / brain dump here. There’s no real syllabus in terms of due dates, etc. so I will be in charge of how and when. Discipline will be essential.
I typically underline quotes, words, and ideas as I go along (in a text), and noting them down again & massaging the content will help with absorption. Feel free to comment down below, and follow along if you wish.
The books are all available on Amazon for not that much. Or, you may borrow them once I’m done – just let me know. Be sure to return them safely, please.
I’m doing this project along with yet another course on statistics and quantitative research – Survey Design and Applied Research, by Dr. Bolden (also at Kent State). So far, so good, however error prone the data may be.
Wisdom of Walt, foreword, intro, chapters 1-3
“Dreams offer too little collateral…”
“Disneyland was the ultimate expression of leading through action in Walt’s time.”
“It’s the special dreamer (and leader) who keeps the flame of interest, of promise and hope, lit…”
“…leaders must have a vision for themselves to make it apparent to others.”
the role of “dreamer-leader”
Introduction
“Disneyland is the star. Everything else is the supporting cast.”
Imagine if we treated school and learning this way – where the district and its buildings became the ultimate destination for learning, and where every detail, every person, and every move is meticulously designed to enhance, support, and create the best possible learning outcome for our students.
Sitting on a Park Bench
Barnes (2015) uses the backdrop of Disneyland in his story, thus far, and I’ve never been.
I’ve been to Disney World, and oh boy, is it amazing! And I say that as an adult, faced with taking our kids there for a vacation, and not knowing anything about it – dreading the long lines, the loads of people, and “everything” that wouldn’t make it magical.
After all, would it be all it was claiming to be? Could Disney really live up to all the hype? You bet.
It was the best trip, and I can’t wait to go back. As a matter of fact, after reading this chapter, I immediately checked on when Disneyland would open (closed for COVID reasons)… It’s hard to describe, but if you’ve ever been there, you know. And if you haven’t, you should. Not just for the leadership lessons, but for the unbridled joy the park and the experience creates for any and all visitors.
Disney’s idea for the park came from sitting on a park bench in a local park near his house on a Sunday morning, watching his kids having a great time on the carrousel. Why not create a larger endeavor, where kids and adults can have fun – together!
He kept the dream alive, and let himself begin to design what it would take to pull it off. Naturally, I’m a skeptic, and it’s key to recognize here that Disney at this point had already come up with Mickey Mouse, and had already published Sleeping Beauty. It’s not like Disneyland was built in a garage over night…but…
“Dreams, like children, don’t raise themselves.” (p. 7)
As a leader, you need a plan, a vision, and you need to get after it. It’s okay to take time to just think. To do nothing, to “take a weekend to dream” (p. 6). Why not?
How much time is spent on paperwork, routine, and management? And how much time, as a leader, should you probably be driving the vision, the big picture, the “some day this will be the new present…”? More than you’re doing now. Dreams aren’t coming true by themselves. You have to make it happen.
And, you have to be ready to tell others where you’re going. Every day. Here’s why, and let’s go!
“Leadership is about transforming reality into your vision for a better tomorrow.” (p.9)
Pursuing Your Passion
“Big dreams require big canvasses.” (p. 19)
Disney began looking for the appropriate canvas to build on, and soon found a place in Anaheim, CA – filled with orange groves and walnut trees. Bulldozed it, started building.
Sometimes, that’s what it takes. Out with the old, in with the new, instead of a little here, and a little there. Drastic measures, and all that jazz.
As a leader, you have to be ready to make the map – none will be supplied for you. You must ready the canvas, and you must have ideas about what to paint. “You have to trust in something” (p.21).
That something is often yourself. And finding your purpose in life is “more of a path than a plan” (p. 21) so get used to bushwhacking, and start making it happen.
“Am I afraid of death because I won’t be able to do this anymore?” – Marcus Aurelius (p. 25)
Yes, Marcus. Yes I am.
Lately, I have become more and more aware that I am now half-way through at 42, and have less and less time left to make it happen.
Sure, medical science will likely extend my expiration date for a bit, but boy do I wish I could stay here a while – the 40’s seem like a sweet spot of knowledge, experience, and the guts to get it done. I bought a motorcycle last November. I mean, c’mon, if that’s not a clear signal that I’m “mid-life” I’m not sure what is.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” – Maya Angelou (p. 25)
So light up that passion – because no-one else will light it for you – and start stringing some lightbulbs in your wonderland. Light the way, burn with passion, and take a few folks with you.
“It is easier to tame a zealot than to pump life into a cadaver.” (p. 27)
Create a team of likeminded folks who, like you, don’t need a map to know where they’re going. Find a path, and move forward. You can always make the map later…
“None of us have forever.” (p. 27)
Don’t I know it. I can feel it.
Listening to Your “Walter” Ego
Mickey Mouse is a “symbol of universal good will” (p. 33)
What does your inner ego look like? Do you have conversations with yourself? How do you handle stress, and that dragon on your shoulder telling you you’re no good?
Slay it. Partner with your ego.
“… you cannot give what you do not have …” (p. 34)
After all, if you don’t have solid footing with yourself, how can you give support to others, infecting them with your enthusiasm, and spreading your vision like the coronavirus?
Let’s come back to the dragon again… Why? Because “stories without dragons are boring” (p. 34). Do you have a dragon? Of course you do. All of us do. And that’s ok.
The key is to manage the dragon – don’t let it sit on all your gold, hoarding your best ideas in your mind’s prison cave.
This happens to me all the time – often as I’m waking, and ideas start flowing. And you know what I do?
I capture the ideas on paper, snatching them away from the claws of the dragon before he wakes from slumber, too. And then I have the ideas, my dreams, my visions for myself – my better future self – and can get to work.
I partner with myself to outsmart that beast who stands in the way of moving down the path…
You did it! You’ve ready this far, and you’re like “what the hell is happening?”
Well, if you didn’t know what you were in for, there will be more of this. Thoughts. Commentary. Free-associating, and lots of it! It’s how I grow, learn, develop, and make it so.
I hope you’ll continue with me. More next week.
Barnes, J. A. (2015). The Wisdom of Walt – Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth. Lake Placid, NY: Aviva Publishing.