Author: jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.

What would Walt Disney do?

Walt Disney always challenged his organization to look into every new and innovative way to entertain his Guests.  And if the way was too slow or too common, he’d invent a new way.  His life blazed a trail of innovative entertainment milestones.

I recently watched a senior executive start a meeting with ten minutes of critical data and an urgent challenge for his executive team.

His entire PowerPoint presentation, in fact his entire speech, was so incredibly timely, I couldn’t believe my ears.   Just minutes before the group started arriving, I was leading a discussion with others nearby, and painting a picture of how businesses could capitalize on new and evolving social networking applications.

“Can you imagine if everyone in Sales had their own blogs, writing and sharing imporant highlights, trends, offers, etc”?

“Can you imagine operations, blogging about their travels and the difference they are making for customers around the globe”?

“Can you imagine having YouTube videos flying across the globe, some having a million+ views”?

“Can you imagine being able to deliver a keynote speech for hundreds and offering every single one of them your virtual business card?

Well guess what?

He made it perfectly clear that he’d like his team assembled there to immediately begin looking into Social Media and Social Networking.   Wow!

Why?

Because he said he believes their competitors are planning their strategy around it, and they should be too.   Plus, he said their customers are using it more and more, and it has unlimited potential to create better relationships with them.  Who doesn’t want that?

Of course, there was a healthy dose of “use your professional judgement because you’re representing their Company”.   Isn’t that what we already do?  Use our good judgement?  Of course.

This was a no-brainer, as some people say.   Totally!

In the 1930’s, Walt Disney launched the production of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs movie.  This time period was called the “Great Depression”, in America.

We are now, once again, in another unprecedented “Great Depression”.

I’m having Deja Vu.

This blog you’re reading?   It’s my “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs”.  Ya with me?  Are you getting the point?

If not now, when?   If not you, who?   Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Leadership By Disney

Leadership done the Disney way.  What does that mean?  For starters it means that Leadership is HUGE at Disney.  In fact, it’s huge in every world-class organization.  It’s even huge in serious, small businesses.

Good leaders get good results.  Great leaders get great results.  Ever do the math on the difference between good and great results?

Last night my family and I watched the classic Disney – Pixar DVD, “A Bug’s Life“.  In the opening few minutes, the young Queen Ant “in training”, makes an excuse, after something terrible had happened.  She said, “It wasn’t my fault”.

The Grasshopper laughed at her statement and told her, “The first lesson in leadership – everything is your fault”.

I found that scene, especially the comments, intriguing.

Wonder if anyone recalls that Bug’s Life scene?  If you where discussing leadership with smart people, would you tell the truth or sugar-coat things?   Carpe diem,  jeff noel  🙂

Twitter, Disney, Twitter?

Twitter and Disney?   Are you kidding me?   Nope.   It’s gonna happen.   At least that’s what I believe.  Twitter is on my radar.  Is it on yours?

In picking today’s topic, this headline caught my eye.  Click on it to read:  “Ashton Kutcher wins Twitter battle with CNN”

I’m focused on better ways to market my business, especially no-cost, leading edge technology.    Why?

To me, at the end of the day, if people don’t know who you are and how you can help them, then I think you’re not serious about helping others.

Social networking, social media, business networking, business media – no matter what you call it, or how comfortable you using it, has one goal.   Know what it is?

To offer (sell) more stuff, to more people, more often.

Pretty bold, eh?

When a someone once called me audacious, I had to look it up.   We never used words like that in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania where I grew up.  It means bold and out of place.

In today’s world, if you haven’t noticed, the Internet has flooded (deluged) us with “important” messages.   How will you be noticed?   How are you keeping up with your competition?  Carpe diem, jungle jeff  🙂