The Character of Walt Disney

"Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children" ~ Walt Disney

Walt Disney had a profound effect on the people he worked with. He would often say that his greatest leadership characteristic was in convincing people they could do things far above what they thought they could do. Disney demonstrated a strong moral purpose throughout his life and worked hard to make a difference in the lives of everyone who had interactions with his companies. Walt Disney was a dreamer who never stopped trying out new things, creating new cartoons, and always inspired people to achieve far more than they thought they were able to. As a leader, Disney never stopped innovating and dreaming about new possibilities and he explored those possibilities with a relentless imagination. Disney's first priority was to his family and he would readily admit that his greatest struggle was to balance his work and family, but he never allowed his work to interfere with the important moments in his wife or daughters lives.

Walt Disney understood and embraced the process of change. He knew that in order to continue to progress and find success, he needed to be one step ahead of change. This was evident through his willingness to take chances on innovative technologies as they developed in his field. When others expressed concern over  risks, Disney was always optimistic and had faith in his convictions. Disney was always willing to discuss the many setbacks he suffered in his career and quickly dispelled the rumor that he just thought of creating Mickey Mouse one day and became an overnight success. Disney would refer to his willingness and courage to take risks and never settle for status-quo as his main ingredient for building the Disney Empire.

Walt Disney took pride in his employees and worked hard to maintain a high level of respect for each and everyone of them. Disney was optimistic and always perservered and knew how to spread his enthusiasm of his work to his employees which allowed them to flourish in their positions within his company. With all of his immense leadership qualities, coherence stands out as his supreme strength. With his name being synonymous with quality family entertainment, Disney was a pioneer in animated short films, was the first producer to add sound to a short animation, was the first to produce animation in color, and the first to produce a full length animation film. He progressed to live action movies, nature films, and pioneered children's programming on television. Nearly fifty years after his death, the ripple effects of Disney's leadershop still remains immeasurable.

 References

Schickel, R. (1997). The disney version: The life, times, art, and commerce of walt disney.

       Chicago: Simon & Schuster.

Leadership Qualities

"I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it."

~Walt Disney
 

Walt Disney is a legend; a folk hero of the 20th century. His worldwide popularity was based upon the ideas which his name represents: imagination, optimism, creation, and self-made success in the American tradition. He brought us closer to the future, while telling us of the past. Can you imagine a world that was not touched by Walt Disney? Walt Disney transformed the entertainment industry into what we know today. He pioneered the fields of animation, and found new ways to teach, and educate. Walt Disney exemplifies the meaning of leadership.


A turning point in Disney's life was a result of his time spent in World War I. Upon his return,  Disney set his sights on his passion of creating dreams and bringing reality to his fantasies. Walt Disney was a man with high Emotional Intelligence – his strong leadership
qualities were very pragmatic because of his understanding of the people around him. He believed that you should never stop dreaming, as it leads to the formation of new ideas and gives you a sense of purpose and direction. Though he suffered huge setbacks in his life, he had the courage to keep going on. His story of struggle and success teaches us an important leadership lesson – leaders need to have the tenacity to chase a dream or goal. This is what will make a true leader stand apart. This person should be the motivating factor to urge his team on towards the finishing line. The leader should encourage others to make their dreams a reality.

A hands-on leader and always a risk taker, Walt Disney was driven by his passion to advance animation and create the ultimate production. Constantly extending the boundaries of technology, Disney was confident enough in himself to empower his subordinates and delegate tasks to others. Above all else, Disney understood that change was essential to maintain success. That is why nearly 45 years since his death; his empire remains dedicated to his dream and as profitable as his vision. This is the symbol of a true leader.
 

 References

Thomas, B. (1986). Walt Disney: Magician of the movies. New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.



Overview





"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" ~ Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago in 1901 and was raised on a Midwestern farm where he acquired some basic art instruction from correspondence courses and Saturday museum classes. He created many of the animals and characters that he knew from that Missouri farm in his cartoons. At the time of his death, his enterprises had earned him respect, admiration, and a business empire worth over $100 million-a-year, but Disney was still remembered primarily as the man who had created Mickey Mouse. Upon his return from World War I, he accepted an apprenticeship as a commercial illustrator and later made primitive animated advertising cartoons. By 1922, he had set up his own shop in association with a military friend whose drawing ability and technical inventiveness were prime factors in Disney's eventual success.

Disney’s first success came with the creation of Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon that featured Disney as the voice of a character first called "Mortimer Mouse” until he changed it to “Mickey Mouse”. Other successful characters included Donald Duck, Minnie, and Goofy. In 1957, Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California and in 1971 Disney World in Orlando, Florida opened. Since then, Disney theme parks have opened in Tokyo and Paris and in addition to his theme parks, Disney created and endowed a new university, the California Institute of the Arts, known as Cal Arts where he felt people of many different disciplines could work together, dream and develop, and create the mixture of arts needed for the future. Disney's parks continue to grow with the creation of the Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom along with Touchstone Films, Hollywood Records, and Disney Cruise Lines. In all, the Disney name now lends itself to a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with multiple undertakings all over the world.

Do you know anyone who has not been touched by a Walt Disney creation? From movies, to education, music, theme parks, and even cruise ships, this man has created an empire of fun and fantasy. I chose Walt Disney as my great leader because he never swayed from his moral values or humble ways. Even though his estimate was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he continued to mow his own grass, wash his own clothes, and never took for granted his wife or children. His generous contributions to children battling diseases and disabilities go unmatched and his desire to see every child smile was his reason for working.

References

Feild, R. (1942). The art of walt disney. Chicago: Simon & Schuster.

Schickel, R. (1997). The disney version: The life, times, art, and commerce of walt disney. 

       Chicago: Simon & Schuster.

Smith, D. & Clark, S. (1999). Disney: The first 100 years. New York, NY: Hyperion.