Best Lessons From Walt Disney’s Career
As the founder of the Walt Disney Company, Disney has produced blockbusters and immersive theme parks the world has never seen before. While Walt Disney also had a darker side to his reputation , everyone can learn a lot from his career. Here are some lessons from his success.
Prioritizing learning and experience
In his youth, Walt Disney worked in a studio that developed the early form of cartoons. He had the feeling that he was on his way to something big. He missed any other opportunity – no matter how much more profitable or easy – to continue his drawing work. As biographer Neil Gubler writes in his Walt Disney biography :
However, the fact that it was a primitive technique didn’t matter to Walt, who just wanted to gain experience. “I have a great job here in Canada,” he proudly wrote to one of his old Red Cross compatriots a few months after joining Slide Co., “and I’m going to stick with it. I draw cartoons for moving pictures – a movie advertiser … and the job is interesting. “
Even when you are frustrated, keep doing it. When Disney started out, his work didn’t seem promising. Gubler writes:
These films were distinguished not only by the comparative rudeness of photographs and drawings. They were also imitative and unimaginative. It is difficult to say how much this could have been the result of Walt’s inexperience or his own lack of imagination.
Disney did not make money, his talent was not outstanding, and his work was unstable. However, Disney was ready to move on:
But despite the pressure and lack of funds, he said: “I will sit back. I have the greatest opportunity I have ever had, and I use it for everything except my false teeth. “
When times are tough, you must strengthen your resolve. If you feel like you are on thin ice, keep your eyes on the next 30 days . Just as you develop a skill, treat this difficult experience as practice for your perseverance and optimism. As author Pat Williams emphasizes in his book How to Be Like Walt , Disney once said, “I always like to look in the direction of optimism, but I’m realistic enough to know that life is a difficult question.”
In the early years of his career, Walt Disney formed a company in Kansas City called Laugh-O-Gram Studio. This venture went bankrupt when Disney turned 21. As Gubler points out, he was, in his own words, “crushed and heartbroken.”
Disney did odd jobs to make enough money to buy a film camera and move to Hollywood. This change in location set the gears in motion that ultimately led to his success.
Know when to quit and change your strategy (in Disney’s case, he shut down his company and changed location). Don’t make the same mistakes over and over. Prioritize learning, be adaptable, and don’t give up on things just because they don’t work right away.
Embrace perfectionism when it matters
Sometimes good is not enough . Embracing perfectionism, even a little, can make life easier. This boosts your reputation. There’s a reason Disney movies, theme parks, and Disney merchandise have found their way into most of our lives – they were excellent at the time they were created.
Disney was known for their obsession with perfection. Some thought it was outside the scope of the business, but simply at the heart of his passion for art and painting. Gubler writes:
Perfection was not only Walt’s business strategy, it was the reason he ran the studio and the strength that kept his personal world intact. “If you want to know the real secret to Walt’s success,” longtime animator Ward Kimball would say, “it’s that he never tried to make money. He was always trying to do something that he could have fun with or be proud of. “
Part of perfection means exploring uncharted territory or going beyond what exists today. Disney constantly innovated, whether it was integrating sound into films, combining high art such as classical music with the popular art of cartoon drawing, or creating a miniature city known as Disney World . In many ways, even his most visible failures eventually turned into success:
“I’m most outraged by the people who are trying to keep me shabby,” he told the reporter after starting his collaboration with Dali. “We must continue to blaze new trails,” citing Fantasia as an example of a groundbreaking film that was “heavily criticized” at its release, but that continued to garner audiences.
Disney animators had to go through extensive training. For example, they would study real-life movements to see how their cartoons could be improved. Disney invited artists and instructors to come and talk to his team. Animators often burned midnight butter to meet deadlines and maintain quality. Perfection does not mean spending more time solving your problem. It is not so easy. To get better, you must consciously practice . Feel free to try new things or come up with your own ideas.
You don’t need to go from zero to hero in a short amount of time. The pursuit of excellence begins with incremental improvement. When you feel your project is good enough, take another look at it for a few minutes. See if you can identify any flaws. If you have time, fix them. Your job will be better than it was.
Know When to Do Less, But Better
Don’t fall into the trap of the hustle and bustle – save and focus your energy on the most important. Disney knew the power of concentration. In the early days of its existence, the studio was engaged in several projects at the same time, but Disney knew when to focus their efforts and how important it was for the success of the project and the studio.
For example, Disney knew Snow White was going to be something special. He decided to take on animators and fund the production of short films, which meant ditching the stable income they generated and instead focusing his entire crew on Snow White . As Gubler points out, Disney wrote to his brother Roy:
In December of the same year, in a letter to Roy, Walt called this feature “our only chance for real recognition, and with that in mind, I’m going to focus on this feature, even through short films, so that I can release it definitely in a year.” henceforth. “
Snow White would eventually propel Walt Disney and his studio to a superstar and lead to great commercial and cultural success.
Disney has learned to trust its own judgment, not external opinions and criticism. After his dark debut, Bambi Disney also learned to invest wisely so as not to invest too much time in one feature film. As he told the Wall Street Journal in 1958 , “I believe my formula could be: dream, diversify, and never miss a corner.”
When Disney was working with conductor Leopold Stokski, Stokski reminded him that oversimplification can make a piece stronger. “It’s like pruning a tree. Sometimes it gets stronger from cropping, ”Stokesky told Disney. If you notice yourself running in circles, remove something from your plate. Do less, but do better.
As Rockefeller alike advocated , work steady. Don’t burn yourself out and waste energy unnecessarily just to “feel” productive. Know when you need to focus your efforts and focus.
Walt Disney’s success as an entrepreneur, artist and innovator was based on his curiosity, his relentless pursuit of excellence and his dedication. Use these principles to excel in your work, art, and life.