42 Lessons In Leadership From Disney Executive Brian White – Orange Conference

April 24, 2013 1 Comment

For the next few days, I will be attending the Orange Conference in Atlanta, Ga.
This morning I had the privilege of attending a session for senior Christian leaders by Brian White, elder of Discovery Church in Simi Valley, CA and employee of Disney.   I wanted to share his thoughts with you on one of the world’s greatest companies.
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Disney Thinks Orange.

• Walt Disney was a man with big ideas.  He noticed most parents were bored and the children did not want to be there.
• He was 50 yrs old when he came up with the big idea of parents and children having fun together.
• EVERY family member should enjoy church.
• Each person who attends church should get something out of it.

Honor The Past Without Living In It

• If Disney made it all about nostalgia, the world would pass them by.
• Walt Disney wasn’t really a nostalgic person.  ”We can ill afford to rest on our laurels, even in times to retrospect.  Times and conditions change so rapidly we must keep our aim constantly on the future.”
• Walt was fine with Mickey Mouse changing his appearance over the years.
• Disney bought Marvel for guys in their 20-somethings.
• We must never forget it was all started by a mouse.
• The decision to go into movies (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) established the next 60 years of the company.
• If the church ignores technology, we will pay a price.
• Our church is 110% interested in reaching the next generation.

Being A Good Brand Steward

• We own one thing – intellectual property.  A white t-shirt costs $10.  Throw a mouse on it and it costs $25.
• A brand is like a bank account.  Everything you do puts value in or takes value out of that brand.
• The cheap and safe model makes money but takes value away from the brand.
• We invented Swampy and the other brands started calling us.  We added value to the bank account by creating a character.
• Jesus Christ, the gospel message, is the most important brand that has ever existed.  Everything I do, every time  I share the gospel, every time I start a ministry I affect the brand.
• Am I cheapening people’s perception of the gospel or am I cheapening the brand?
• Sometimes improving the brand is getting out-of-the-way of the next person with a great idea.

Don’t Even Try To Please Everybody

• We don’t try to please the demanding fan and the hater.  The demanding fan has such a high opinion of your company that they have a narrow view of it.  A hater hates you.  They don’t believe what you believe.  They don’t have the same values.
• We care about making the best products we can make knowing some people will think we lost our way.
• Some people want their FREE back.  How do you please someone like that?
• “Becoming obsessed with what people think is the quickest way to forget what God thinks.” – Craig Groeschel

The Ideation Process Is Critical

• If you have a bad ideation process, you will never have good ideas.
• In Blue Sky Meetings, there are no bad ideas.
• What if we build a theme park where no one knows the name Disney?  Tokyo Disneyland is the most profitable of all the parts.
• Art is a team sport.  There is no way for one person to do a piece of art anymore.
• Any idea that comes forth can be a great idea even if it is not from a person you expect.
• For churches, the visionaries need to be setting direction but you need an ideation process to make the ideas come at.
• Crazy ideas needs to be entertained.

Concentrate On Psychographics, Not Demographics

• Psychographics is getting into the mind of your customer, the person walking through your door.
• Think like a compass – Needs – Wants – Stereoptypes (Positive, Negative) – Emotions
• We want lines to be there (Disneyland).  It’s a sign that things are successful.
• Someone comes to church on a Sunday morning, what is their need?  What is their want?  What are their stereotypes (positive, negative)?  What are the emotions feel as people come in?

Great Staff Members Require Three Yeses

• What do I get to do?
• Who do I get to work with?
• Am I a valued contributor?

Synergy + Focus = Synchronized Energy

• Creativity + Innovation is the #1 thing.
• You might have a lot of siloed ministries.  Is anyone looking at all of it seeing how it connects?
• Scrum is when a whole bunch of people go down the field together hoping to score.  We manage scrum principles to managing projects.
• In my 15 year career at Disney, there is nothing that has made more progress in my career than implementing a Scrum Board.
• No one is an enemy anymore, because everyone is in a scrum together.