The Disney Way

Rating:
Summary: The ROI of Magic
Review: According to the authors, "This book tells the inside story of just
how Disney's success was achieved -- not by epiphanic flashes of
creative insight that produced a Pinocchio or a Dumbo, but by the force
of a much-considered, carefully wrought process of managing innovation
and creativity and by an adherence to a firmly system of beliefs."
The material is organized within 11 chapters, followed by an Epilogue
in which the authors observe that the integration and interplay
between and among the ten principles they have examined can be of
substantial benefit to other companies. The "Dream, Believe, Dare,
and Do Process" does indeed have all manner of potential
applications for companies in industries wholly unrelated to
entertainment. There must be dreams to believe in and courage to
pursue those dreams. Those who share my high regard for this book are
urged to check out Warren Bennis' Organizing Genius, one of whose
chapters focuses on the Disney team which produced Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs..


Rating:
Summary: How Disney Does It
Review: If you have ever wondered how Disney does it year-in and year-out, and why other companies are constantly competing with and comparing themselves to Disney, then you need to read this book and learn about Disney's magic.

The authors are a couple of Fortune 100 consultants who studied and now teach the management and leadership 'secrets' that have kept the Disney name synonymous with organizational excellence for decades. The opening paragraph inside the front cover flap was all I needed to inspire me to read this book: "Walt Disney's dreams, beliefs, and daring gave birth to captivating characters, thrilling theme park attractions, and breathtaking tales that have inspired the imaginations of generations of children and adults. Disney also launched an entertainment and marketing empire whose influence is felt around the world, and whose success provides a model of business excellence that can guide any company."

The authors did a great job introducing and explaining Walt Disney's four pillars - Dream, Believe, Dare, Do. The authors then skillfully showed how upon those pillars were built the ten Disney principles of:

1- Give every member of your organization a chance to dream, and tap into the creativity those dreams embody.
2- Stand firm on your beliefs and principles.
3- Treat your customers like guests.
4- Support, empower, and reward employees.
5- Build long-term relationships with key suppliers and partners.
6- Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
7- Train extensively and constantly reinforce the company's culture.
8- Align long-term vision with short-term execution.
9- Use the storyboarding technique to solve planning and communication problems.
10- Pay close attention to detail.

The opening chapter gave the necessary background on Walt Disney's formative years. The next ten chapters each focused on a different principle. Each chapter used stories and case studies about big and small organizations that successfully applied that particular Disney principle. All chapters ended with reflective questions to ask and actions to take for yourself and your organization that reinforced that chapter's focus. The questions and actions were all clear and concise, and, probably more often than not, unpleasant for individuals and leadership to honestly answer and admit to.

I know that the Disney way is easy to understand, much more difficult to execute, much less frequently executed than it can and should be, and truly unforgettable when experienced firsthand. This book can be your most important first step on the journey into Disney magic for you and your organization if you have the courage to dream, believe, dare, and do - The Disney Way.

Rating:
Summary: A BUNCH OF MOUSE CRAP!!
Review: In 30 words or less...vague. Not for those who want a real deep look inside the Disney company's way of doing business. This is a rock skipping across the water...

Rating:
Summary: A BUNCH OF MOUSE CRAP!!
Review: In other words...kiss the guests A-- and treat them the way we show you in this book. As for employees just make sure they say yes to everything with a smile. Plain and simple. I actually worked for "house of the mouse" as we call it in Florida. Basically if you are not an enternainer (costumed mainly) you dont get treated as well. Your pay is almost in peanuts. Universal is NOT much different. At Disney WAY to many brown nosers and back stabbers. If you want a company like that then hey this is the book for you ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Clear, accessible strategy for business success.
Review: In this book, Capodagli and Jackson get right to the heart of adapting Disney's success to an individual or an organization. The format is clearly-focussed and explicated in a precise, insightful manner. It is obvious that the authors both have a wealth of experience where this kind of corporate transformation is concerned. It is unlike many business books in that in The Disney Way, the company examples are not your typical companies from the pages of Business Week and Fortune -- they are indeed major corporations but the tales and experiences related in these pages are deep and robust. The storyboarding chapter is worth the price of admission alone and the overall structure of Dream, Believe, Dare, Do really works as does the end-of-chapter practicals. A must read for anyone who is interested in capturing a bit of Disney's Midas touch.

Rating:
Summary: excellent insight into Disney's managament philosophy
Review: The authors do a terrific job of both explaining the managament philosophy and principles which have made Disney a phenomenal success and demonstrating how to apply these principles in any business. The authors draw on their many years of consulting experience to show how the Disney philosophy has been applied successfully time and again. The principles espoused in the book will help any organization, large or small, recognize and rectify potential problem areas with both customers and employees.

Rating:
Summary: Techniques that can help any business improve and succeed
Review: This is by far one of the better books on how Disney uses management techniques to run and improve their business. This book does not present information on a bed of magic and fairy dust, but rather documents their findings in a very solid and objective manner.

The basic principles given in this book are Dream, Believe, Dare and Do. While these principles are certainly not new, they are a basic and effective way to get things done and get them done well. This book presents multiple case studies on how Disney has used these principles to further their business as well has how other companies have used these same principles. I was particularly interested in how the storyboarding technique can be used to generate solutions to complex problems.

I recommend this book to anyone studying or wanting to know more about business management techniques. It was a very enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Dream, Believe, Dare, Do!!
Review: Those four simple words are at the root of the Disney business philosophy, established by Walt himself and carried on by Michael Eisner. I found this book to be both entertaining and informative. The business principles outlined by Capodagli and Jackson seem like simple, common sense - but bear repeating numerous times until more businesses adopt them. Principles like encouraging innovation (and even failure, since you learn how *not* to do something) ... building on the strengths of your employees (development plans instead of demeaning performance appraisals) ... all will make any business work better. I found numerous ideas here that I will be applying in my workplace as well as to my personal life. This is a must-read for any manager who wants to motivate his or her team to really excel -- and for any employee who wants to be his or her personal best.

Rating:
Summary: Dream, Believe, Dare, Do!!
Review: Those four simple words are at the root of the Disney business philosophy, established by Walt himself and carried on by Michael Eisner. I found this book to be both entertaining and informative. The business principles outlined by Capodagli and Jackson seem like simple, common sense - but bear repeating numerous times until more businesses adopt them. Principles like encouraging innovation and even failure, since you learn how *not* to do something...building on the strengths of your employees (development plans instead of demeaning performance appraisals) ... all will make any business work better. I found numerous ideas here that I will be applying in my workplace as well as to my personal life. This is a must-read for any manager who wants to motivate his or her team to really excel - and for any employee who wants to be his or her personal best.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful!
Review: To succeed in business, you don't have to wish upon a star. Just pick up Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson's book describing the ten key success secrets of the Disney Company. The secrets derive from four basic tenets: dream, believe, dare and do. The authors show how these principles led to Walt Disney's success, and how other companies can use them. They include a Disney history to illustrate how the company has applied its principles from films to video to theme parks - including how Disney has learned from its problems and failures. They provide examples of how other companies have applied the Disney Way. We [...] recommend this excellent book to anyone with an interest in business strategy or marketing. While the principles it outlines may be familiar, Capodagli and Jackson demonstrate in an original way just how these principles can contribute to success beyond the Magic Kingdom.