Capodagli Jackson Consulting

Creating an Environment of Innovation- Pixar Style!

2012-01-28T11:07:00.007-05:00

Hats off to business-application software market leader SAP’s chairman, Hasso Plattner, for his innovative approach to new product development. HANA, SAP’s new real-time business in-memory technology, will process complex business calculations in seconds that previously took hours or days. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Plattner hopes to put his main competitor, Oracle Corp., on the defensive. When HANA was announced in 2010, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison called it “wacko” and said he wanted to know the name of SAP’s “pharmacist.”

In 2010, SAP launched the HANA pilot program and has pledged to grow to over $25 billion in revenue by 2015 on the back of HANA. In 2011, SAP posted revenues over $18 billion, up 14%. SAP’s 2011 profit of over $1.5 billion is more than double the net profit in 2010. Today, Mr. Ellison may indeed be searching for the name of SAP’s pharmacist!

In my opinion, the real story is not the technical details of this new software…it’s in the approach SAP co-founder and chairman, Mr. Plattner, used to develop HANA. Rather than calling on his army of in-house research-and-development engineers, he recruited a group of university students from Germany. In 2006, he formed a team comprised of three doctoral and a handful of undergraduate students to study in-memory technology. In a city outside of Berlin, he converted an abandoned railway building into “the villa” with red couches, flat screen TV and a foosball table. Mr. Plattner sketched a diagram of the new database model on a white board and told the team to build it. By 2007, they were ready to unveil their prototype, and by 2009, they had a working model.

The lessons we can learn from Mr. Plattner’s approach at SAP parallel the ones we write about in Innovate the Pixar Way:

· Become a prototype junky

· Develop your own “skunk works”

· Dream Big

· Use a planning center

· Find a customer or supplier to help test and refine your product (SAP tested their prototype in partnership with P&G)

· Support innovation in schools

Each year, Mr. Plattner continues to recruit a group of 6-8 students to conduct research. Kudos to Mr. Plattner and his innovative approach to new product development!

By Bill Capodagli

Spring Fever in January is Contagious!

2012-01-25T20:10:00.001-05:00

The leaders of The Disney Way implementation in Dowagiac understood very well the integration and interplay of Dream, Believe, Dare, Do in their cultural change efforts. And, now, after a year, they are on DO!!!

As you envision a Dream, Believe, Dare, Do implementation in your own organization, think in terms of a holistic approach and never give up. Dowagiac is a great role model for any community who aspires to live The Disney Way.

http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2012/01/11/spring-fever-in-january/

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Reinvent your Company’s Policy Manual

2012-01-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

Remove any policy that does not add value to the customer, supplier or team member. Replace old verbiage with "work hard and be clever."
Review the manual for "rules" that hinder the delivery of exceptional customer service. If you ever hear, "We cannot help you because it is against our policy," send up a red flag. Change this verbiage to "Use good judgment."
Identify any policy that infers that you do not trust team members. Specifically, examine your expense reimbursement policy. One company decided to allow employees to issue their own expense checks. They had guidelines for tax documentation that were followed by all. The result was the elimination of most of the accounting approvals and a reduction in overall travel expense. We have worked with companies in which senior managers have multi-million dollar budgets and are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of product production, yet they need numerous approvals to spend $500 to attend a workshop. Why? That’s the policy!
Use the words "have fun" in your policy manual. Pixar’s John Lasseter said, ““We worked really hard, but we also had so much fun, and it showed up in our work. We’d goof off,
we’d laugh, we’d work together, and we’d look at
and give feedback on each other’s stuff. And the
creativity just sort of overflowed.”

DISNEY WAY WEBINAR–“Creating Magical Customer Service–The Disney Way”

2012-01-04T19:50:00.001-05:00

Success isn't magic. It's systematic. It comes from passionate leadership and relentless pursuit of a long-term foundation for excellence. Behind the scenes at Disney is where the real vision begins. Disney excels because of its dynamic commitment to guests and to cast members.

On Wednesday, February 15th (2 – 3:30 PM EST), Bill Capodagli will share enlightening secrets to turn your customers into "guests" and into long-term relationships. You'll see how to foster a fun team atmosphere for your employees - one that energizes their talents and ideas. You'll also see "wow" in action and come away with a renewed passion for the possibilities within your own organization.
Walt Disney’s four-pillared success credo - Dream, Believe, Dare, Do - will work for any organization, any business, any industry of any size. Understanding the hows and whys will allow you to tailor your own pathway to success. You'll also see how other companies have applied The Disney Way with amazing results.

What's worked for Disney can work for you. It's that simple. If you're ready to take your organization to the next level, exceed your customers' expectations, and build a dynamic team…REGISTER TODAY on our HOME PAGE!!

Creating Magical Customer Service – The Disney Way is the opportunity you've been waiting for!

Disney Way Changes Dowagiac Michigan–Review of 2011

2011-12-30T21:23:00.001-05:00

Schools top local story

Published 8:49pm Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Dowagiac will remember 2011 as the year devoted to devising a five-point educational dream to reinvent the school system.
The goal since February has been to build a “one in 100” district for the 21st century that will drive a Dowagiac renaissance.

Months in the making, since “Disney Way” author Bill Capodagli immersed Dowagiac Union Schools, City Hall, Southwestern Michigan College and Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in the customer service principles of “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel Aug. 31 unveiled the Dowagiac Educational Dream.

The vision, which could take until 2015 to fully realize, started Oct. 17 with the administration move from the Wolverine Building into City Hall. The solution is to create three buildings housing five separate schools — a pre-kindergarten to first grade school housed in the same building as a separate school for grades 2-3, each led by an instructional leader/principal, an early education specialist and a math and reading development specialist. The two schools would share the gym, cafeteria, art and music rooms and support staff.
A second building would house fourth and fifth grades.

The Dowagiac Middle School campus, opened in 2005, would support sixth, seventh and eighth grades with a separate high school for grades 9-12, again sharing common areas such as the gym, cafeteria and Performing Arts Center.

Three buildings, Patrick Hamilton, Sister Lakes and Kincheloe, would join the Wolverine Building to jettison overhead and invest in energy conservation that would make the undertaking financially feasible when voters weigh in early in 2012.

The five points that, thanks to Disney storyboarding with focus groups, reflect beliefs of the school board, administration, faculty/staff, parents and community, include collaboration, differentiated instruction (students grouped by interests and their level of understanding to build upon their accomplishments and to engage them in learning), literacy and early childhood initiatives so 100-percent of third graders read at grade level), technology and Smart Boards and grade levels grouped together through all building transitions to encourage long-term relationships with faculty, continuity in extra-curricular activities (sports, clubs, arts) and student (opportunities for college credit at SMC).

Dowagiac’s new fall festival, Under the Harvest Moon, is well-received and coincides with the opening of Foodies Fresh Cafe.

Springsteen Realty merged with Cressy and Everett in February.
Cass County hired its third administrator, Charles Cleaver, after interviewing five candidates at the Council on Aging Feb. 12.

Chuck Clarke served in the interim when Terry Proctor left after two decades.

The “round house” on M-51 South was torn down.
Firefighters from area departments spent all day Jan. 23 batting a blaze which devastated Edward Lowe Foundation headquarters near Cassopolis. Fire March 3 destroyed the Glenwood landmark Drake’s Little Super northeast of Dowagiac.

Union High launched the 10th Interact club in Rotary’s 57-club District 6360 led by charter President Lauren Krueger Oct. 23.

Marissa Tidey was crowned Michigan Apple Queen for 2012.

Pokagon Band’s Four Winds Casino bet its second location, on Red Arrow Highway in Hartford, will hit the jackpot.

“Little Four Winds” opened Aug. 29, adding 400 jobs to Van Buren County from 12,000 applicants.

The New Buffalo location is expanding with another 250 hotel rooms in a nine-story tower, a multi-use event center and a Hard Rock Cafe opening this summer.

Dr. Nathan Ivey, Southwestern Michigan College’s first president from 1965-68, addresses graduates during the 44th commencement ceremony May 7.

Jimmy Keys, 31, was unanimous selection as Dowagiac Firefighter of the Year after losing his life in a Valentine’s Day crash in South Haven.

Deputy Fire Chief Dale Hutchings retired in June after 34 years with the city and was succeeded by Guy Evans.

Classic boat museum opens in Cassopolis. Cassopolis June 15 debuted a “destination” boat museum. Mahogany Outfitters Classic Boat and Auto Museum, 980 E. State St., contains room after room of vintage boats often trailered behind classic cars from the same year and fills the former Hayden-Beardslee Ford dealership.
It is a companion piece to the 1948 Sinclair gas station replica overlooking Stone Lake downtown which also grew out of Dr. Roger Pecina of Afdent dental clinics and his hobby.

Premier Tool and Die Cast Corp. plans a $3.2 million expansion in Dowagiac expected to create 179 jobs by resurrecting the former ICG plant across Paul Street as a new zinc and aluminum die cast and assembly operation, it was announced July 5.

Cass County Council on Aging conducted a $350,000 campaign for a Dowagiac Senior Center adjacent to City Hall.

Russom Park garnered $600,000 in state grants in December thanks to a cooperative effort between Dowagiac and Silver Creek Township.

Three of five Keeler Township board members, 26-year Supervisor Bill Kays and Trustees Don Blackmond and Patrick Daly were recalled Aug. 2 in a close election precipitated by their decision at the annual meeting to contract for five years with Coloma

Emergency Ambulance, which spelled the end of Sister Lakes’ service.

Dowagiac welcomed Belgium’s 58-member Maasmechelen Concert Band, which performed Aug. 9 in the Performing Arts Center.

SMC hosted a movie premiere Oct. 28 for Debra Tolchinsky’s “Fast Talk,” which makes debate a metaphor for the hectic pace of our lives.

Dailey Church in LaGrange Township turned 125 years old in August.

Leah Sovine is installed as Dowagiac postmaster Sept. 16.

Dowagiac author Michael Collins March 26 publishes his seventh novel, “Of Uncertain Significance,” and Sept. 8 receives the grand prize at the Deauville American Film Festival in France.

Eighty National Guard soldiers with “Charlie Company” (C Troop, 126th Cavalry) deploy to Afghanistan Sept. 24 after a farewell at Union High School.

SAVE THE DATE–WED. FEB 15th, 2-3:30pmEST–NEW WEBINAR: Creating Magical Customer Service–The Disney Way!

2011-12-14T19:23:00.001-05:00

Stay tuned for details on registering for this exciting new webinar!

LAUP’S Storyboard Success

2011-12-07T10:34:00.001-05:00

Here’s an example of the power of storyboarding. Last evening, there were 16 LAUP (Latin Americans United for Progress) high school students in Holland, Michigan who answered the question, “What is the IDEAL high school experience?” (They did this on their own time!) They prioritized using the following method:

Red Dots: Most important to them

Green Dots: What their school is doing well

Blue Dots: What their school needs to improve

In less than two hours, these exceptional students identified more than 200 ideas. Their next step will be to storyboard actions applicable to selected items that were important to them and need improvement.

As a nation, we are failing to engage our students in true critical thinking, problem solving, and creative learning experiences. It’s refreshing to see that these LAUP students are proactive rather than complaining about their lives and school experiences. These teenagers take time out of their busy schedules to learn the skills that our educational system is ignoring.

Hopefully, the school administrators will review this process and the amazing results and recommendations that will be forthcoming.

We are proud to post this wonderful storyboard! Thanks to LAUP director Roberto Jara, and his talented and dedicated students for an enlightening evening!

Pollys Pets Adopts The Disney Way

2011-12-06T13:21:00.001-05:00

“After traveling to Disney World and Disneyland several times since the middle of the 1980's I have always marveled at the cleanliness,
friendliness and freshness of the parks.

Owning my own retail stores I was amazed at how such a huge
organization can have so many staff on the same page. I have fewer
than 30 employees and have found it almost impossible to keep everyone on the same page or even in the same book!

I started reading as much about Disney as possible. Through my reading I discovered "The Disney Way". This book has helped to clarify and explain how Disney accomplishes such great customer loyalty and satisfaction. This book explains how customer satisfaction does not happen overnight and is actually one of the hardest areas of any business to maintain. This books not only explains the what customer satisfaction is it also show examples of businesses, not just Disney, putting their care programs into action. It has shown me that "The Disney Way" isn't just something that happens it is something that is constantly worked on and constantly being improved.

During these tough economic times I am finding that customers are what we need to be focusing on not just the price of a product. Reading this book, several times now, continues to remind me that we are in the business of pleasing our guests (customers). Almost all of our functions should in some way be geared toward that end. This is marvelous book that doesn't just show the "why's" but explains the "how's.” Great job!”

Steve Housley
owner, Polly's Pets
pollyspets.com

Latin Americans United for Progress using Disney Way Storyboarding

2011-12-06T13:11:00.001-05:00

Tonight, we will be working with the Hispanic youth in Holland, Michigan to help them unleash their creativity through Storyboarding. Storyboarding will help them identify and address critical issues they currently face in their schools and the community. We look forward to being involved in preparing these bright and motivated young people to become community leaders, and further both their education and future careers.

In 2006, Michigan Future Inc. released a report in which 4 area Chambers of Commerce formed a coalition to enhance business development and success. The name of the report is named “Strategies for a culturally Competent Region”. It emphasized that diversity is now part of our culture and is key in business strategy and development. The report also recognizes that there is much to gain from the richness of a multi-cultural community. Another key finding of a report from the West Michigan Strategic Alliance indicates that our area needs prepare for a more educated workforce so we will be able to fill a variety of highly skilled jobs. Such dynamics will support success in our region economically and socially. This is exactly what LAUP seeks to accomplish through our Steps to Success and Youth Development Programs.

Junior Chamber International–Manila–Using The Disney Way in Training

2011-09-29T16:28:00.001-04:00

Excerpts from a letter from Brian Balagot – 2011 Director for Individual Development, Junior Chamber International Manila (www.jcimanila.org); Certified National Trainer, Junior Chamber International Philippines (www.jci.cc)

“Greetings: I am a Certified National Trainer for Junior Chamber International (JCI) – Manila, and a man whose life was changed by your book. I learned so much from reading it, and it has helped me to grow my business because of the way I applied the skills you mentioned there. From The Disney Way, storyboarding has helped me bring the members of my project team together so that we can solve complicated issues by painting a picture of the current situation together. It’s helped me to bring people on the same page because even the silent members get to participate in discussions, and we get to hear their great ideas. At the same time, I was able to personally apply them in Junior Chamber International, and lead the organization to become more efficient in what we do.

Junior Chamber International is an international organization of citizens who simply want to make where we live a better place to live in by training ourselves to actively take care of our community. We learn about the problems in the city where we live, and then we work with the Local Government Units or the Private Sector to create projects and raise funds that will solve the problems in society. We do this because we want a better future for the people who we love – especially our progeny. We recognize that sufficient training in management and leadership skills can help us become more effective active citizens. When we are more effective in active citizenry, then our projects will have a greater impact in society; and the safe and prosperous future of our loved ones becomes something more certain.

Storyboarding helps a lot here. I am certain that many people will benefit from your ideas – especially if they choose to let themselves become empowered with these skills by applying them in the work that they do.”

Innovate the Pixar Way for Filmmakers

2011-09-19T21:31:00.001-04:00

The PIXAR Method: Tricks of the Hit Machine

By John Ott

photo by: JD Hancock

At the time of writing, PIXAR has released its 12th number one box office film, Cars 2. In an industry that expects one out of ten releases to be hit films, their critical and box office track record is unprecedented. Not even the early Disney studio had such a run of success.

You could credit the talents of people who work there, from Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter on down. They are immensely talented people, to be sure. But there are plenty of people with talent in Hollywood. Why has no other studio had the same success?

I believe that PIXAR has certain unique methods that help them craft superior films. And the good news is, because PIXAR began as an outsider company, many of these methods are well within reach of the indie filmmaker. Here are a few new tricks from the old toys…

Perturbate the Model

While a single writer/director is usually the prime creative force behind each PIXAR film, all of the films are regularly subjected to “brutally honest” critiques while in development from a group known as the Brain Trust. The original members of the Brain Trust were Lasseter, Pete Docter (Up, Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E) and the late Joe Ranft. The group now reportedly includes other directors and creatives like Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt). As you can see, the story must withstand scrutiny from a collective with a massive movie IQ.

Finance wizards have an expression: to perturbate the model. They test how models of markets would react in this or that extreme situation. The creative wizards at PIXAR do exactly the same thing. Before they ever start animating a story, it has been rigorously tested. Does this or that plot point make sense? What are the characters’ goals? Is this unique and original? While the ultimate creative decisions rest with the filmmaker, the ones that survive the perturbations from PIXAR’s Brain Trust ultimately result in a stronger story.

But what can an isolated filmmaker do without access to the PIXAR Brain Trust? Start your own. Regularly focus-testing projects with other filmmakers whose opinion you respect is invaluable and now, thanks to social networking, simple to do. Go to some local film festivals or filmmaker events meet other filmmakers and start your own Brain Trust.

Be Willing to Set Projects Aside

If you put years of your life into developing a project, but it just wasn’t ready, would you be willing to put it aside? Walt Disney did this — many times. As someone with the privilege of going through Disney’s archives, I’ve had a chance to see many projects that were delayed or never came to fruition. Disney often resisted commercial pressure to rush a film into production, and guess who else has this habit? John Lasseter, Disney worshipper.

“I’ve got Disney blood running through my veins,” he has been quoted as saying. “I do what I do because of Walt Disney.” [The Sunday Times October 2009] Even before PIXAR had a track record, he threw out the original story for Toy Story and started again from scratch, even though doing so jeopardized a deal with the Disney Studio to help release it. We know from our perch in the present that it all worked out, but at that time, the pressure must have been enormous.

Following Walt Disney’s lead, Lasseter and other executives at PIXAR have taken steps to make such a hard call a easier. They keep a lot of projects in development. This is expensive, but it means they get a choice of projects when the production pipeline is ready.

Most successful indie filmmakers do something similar, if on a smaller scale. They “keep irons in the fire” and are “willing to kill their babies” if it serves the ultimate creative goal: making a great movie.

Play in the Sandbox

When bestselling business authors Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson analyzed the corporate culture of PIXAR, they observed a childlike sense of fun in every aspect of the company. One of the keys is the way collaboration is used to constantly “plus” projects. PIXAR employees build on each others’ ideas like kids working to build a massive sandcastle.

Their takeaway: “Innovation does not come from a miraculous revelation … it comes from habitual, nonstop collaboration.” As PIXAR employees eat breakfast cereal (provided free), they can sit around like kids at the breakfast table and bounce ideas off one another. Then they can adjourn to a secret room with a hidden door that opens by pressing a button under a statue (I’m not making this up) as they continue to work on it.

As a filmmaker, you have to feel free to experiment, unleash the imagination that was so strong in childhood. I’m not saying a bowl of Frosted Flakes is the best way to do that. But whatever sort of environment is a creative sandbox for you, make it happen.

There are plenty more PIXAR methods that deserve to be cloned by filmmakers, but I’ll leave it here for now. See you in the sandbox!

John Ott is a writer, filmmaker and founder of the website Making the Movie

MasteringFilm, powered by bestselling Focal Press authors, leading filmmakers, industry experts, and our editorial and marketing team (who live and breathe film every day). We believe creativity has an endless shelf life, and we are passionate about providing you the best resources that help give a longer shelf life to your creations.

Focal Press has been a leading publisher of Media Technology books for 70 years. We provide essential resources for professionals and students in many areas including: film and digital video production, photography & digital imaging, audio, animation, broadcast, theatre and web.

We are committed to publishing high quality books filled with practical hands-on information, dealing with cutting-edge and converging technologies from the experts in the field. You will find practical solutions to problems, examples you can apply to your work, and valuable insights that will help you keep up-to-date in these highly competitive fields.

We deliver to you the techniques that have proved successful for professionals, and inspire you to go further with your craft. Our books demystify ever-changing technologies and help you gain success.

Focal Press – learn, master, create

DISNEY WAY LEADERSHIP

2011-09-08T14:37:00.001-04:00

Leadership: How to Make an Elephant Fly

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Andy Uskavitch,

Linked 2 Leadership

“I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band,
I seen a needle that winked its eye.
But I be done seen ‘bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly.”

~”Dumbo” lyrics

Have you ever made an elephant fly? Probably not, but I know an organization that has. Of course I’m talking about the Walt Disney Company, and it’s become a catch-phrase . . . Make an elephant fly.

Uncle Walt’s Wisdom

Walt once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and get started”. Figure out what you need, what you have, get the creative juices flowing, and get going. Good leaders ensure that this is being done. You can’t get anywhere by sitting around complaining because you don’t have this or that.

Unless you’re extremely lucky to have unlimited resources, you probably already know that accurate project planning is essential when you have a new project. This is illustrated in the way live-action and animated films are developed. With live-action, you can shoot extra film and use editing to get the outcome you want. You can’t do that with animation. It just costs too much to produce extra footage that you know you’re not going to use.

Another Disney executive summed it up perfectly in preparing his team saying, “Within these boundaries you will create. This is the budget, these are the limitations. Make it work within this framework.” In other words, “make an elephant fly”. Sometimes you just have to do with what you have to make it happen.

How to Make an Elephant Fly – Project Plan

The key to a successful project is in the planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing you should do when undertaking any kind of project.

Often project planning is ignored in favor of getting on with the work. However, many leaders fail to realize the value of a project plan in saving time, money and often, many, many problems.

In The Disney Way, Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson outline the nine steps to the planning process called, the “Blue Sky” process.

Step 1 – Blue Sky

Ask “What if?” instead of “What?”
For a while, learn to live with the discomfort of no knowing, or not being in full control.
Take a trip through fantasyland by starting with the story.

Step 2 – Concept development

Develop research.
Evaluate alternatives.
Recommend an idea.

Step 3 – Feasibility

Reconcile scope.
Prepare pro forma.

Step 4 – Schematic

Finalize master plan.
Outline initial business processes.

Step 5 – Design objectives

Finalize design details, equipment, and materials.
Develop implementation strategy and budget.

Step 6 – Contract documents

Prepare contract documents.

Step 7 – Production

Construct site infrastructure and develop work areas.
Produce show elements.

Step 8 – Install, test, adjust

Install the show.

Step 9 – Close out

Assemble final project documents.
Monitor performance.
Get sign-off letter from operations.

I guarantee that no one LIKE’s putting together a detailed plan, but it’s the only way the team and all of it’s leadership levels (in and out of the project team) can stay on track.

Expanded Excellence

In expanding on the Blue Sky process I’d make note of a couple of things that will make life so much easier. Because easier is good…

1 – Document Everything

Keep records throughout. Every time you change from your baseline, write down WHAT the change was and WHY it was necessary. Every time a new requirement is added to the project, write down WHERE the requirement came from and HOW the issue was adjusted because of it.

No one will remember everything – so write it down and you’ll be able to look back at any time.

2 – Keep Everyone Informed

Keep all of the project stakeholders informed of progress throughout the process. Let them know of your success as you complete each milestone, but also inform them of problems as soon as they come up. Also keep your team informed.

Make sure everyone is aware of what everyone else is doing.

Having followed all the steps above, you should have a good project plan and be able to deliver consistently successful products and services. Remember to update your plan as the project progresses, and measure progress against the plan. And at the end?

CELEBRATE!

What elephant are you going to make fly? Have you started planning yet? Is your team on board? What steps can you take this week to get things going?

Linked 2 Leadership is a group of global professionals dedicated to leadership development, organizational health, and personal & professional growth.

This group strives to maintain and communicate the highest standards and disciplines involved in personal leadership effectiveness

Bill Capodagli presents Customer Service - The Disney Way; Live Web & Audio Webinar Item No. 1838303; $179.00; Date: Web Conference 09/09/2011 Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT;www.nationalseminarstraining.com/RockhurstConferences

2011-09-08T14:25:00.001-04:00

Description:

At Disney, every contact with a customer offers a chance to shine. Disney calls these contacts “Moments of Truth” ... the opportunities to create everlasting positive impressions! And, because the company demands excellence as an organizational absolute, even its fiercest competitors acknowledge that Disney is simply the best customer-centric company on the planet!

Now you can learn how to inspire that level of customer service passion in your own organization by joining us for Customer Service – “The Disney Way”!

Learn the Keys to Dazzling Customer Service in Just One Hour!
Attend this one-hour training session and learn Disney’s formula for customer service brilliance. You’ll gain invaluable ideas that your company can immediately implement to amazing effect.

You’ll also learn insider secrets about how Disney requires – and receives – customer-focused behavior from every employee … from top executives to part-time staff. You won’t want to miss that!

Produce a "Show" for Your Customers and They'll Thank You for It Forever!
Walt Disney knew that every aspect of his business was “show” business, and every moment spent with a customer meant that the employee was “onstage.” By perfecting the art of customer relations, Disney built a record of customer loyalty, satisfaction, and repeat business that became legendary.

Join us and you’ll learn how to capture this enthusiasm for customer service throughout your organization. Your team will learn how to put on a “show” that brings customers back again and again and again!
Disney's Success Can Be Your Success — Don't Miss This Training
So what are you waiting for? Learn how to support your business and your customers with the same level of excellence — join us for Customer Service — “The Disney Way” now!

What You'll Learn When You Attend ...

Disney’s No.1 unbreakable rule for providing the ultimate customer service
How Walt Disney’s version of “show” business is the perfect tonic for what ails your business
Identifying the “Moments of Truth” in your organization and ensuring nobody ever misses one again!
The hidden – and not-so-hidden – costs for your company of even a single poor customer service experience
How to use a little bit of Disney’s “pixie dust” to create your own customer-centric organization
Are you overlooking the first step in creating great service? Find out here.
How to gain complete buy-in for your new customer service vision and values from everyone up and down the corporate ladder
5 keys to creating “magical” moments for your customers

Meet Your Speaker — Bill Capodagli

A serious student of excellence, Bill Capodagli has a thriving success story of his own. The original edition of The Disney Way, which Capodagli co-authored, was awarded the coveted “Best Business Book of the Year” by Fortune magazine and published in eight languages. He is also the co-author of The Disney Way Fieldbook, which provides action plans for instilling Disney's vision into any company, complete with diagnostic exercises, practice sessions, proven advice, and insightful questionnaires. Capodagli also co-authored the popular book, Leading at the Speed of Change: Using New Economy Rules to Invigorate Old Economy Companies.

The prolific best-selling author has nearly three decades of expertise in management consulting and corporate research. As managing partner of Capodagli Jackson Consulting, he brings dynamic managerial experience and graduate-level teaching experience to the firm.

Ever practical, Capodagli's style is also passionate and hard hitting. He is currently the most requested speaker in the United States on Walt Disney's original success and leadership principles. This webinar is a rare opportunity to hear directly from Capodagli.

“This book is about the real magic: Stimulating and harmonizing the collective energy of your people.” — Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of The One Minute Manager.

DISNEY WAY COMMUNITY TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY!

2011-09-01T10:57:00.001-04:00

We are delighted to announce the first Disney Way community in the State of Michigan! Congratulations to Larry, Mark, Kevin and the entire team in Dowagiac!

LETTER TO BILL – AUGUST 31^st
“Hello from Dowagiac…Last night Mark laid out the Educational Dream for Dowagiac…
In short, you laid the groundwork for exciting alliances heretofore unknown. Imagine, the School Administration is moving into City Hall to share space and services----the potential is unknown but vast. Here is a link to the Daily News. Enjoy, you are at the root of it all.”
http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/08/31/%E2%80%98dream%E2%80%99-would-remake-dowagiac/
Kind Regards,
Larry Seurynck, President

Board of Education

Dowagiac Union Schools,

Dowagiac, Michigan

Dr. Fred L. Mathews, chairman of the SMC Board of Trustees and a member of the Disney Way community committee, congratulates Supt. Dr. Mark Daniel on his presentation.

By John Eby

‘Dream’ would remake Dowagiac

Published 11:56pm Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Months in the making, since “Disney Way” author Bill Capodagli immersed Dowagiac Union Schools, City Hall, Southwestern Michigan College and Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in the customer service principles of Dream, Believe, Dare, Do, Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel Wednesday night unveiled the “Dowagiac Educational Dream.”

The vision crafted since February is to create a “one in 100” district for the 21st century and a Dowagiac renaissance.

Daniel, his remarks prefaced by “When You Wish Upon a Star,” delivered a multi-media presentation brimming with engaging video elements about which he spoke.

The vision, which could take until 2015 to be fully realized, starts this fall with the administration leaving the Wolverine Building and moving into City Hall and follows a path that will definitely blaze a new trail, including moving high school students to the middle school, with construction of a two-floor addition in back to separate juniors and seniors from younger students; converting Union High into a districtwide grades 1-5 building offering consistent reading recovery to all students; and saving only Justus Gage as a districtwide Great Start center for kindergarten and preschoolers.

Patrick Hamilton, Sister Lakes and Kincheloe would join the Wolverine Building in jettisoning overhead and investing in energy conservation that would make the undertaking financially feasible to swing.

Voters will be asked to consider a bond issue in the spring of 2012, school board President Larry Seurynck said afterward.

Of course, the revelations studding the end of Daniel’s presentation came after a careful, comprehensive hour of aligning Dowagiac with best practices in modern education, such as Project-Based Learning designed to engage students, interspersed with Gov. Rick Snyder explaining the directions in which Michigan, poised for a pent-up recovery after years of shrinking, is moving.

For months district leaders have been consumed with creating an education culture, from bringing in new Steelcase furniture to show how classrooms have evolved from teachers as sages on the stage at the front of the room who are listened to to pods which move quickly into different configurations so students face each other and can interact, with teachers more guides and mentors who decide how to weave in such elements as video and social media.

Traditional classrooms discourage the engagement central to preparing for jobs in the workplace which stress collaboration, communication and problem-solving rather than memorizing facts gleaned from old-style lectures.

“Smart” classrooms like Dowagiac desires are only “a three-iron shot” away at partner SMC, Daniel noted in the DMS Performing Arts Center, completed in 2005.

A third of traditional classrooms are occupied by teacher space, Daniel said, which is opened up to avoid distraction from learning in modern new tech facilities.

Daniel, starting his second year with Dowagiac, said we live in a market-driven system and need to match the quality of living here with a top-notch educational system which will attract employers and investment and “will take all of us to make happen.”

“This building (DMS) itself, there’s so much value here,” Seurynck said after the meeting. “The resources here we can share — the auditorium, the gym, the common spaces, science and music labs. Those are all spaces we don’t have to build. Instead of having hallways, you open those up to 30 feet wide and each hallway becomes a technologically-rich media center. Classrooms have glass walls teachers can open to become part of the common area. Students migrate from a classroom out into the media center where they have fiber optics.”

Even Aug. 31 a Dowagiac delegation toured Rochester, Ind., Community High School.

“It’s really exciting,” Seurynck said, “and we could do these things (financially) because we’re not building a new library. (The added high school wing) would be, if you were standing back at the soccer field, at the left side of the building. The addition would have a second floor, built onto this building. Busing wouldn’t change a lot. Right now, we bus kids from behind Hale’s out to Kincheloe and from the south end of the school district, out past California Road at Indian Lake all the way up to Sister Lakes. Society has changed and gone away from the neighborhood school. Justus Gage isn’t a neighborhood school anymore. We don’t have huge clusters of students who can walk to school. All that was done when we redistricted to balance the number of kids.

“The problem with that is you’ve got two first grades out at Kincheloe, two first grades at J Gage, two first grades at Pat Ham and one first grade at Sister Lakes. Some have 19, some have 27 students. Not optimal class sizes” like could be accomplished in a central DUHS location. “We’ve got bubbles coming through the district all the time,” fluctuating from 105 to 125 or 150. “It’s very inefficient. And when students come to high school there’s a lot of variation in their preparedness because each building has a different strength.

“With all the kids in one building, you could have best practices for each grade and align your curriculum so that all are learning the same thing and hitting the same benchmarks at the same time in the same year. Right now, for our special needs students, we lose a day a week for travel. By consolidating, we can have higher quality people in touch with our kids for a greater period of time. The benefits just go on and on. The high school, built in the Sixties, is pushing 60 years old” and needs major upgrading. “It would be $3 million to $4 million just to put in a new boiler and it has only 900 amps. We’d take the efficiencies and using those to pay some of the freight. We’ve been working intensely with architects for four to six weeks. We’re analyzing putting a high-efficiency system in the high school, be it geothermal,” which would also provide air conditioning.

“How much do we save on energy? Then we take that money to pay back what we borrow in low-interest money from the state. It’s making improvements to the district now,” including lighting, “that will save energy, and earmark those savings to pay off debt. Dowagiac’s board leadership the last 10 years has been forward-looking, which puts us in a position to survive. We made a conscious decision between hunkering down, hanging on and hoping things get better or spending some of our fund equity in a calculated risk to make improvements that will bring more people to the community and jobs. When we hired Mark, the community fathers sat me down and said in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t recruit business because the schools were not performing, so we hired (Daniel), a guy with a vision who knows what it looks like. (Former president) Randy Cuthbert said he was the only guy who knows what it looks like and he had national model schools (in Indiana). There’s so much potential.”

“Classrooms should look very different today than when you and I were in school to create an educational culture and environment,” Daniel said. “We have some buildings that have been well-maintained,” but due to their age, “have some major needs. We are at a crossroads.

“Central office will be shared services with City Hall. We have to start thinking in that mentality and start finding ways to reduce expenses and costs, but still expand learning. I’m excited about going to City Hall and I’ll tell you why. Because it’s about community. We all share in this, so why shouldn’t city government be sharing education and technology. We already share fuel. We don’t even know” what other possibilities there might be, “and that’s exciting. I’m looking forward to working with City Manager Kevin Anderson and talking about what we can share — software, computers, copiers and on and on. One elementary center channels all resources into that facility. A 6-12 building? Do students who walk out of this pristine building, do they really want to go over to 9-12” at DUHS?

Chris Taylor-Alumni Field would be retained, the superintendent indicated.

“At the same time, we’re going to have to put dollars into some of our structures. Union High needs a whole new HVAC system. Why is that not AC yet? The boiler and pipes are at their life expectancy after serving their purpose well. That needs to be revamped. The new design would add on (to DMS) on the west with a second floor for 11th and 12th graders. I come from a national model school where we had seventh through 12th graders. There is extreme power when you have 11th and 12th graders for your younger students to model. Maturity in the building, you can just see it rise. Respect. Trust. Responsibility. It ramps up in a healthy way. At the same time, you need to make sure you don’t have a constant interaction with your younger students. Architects — (DUHS graduate) Scott Winchester — looked at a flow” which segregates students as they enter and exit.

“We’re going to have to expand the cafeteria,” Daniel explained. “This building was designed to expand and the governor said be smart in the way you spend your funding because you’re probably not going to get more unless you’re achieving, and you need to figure out shared services. I salute the fiscal management of this district. Most districts are talking about how to weather the storm rather than growth or opportunity. That’s not a way to be ready for the prosperity that’s going to happen in Michigan. Michigan is among the major states in the country primed for economic growth. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to come back. Advanced manufacturing with technology, which we get from SMC and our Van Buren vocational school.”

“Dreams and Dreamers” SHARE Keynote Review

2011-08-27T19:29:00.001-04:00

On Monday, August 8, SHARE President, Janet Sun took the stage to welcome SHARE attendees and introduce keynote speaker Bill Capodagli of Capodagli Jackson Consulting.

Bill surprised attendees by riding into his presentation on a scooter, which he then gave away to an audience member. This set the tone for a discussion on the importance of building a creative workplace and embracing your inner childlike spirit. Bill’s engaging presentation addressed many of the findings from his latest book, titled Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground, which is the definitive account of Pixar’s creative culture. Bill’s approach to the workplace served as a glimpse into the opportunities that can arise from a professional culture where mutual respect, trust, collaboration and fun can produce phenomenal results.

SHARE was proud to host over 1,000 Enterprise IT professionals in Orlando, Florida, August 7 – 12, 2011, for a week filled with deep-dive discussions into the latest industry developments, engaging networking events and new professional connections. SHARE attendees selected from over 500 technical sessions offered during the week, engaged with over 40 industry exhibitors in the Technology Exchange Expo and mingled with fellow IT users to discuss mutual interests and solutions.

London’s Bute Coaching Adopts The Disney Way

2011-08-10T18:03:00.001-04:00

“I read your book The Disney Way, Revised Edition: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney. And thought this to be a fantastic book that gave great ideas and examples of real businesses introducing/maintaining the Disney ethos.

As a small company (less than 10) we have taken some of the ideas from your book, revised them to suit us and currently their is a definite shift in us as a company and I believe this is impacting our delivery in a very positive way.

I would like to thank you for this book.”

Margo Manning Account Director; Bute Coaching Ltd

Based in London, Bute Coaching Ltd comprises a highly experienced team of professionals who have worked in diverse backgrounds including: IT, financial (including investment and retail banking), legal, insurance, pensions, retail, surveying, property development, accounts, construction, education and many other industries.

The Disney Way Inspires The Quality Coach

2011-08-09T15:52:00.001-04:00

Monday, 08 August 2011

The Search for Leadership

A dream is a wish your heart makes. Jiminy Cricket

As our leaders put the finishing touches on a just in time deal to raise our country's debt limit last week, I found myself longing for a different kind of leadership. Wondering, is it too much to ask for leaders who listen to one another and maybe even listen to those of us who elected them? Or, leaders who disagree with one another, and still show a little respect. Leaders who would actually accept responsibility instead of placing blame. What would it be like to put party interests aside and focus on what's truly best for our country and its' citizens. Or, to have leaders who could see beyond the next election cycle? I wish I may, I wish I might.........

Alas, no amount of wishing, magic, or pixie dust helped. Apparently, S&P was not impressed either.

Looking for inspiration in all the wrong places, I finally decided to visit The Quality Coach Library where lo and behold, I found one of my favorite books on leadership, The Disney Way, by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson. Named Fortune Magazine's Best Business Book in 1999, the ideas in this book will surely cause you to "whistle whilst you work." I began to feel a touch of hope as I reconnected with the Disney story and the legendary leadership that launched and sustained the Wonderful World of Disney.

Walt Disney spent his early years on a farm in Marceline, Missouri, about 100 miles east of Kansas City. In between farm chores, Walt would lie in the grass and gaze up at the sky or watch insects and butterflies flit overhead. The story suggests that it was during this time, the young Disney formed beliefs and values from which he never deviated. He believed that "When values are clear, decisions are easy."

Walt Disney also believed that every individual has two choices... Either we wait and hope that something or someone will provide the motivation needed to act, or we take control of our own dream and work to see it through. Obviously, the latter became the foundation for Disney.

What are you waiting for? A sprinkling of pixie dust? Perhaps we don't need a title to be a leader. In fact, in our wonderful country, we all have the opportunity to lead our own life. Dream. Dare. Believe. Do. That's the Disney way.

My only hope is that we never lose sight of one thing.....that it all started with a mouse. Walt Disney, 1954

And now, for your coaching challenge, should you choose to accept it.

What have you been daydreaming about? What's the one thing you can do this week to move your dream forward? Do it! We would love to hear about it, if you dare to share.

The Quality Coach!^®, celebrating over 20 years of coaching great leaders and great teams.

"because every business is a people business"

jeanne@thequalitycoach.com

http://www.thequalitycoach.com

William C. Gast Business Library/Michigan State University Features Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-07-17T18:15:00.001-04:00

Jul 14, 2011 – Innovate the Pixar way : business lessons from the world's most creative corporate playground, by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, ...
blogpublic.lib.msu.edu/index.../new-popular-business-collection-books-1?...8; (HD53 .C369 2010)

ARVEST BANK LEARNS DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING

2011-06-30T13:03:00.001-04:00

June 30, 2011: “Thank you so much for coming and teaching us Storyboarding, it was an honor to have you. You did an amazing job! I have heard so many positive comments. I look forward to utilizing these skills very soon.”

Alyssa Pepper, CFB Training Specialist, Arvest Bank, Arkansas

DISNEY WAY RECOMMENDED READING FOR THOSE WHO PROACTIVELY MANAGE THEIR CAREERS

2011-05-31T19:05:00.001-04:00

Smart Lemming Review

The SmartLemming.com recommends The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company for workers at any career stage. See the table and images below for specific ratings for each career stage and category relevance.

SmartLemming.com considers The Disney Way as a must-read book for people proactively managing their careers.

BILL CAPODAGLI’S VIDEO FROM THE 13TH World Human Resources Congress in Montreal

2011-05-11T09:29:00.001-04:00

Finally….we have a link to clips from Bill’s Sept, 2010 keynote in Montreal:

http://www.portailrh.org/StudioRH/fiche4.aspx?p=444886

Words of Welcome from Canada’s Prime Minister

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 13th World Human Resources Congress, organized by Quebec’s Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.

The human resources management sector has certainly been affected by the deteriorating global economic environment in recent months. This slowdown is suited to a period of reflection, encouraging us to explore new avenues adapted to current realities. The holding of this event is of particular relevance, providing a unique opportunity for human resources specialists from throughout the world to address these issues.

This three-day congress will enable participants to share with their colleagues and discuss innovative measures to help recovering economies face today’s challenges. I have no doubt that this conference will touch on new approaches and markets that will help stimulate the economic recovery and strengthen the critical human resources management sector.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate the organizers on their outstanding work. I wish all the participants a very productive congress.

The Prime Minister of Canada,

Steven Harper

CUNA REVIEW of BILL’S KEYNOTE - DREAMS AND DREAMERS: HOW TO INNOVATE LIKE WALT DISNEY AND THE PIXARIANS

2011-05-09T20:00:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from:

My Top 5 Takeaways from the CUNA HR/TD Conference/www.creditunionmagazine.com

By Michelle Greear, vice president, learning and development, for Technology Credit Union, San Jose, Calif.

April 29, 2011

Number 4. Everyone has something to learn and something to teach.

Bill Capodagli’s presentation on innovation was inspiring and timely. He highlighted the importance of the story, setting, role, and backstage as we partner with our corporate enterprise to achieve goals and improve efficiencies.

HR/TD can help whittle away departmental silos by advocating for cross-functional mentors, coaches, and subject matter experts who can see outside the lines and play nice in the sand box.

Working with adults is similar to working with kids. Kids like toys, and so do adults. Kids like to move around, interact, and see how things work. So do adults. Kids like stories, color, and visual stimulation—so do adults.

Note to self: learn Prezi.

Orange Leaders Embrace Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-05-06T15:36:00.001-04:00

Excerpts from the What is Orange blog…How do you emphasize MILESTONES?

Posted on http://www.whatisorange.org 5/5/11 by Bre Hallberg

Milestones come and go whether we’re prepared for them or not. So, why not spend a little bit of time planning for those moments in life AND preparing the parents of the kids in your ministry for the milestones that they’re going to encounter?

This month we’ll be discussing how church leaders can better partner with parents to become more actively involved in key events that mark milestones in their kids’ lives. And on a personal note, we’re going to be talking about how to make the little stuff in life count, and be intentional about celebrating even the smallest milestones.

We know that you lead in several ways at any given time. You lead yourself, you lead volunteers, you might lead a staff, and you often lead up. So, here’s what we have in store for you to accomplish each of these tasks:

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
How does this happen every single week? Sunday just won’t slow down. But don’t allow that to interfere with the investment you make in yourself as a leader. Go ahead and grab your number two pencil to mark some personal time each week this month to invest in your own leadership development—20 minutes should do it. We’ve already got a plan for you, so making the time is the first step to accomplishing it.

BOOK REVIEW:
Innovate the Pixar Way by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson
Pixar isn’t exactly known for “little things,” but they certainly ARE known for their creativity. And one of the keys to this creativity is finding unique ways to celebrate the workplace— making even small details a big deal. Capodagli and Jackson share this unusual approach with readers so that you can also celebrate and create in your own work environment.

REAL LIFE:
Pixar
Back to the big screen! We’re going to be taking a very practical look at how Pixar celebrates, brainstorms and creates. Check out the details behind their work environment and staff culture that make this company so unique. Then, discover how you can apply those to your ministry environment.

About Orange Leaders

It’s a gathering of leaders who are passionate about engaging churches and families to influence the faith and character of the next generation. They focus their web content around the concept of Orange.

Orange is a secondary color, created when you combine two primary colors—red and yellow.

Orange is what red and yellow can do when they combine efforts. If you paint only with red, you will get what only red can do. If you paint only with yellow, you will get what only yellow can do. But when you paint with red and yellow, you’ll get new possibilities, fresh solutions and vibrant outcomes.

They believe the warm heart of the family can be represented by the color red, and the bright light of the church can be represented by the color yellow. When these two entities combine their efforts for the sake of the spiritual growth of the next generation, the result is Orange.

How Group Studios Can Foster Creativity

2011-05-03T12:20:00.001-04:00

Collaborative thinking can help foster creativity. If the collective works the right way, a group studio has great potential to help visual artists bring out more original and exciting ideas. Why not learn from the best in the creative field; Pixar Studio.

By Thomas Bjørnskau, editor of startjournal.org.

Pixar Studio is known for animation movies like Toy Story and The Incredibles. In the world of creative industries it is renowned for being the model of a cutting-edge, forward thinking, innovative company. Maybe most relevant for the East African art scene are the principles and guidelines for team creativity which they base their work upon.

Kampala is currently home to at least three group studios, providing an artistic space for close to twenty visual artists. Startjournal has spoken to a dozen of these artists to find out whether the lessons learned from teams like Pixar would be applicable for the field of fine arts.

Artists from Artpunch Studio

Artists from the Njovu Art Studio

Artists from the Ivuka Arts Studio

Innovate the Pixar Way

At the end of the day, the Pixar teams work towards one shared end product, which of course makes it different from a group of individual artists producing separate art works. Nevertheless, when reading about Pixar’s approach to creative work, there are good reasons for why these collaborative techniques and guidelines may work for a group that produces many individual objects.

So, what makes Pixar so special? Even though Pixar now is a part of bottom-line obsessed, hidebound, bureaucratic Disney, it has managed to retain its role as a creative corporate playground. The book ”Innovate the Pixar Way” explains some of the major reasons for this:

Develop and stick to a long-term vision
Make fun and play part of the daily work routine
Keep all communication channels open and display mutual respect and trust when collaborating

Furthermore, Pixar’s greatest strength is its willingness to fail. Its principles for encouraging risk and creating a ”TRY, LEARN, and TRY AGAIN” culture include:

Honoring failure like success
Quickly creating prototypes of new products for rapid testing
Giving teams unlimited freedom to see what they can create
Asking team members for 10 of their most imaginative, least-grounded solutions
Using financial restrictions as strengths and developing within existing capabilities
Displaying team ideas, in planned or real forms, for all to understand
Seldom asking for permission
Implementing ideas as they arise
Seeking purchasers or suppliers who match the group in flexibility and forward thinking, because such allies become real-world testers for even the wildest notions

Like all great advices, some of these principles would feel a matter of course. But Startjournal wanted to discover the inner dynamics of the group studios in Kampala, and initiate a discussion with group artists using these guidelines as a backdrop.

Striking art from Artpunch

Artpunch Studio is the home of frontman Wasswa Donald and fellow visual artists/fashion designers Amos Sentongo, Sheila Nakitende and Nabukenya Hellen. They work from a new studio in Kansanga and they have been operating as a group since 2007; with Nakitende joining last year.

Donald: "In this painting, Amos taught me how to incorporate the use of collage in the background"

Wasswa always wanted to start a group studio and explains the main reasons: ”In a group you will work faster, because the rest of the group will push you forward, inspire you in a positive way.”

Sheila agrees and describes her reasons for joining: ”I joined Donald’s group last year, feeling it was ’on the move’. The group gives you a sense of belonging, there is a fusion of different personalities, but there is no judgement, I get the drive from likeminded people, and at the end of the day; a group is the best way to be encouraged to work.”

Sheila: "In this one, the group helped me understand form and perspective"

Wasswa relates the group’s vision to the latter part of the chosen name of the group; punch. ”This word reflects both how we work and the effect we like our art to have on the audience. Even though each artists’ work needs to stand out in itself, our shared vision of striking art must be present.”

Looking around at the different art works in the studio, this writer would agree to the notion that there is a certain common denominator to the creations. These days more than one group member seem to explore the effect that splattered paints will have on different media, ranging from canvas to shoes, bags and mirrors.

Artpunch seems to be fond believers of the principle of quickly creating prototypes for rapid testing. Nabukenya is working on a collection of customized shoes, using the above-mentioned technique: ”Last year I wore some shoes covered in accidentally spilled paint – as artists often do – to a party, and this pair of sneakers caused such a good response that I wanted to pursuit the idea of creating a set of customized products.”

Hellen: "The group advised me how to apply paint to cover the whole of the edge of the sole"

Out of the three groups Startjournal spoke to, Artpunch seems to be the group which best have adapted the guidelines of coming up with imaginative ideas, implementing them as they arise, and seeking allies outside the group to test and give feedback to such ideas. Wasswa explains that this is more an ongoing process than consciously using collaborative techniques to foster product innovation.

That also seems to be the approach to how the group works with displaying each artists’ individual ideas and commenting on each others art works. ”Especially when another artist start talking about signing an art piece, each one of us would be alert and almost drawn to the piece. We would focus our comments on elements that are missing or just brought out wrong, often taking the role as the viewer or the curator.”

Wasswa further explains that these processes are ever-present, quite unformal and based on a trust and honesty in the relationship. ”A kind of trust and honesty that was an important factor for me when I decided to join the group,” adds Sentongo.

Amos: "I was adviced by the group to make a personal painting, hence the use of fabrics to relate it to my background as a fashion designer and depicting the women to pay tribute to the women I was raised by"

Njovu Art Studio

Njovu Art Studio is a result of some members leaving Gecko Studio in late 2009. This split demonstrates another fundamental principle of teamwork. There is a need for a shared group ideology and artists who team up for similar reasons.

When talking to some of the group members, there seems to be an immediate point to explain why Gecko didn’t work out and reasons for this group to come into being. But after Startjournal explains that this article is forward-looking, the Njovu artists are happy to share their view on which are the important factors to base a collaboration on.

Njovu Art Studio did recently have to move from Bukoto to Ntinda, and because of that they haven’t really worked as a group the last couple of months. As Arnold Birungi, an artist and an illustrator who joined Damba Ismail, Mark Kassi, Tindi Ronnie and Ngula Yusof when they separated from Gecko Studio, explains: ”We are still in the phase where we are getting firm as a group.”

Arnold: "Damba suggested that the arm in the background should be brushed off to leave my usual realistic touch"

”We have a democratic approach to everything we do. When somebody from outside contacts a group member with a request, our next step will be to gather the group and discuss how to act,” Mark Kassi adds.

Njovu also includes Damulira Shira, and Saad Lukwago and Kasagga Jude, the two latter being based in Masaka. Other values which Njovu is founded on are:

recruting a new artist every year; currently Oscar Barigye is working together with the more experienced artists
assigning specific roles to some group members; Birungi acting as director, Kassi acting as treasurer, and Damba as PR and marketing person
having a more exclusive approach to the market; ”you will not find our art works everywhere”

”One advantage there is by working in a group, which makes everybody more creative, is just the fact that everybody see what you do. One technique we sometime do, is to challenge another artist to do something differently. For instance, I would ask Arnold to make something abstract,” explains Damba.

Damba: "Anyone in the group is free to comment and react"

The displaying of ideas and the openness to comment, discuss and criticize more or less finished art works, seems to be the guideline these visual artists easiest recognize.

”One thing at least Mark and I used to do a lot – even though we hadn’t established it as a formal collaborative technique – was to hang a newly finished painting on a nail just outside the entrance. This meant we were open for – or even yearning for – others to critique it,” Tindi explains.

Tindi: "The group challenged me to add more details in my work and how to compose them"

”An important factor in the group is that we are all open for the idea of criticizing and be criticized. It is an ongoing process, we are always asking colleagues to comment what we are working on. But it is also important to say that it is done with a certain degree of humour. Sometimes we throw out a funny comment, just to break the ice,” Mark Kassi adds.

Kassi: "The group adviced on how to apply and finish the dark background to the left"

When the group is presented with some of the other guidelines for innovative team work, it is apparant that some of artists are applying them on an individual basis, but seldom consciously in formal group processes.

Using art to change lives

Similar conclusions can be drawn after speaking with a third group, with equally many members as Njovu; Ivuka Art Studio. They share a history by arising out of Gecko studios.

Startjournal meets five of the members; Jjuko Hoods, Anwar Sadat Nakibinge, Paul Kintu, Patrick Kyeswa and Albert Walozi, in their second floor home base in Bukoto. In addition, the group currently consist of Collin Sekajugo, who introduced the current name, Ssebandeke Mohamed, Ibrahim Kitimbo and Cathrine Kabugo.

Jjuuko Hoods explains some of the main benefits of working in a group studio as Ivuka: ”First, we provide a space for young artists. A space which is organised in a formal manner so that one doesn’t have to think about rent etcetera. But maybe more important; being part as a group gives you a freedom to expression, you let go of the fear to execute your ideas, simply because the other artists will give you strength, inspire you and push you forward. At the end of the day, it will enhance your confidence as a visual artist.”

Jjuuko: "The group inspired and challenged me to use old posters as a collage"

The group members feel at home when we discuss principles like ’using financial restrictions as strength’. These artists are used to work with limited resources, experimenting with all sorts of free and accessible media and material, and producing their art on things like old posters, jeans and other waste objects.

The more experienced group artists like Jjuuko Hoods and Anwar Sadat Nakibinge points out that one of the core values for this studio is to embrace young artist that comes from scratch.

Albert: "The other artists adviced me on how to build the patterns, the shapes, the colours and distribution"

”It is almost like a sharing program, where we show unexperienced artists how to maximize their sense of creativity, how to become more confident and develop an unique style,” Anwar explains and continues. ”The same thing applies to giving feedback. There is a deep respect for comments, and never any bad feelings.”

Anwar: "The group challenged me to use oil paint instead of acrylics"

”I would say that our ways of giving feedback are spontanous, they are very direct and open, and always with the intention of giving specific advices,” adds Jjuuko.

Upon the topic of building alliances to outside players, this group has always been engaged in community projects. They were approached by and teamed up with Aidchild and Nsambya Babies Home, and has actively worked to establish a relationship with Kansai Institute. Engaging themselves to help the Mulago and Masaka communities, have also been important steps that underlines their slogan ”Using art to change lives”.

Paul: "The group adviced me to attach the small painting to a dark background, hence giving it a more powerful appearence"

Patrick: "In this painting the group adviced on how to carry out the diamonds in the background, how to work on the outline and the colour in them"

A potential for further innovation

After having visited and discussed these issues with three of the leading group studios in Uganda, this writer has a feeling that the collectives are doing great things for individual artists. Which contributes a lot to make each artist stronger and more confident than they would have been in splendid isolation.

Nevertheless, one can not help thinking that some simple collaborative techniques and guidelines may help to break up the tradition of the ongoing, yet quite spontanous teamwork that exist today, and maybe challenge the groups to think outside the box.

GREAT ARTICLE...LOVE THE EXAMPLES OF COLLABORATION AND FEEDBACK. "USING ART TO CHANGE LIVES" IS FAR MORE THAN A SLOGAN...IT'S A PRACTICE THAT WE WISH WAS CHERISHED BY MORE SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES HERE IN THE US. BILL AND LYNN

DOWAGIAC STUDENTS APPLYING DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING

2011-04-26T16:46:00.001-04:00

Scores head in right direction

http://www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/04/19/scores-head-in-right-direction/

April 26, 2011

Published 8:39pm Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The assessment test glass appears half full instead of half empty to thirsty Dowagiac educators.

Where district third graders lagged four percent on third grade math scores in 2009, for 2010 Dowagiac closed that gap with state average by 2 percent.

“In elementary grades 3-5, we have three increases in comparison to state averages, we have two that remain even and we have two (third grade reading and fifth grade math) where we are 1 percent off the state average.

“We just need to continue what we’re doing and tweak it,” Assistant Superintendent Patti Brallier reported to the Board of Education Monday night in the middle school Performing Arts Center because of the new dinner for Top 10 graduates in the cafeteria.

“We increased from state average 10 percent” for sixth grade math, Brallier said. “We’re even in reading, we increased in social studies, we increased in math and reading at the seventh grade level. We increased in math at the eighth grade level, we’re even in reading, we increased in science and we increased in social studies.”

Brallier, who has been assistant superintendent for four years, said the middle school “strategy is working.”

“It’s really exciting,” she added, “because there is growth and positive achievement happening, and we look forward to continuing that with this next school year. We will focus on literacy in the areas of reading and writing, so that at the end of third grade all students will be at grade level. That is our goal.”

“I congratulate the staff and administration for the gains and trends,” President Larry Seurynck said.

Seurynck called Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal “very cynical” because “it’s not the School Aid Fund that’s in trouble, it’s the General Fund. The state has chosen to raid the School Aid Fund. For the state to jeopardize kids’ one fair chance at an education to improve their lives is a cynical way to balance the budget when there are obvious other ways” to meet the May 31 deadline legislators are working toward.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel reported that high school students experienced storyboarding The Disney Way the Friday before spring break.

“We’re now looking to move into the six buildings” to share the experience with parents.

“Hopefully, we’ll finish that by May. Mr. (Bill) Capodagli has been contacted and he’s going to help us sort through the numerous storyboards and find some commonalities, so we’re appreciative of that,” Daniel said.

DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING FEEDBACK FROM CAAP’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2011-04-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

On March 24th, Bill conducted a storyboading session for the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania. The focus was on how the individual agencies could provide Disney Way service to their audiences despite the inevitable federal funding threats to their network. The feedback on the session was overwhelmingly positive. Here are the written comments provided by the participants (original typos were not corrected):

Great

Excellent this type of presentation & workshop is needed.

This was fabilous workshop. The presenter was great. I feel like I can apply what I learned.

Fantastic

Wonderful training will use this extensivley.

Excellent presenter with great hands on tips!

Excellent workshop

Great workshop-I will use this immediately.

Story Board…something the Board of Directors should use.

Disney Way “Magical Moments” Account of WDW’s Customer Service

2011-04-21T19:04:00.001-04:00

It’s a Wonderful World

The micro details of customer service are what separate the winners from the losers in business

April, 2011

by Kathleen Martin

The first day she wore a Cinderella ball gown everywhere. But in the days that followed, disguised in sneakers and a T-shirt, people could still tell, just by looking at her, that she was a princess. “How are you this morning, Princess?” they’d say, bending down low in front of her.

My four-year-old daughter couldn’t have been happier. She beamed at the wait staff, at the people collecting garbage from the streets, at the shopkeepers. We were at Walt Disney World Resort, where it seemed everyone was transformed: into royalty, into Jedi Knights, into parents with unlimited patience. The Disney employees—people for whom the incredible magical production is, well, work—were also most curiously happy.

The entire week we spent there was populated with smiling helpful employees called “cast members” who raced to anticipate the needs of guests without exception. “The food looks good, but the desserts…I really don’t like carrot cake,” admitted my husband, when a staff member at a quick-serve restaurant saw him looking at the menu options. “They serve chocolate cake at the restaurant a little way down the street,” the waiter responded. “Why don’t you order your food, and I’ll run down there and get you some.”

Despite our protests that it wasn’t necessary, he did exactly that. Within 10 minutes, he had arrived back at our table, cake in hand. He had wanted our lunch to be perfect, and thanks to him, it was.

I needed to find out what was in the employee Kool-Aid.

“I really like my job,” said more than one person. Others said, “They spend a lot of time training us on the traditions of Disney; they let us make decisions to make things better for our guests; they put up our picture if they catch us doing something extra to help a guest, particularly if it’s a child; they try and make it fun for us.”

Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, the authors of The Disney Way, have built their careers on studying Disney. “Walt Disney insisted that every employee is the company in the mind of the customer,” they write. “Because Disney insisted that customers be treated like guests, great customer service has become a standard feature of the total package the Disney Company offers. And wrapped up in that package is a gift of creativity—in product, service, and process—that makes even jaded adults smile with childlike delight.”

Posted in several places around Disney World parks is this quote from Walt: “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.” In other words, what he created came not from something cataclysmic or untouchable but from something common, coupled with a well-exercised imagination and a fine attention to detail.

In his best-seller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes a simple method, called the Broken Windows hypothesis, which New York’s Police Department used to fight violent crime. They relentlessly addressed small problems, such as broken windows and graffiti and people trying to skip out on subway fares. Crime rates dropped. They discovered that minor, seemingly insignificant quality- of-life crimes were tipping points for violent crime.

Perhaps something similar applies in business. If we relentlessly address the details—the seemingly insignificant aspects of customer service, for example— I think our businesses will become more successful. It’s the simple things that astounded me at Disney World, which are missing from so many of my daily customer-service experiences.

If cast members were talking to one another when I approached them, they stopped instantly and turned their attention to me. Every time. Although thousands of people cycled through restaurants I visited, I rarely saw garbage on the floor or an empty table that wasn’t quickly being cleaned.

One night, when we waited briefly in line at a restaurant, a cast member came over and sat down next to my children. She asked them about their day and drew them pictures of Mickey Mouse on napkins. I discovered later that her shift had already ended, and she had stayed those few extra minutes to make them feel important.

The experience was unforgettable, and it’s not rocket science. It’s possible for any company. As Walt would say—it’s just a dream away.

Kathleen Martin is a freelance journalist based in Halifax. She can be reached at masthead@ns.sympatico.ca

Progress Media.ca’s site is designed to help business owners and CEOs grow their businesses more effectively.

Kennedy Center Learns Secrets from Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-04-06T12:58:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Kennedy Center Meeting: A Glimpse of the Future

I recently attended the annual meeting of the John F. Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program. Purdue Convocations and the Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) are partners in this program that pairs arts presenters and school systems to present top quality professional development training to area teachers. This is the fourth year for the local partnership. Cindy Preston, a second grade teacher at Edgelea Elementary attended representing LSC.

The meeting focused on a look into changes in education and how we can meet the challenges of 21st Century learning. Two major challenges to arts education are funding and keeping up with the rapid pace of changing technology.

The keynote speaker, Bill Capodagli, author of The Disney Way and Innovate the Pixar Way, emphasized the importance of leadership and innovation in moving an organization forward. He pointed out how less structured work environments led to more productive and creative employees in several companies who chose to try a new approach to their corporate environment.

Futurist Garry Golden, whose work is to help people learn how to anticipate and lead change, forecast an even greater leap forward in technology in the next ten years. He told the group that we are now entering a learner-oriented era in which learning is not so much institution, or teacher, - driven, but will be more about what we learn from those around us. It will not be so much about what is delivered as it will be about our own self-directed efforts. He predicted that soon almost everyone will have a hand-held electronic device and more and more content will be delivered through these devices.

Learning is making the leap from formal to informal. He also predicted the emergence of what is termed, “Third Place”. These are locations that are not home and not work where people gather to interact or gather information, like cafes, malls, parks, etc. This calls for new ways of communicating.

Arts education researcher Eric Booth helped attendees look at the work of author Daniel Pink’s book Drive and how the arts and arts education can help deliver what our culture needs and wants – innovation, creativity, discovery, increased curiosity and engagement, authentic learning, sustainable rigor, and most specifically, intrinsic-motivation.

Posted by Laura Clavio, assistant director of Convocations

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30–40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theatre, dance, children’s theatre, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country, and comedy attractions. www.convocations.org

Disney Way Featured in the Dowagiac News

2011-03-31T13:10:00.001-04:00

Leaders are readers

Published 10:34pm Thursday, March 24, 2011

MeL, the Michigan Electronic Library (www.mel.org) puts a world of information at the fingertips of anyone with a Dowagiac District Library card.

Kathy Johnson became Dowagiac District Library director last March after nine years at Union High School.

From any computer with Internet access at any time, patrons can find millions of full-text articles, books, CDs and DVDs, even practice tests and homework help for students. Free to Michigan residents 24/7, MeL’s resources can help you start or build a business, chart family history, boost hobbies, borrow from other libraries, explore historical photographs, videos, diary pages and documents and tap databases.

MeL promotes classroom excellence with MORE, Michigan Online Resources for Educators, where teachers can enrich the experience they provide when they track down lesson plans, interactive Web sites, videos and podcasts.

“Our library can’t own every good book that’s published,” Dowagiac District Library Director Katherine Johnson told Rotary Club Thursday noon at Elks Lodge 889, “but our patrons can borrow any book in the state of Michigan, with the exception of the Troy library, through MeL. Anyone with an Internet connection and a library card. What an incredible boon this is for people who want to gather information. It’s changed our library and the type of customer we have to be able to borrow any title.” Johnson mentioned a friend who belongs to the Dowagiac library book club. “She’s in Florida and downloaded the title we’re going to be doing in May.”

The library has pamphlets detailing how to download audiobooks and e-books and the mel.org site.

Asked about MeL cuts by retired superintendent Larry Crandall, Johnson said, “(Gov. Rick Snyder) is reacting to federal legislators. MeL is basically funded through the federal government, LSTA — the Library Services and Technology Act. LSTA is some of those discretionary funds we hear about that the legislators have threatened to cut. That’s what MeL runs on, what the state library runs on. The governor’s right. If those funds are cut, district libraries will try to fund MeL some other way. There are several parts to MeL. The first to be eliminated would be reference databases, which cost millions of dollars. The very last to go would be interlibrary loans.”
“We’re small potatoes,” Johnson said. “This is not a big chunk of the federal budget for the incredible good it does for little towns in areas like this. Eliminating it would be devastating. MeL runs beautifully and there’s no graft or dirty-dealing.”

Johnson, introduced by fellow Marcellus graduate Barbara Groner, spoke for Rotary Literacy Month in March, although “every month is literacy month for libraries.” She retired from a 35-year career in education (she has a master’s degree in teaching reading) after working in school media centers at Dowagiac High School (nine years), Niles Brandywine and Southwestern Michigan College.
Titling her program “Literacy, Leadership and Library,” Johnson succeeded Mike Shamalla as Dowagiac District Library last March 1.
“We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief,” Johnson said. “Most of us realize that to be literate, a person doesn’t need to know everything. In the middle ages, literate leaders had to know everything in their fields. If you were going to build a cathedral, you knew Euclid’s book, cover to cover, and that was it, that was all you needed to know. Everything’s a lot bigger now and we all sense that, so if anybody claims they know everything, we know they’re not telling the truth, and those people are kind of scary anyway.”

Literacy “is not just reading, it’s the ability to learn, to sort and to assimilate what we’ve discovered and then to evaluate. Literacy is a lot more complicated than just reading,” she said. “This presentation started with the idea that libraries and literacy have a direct connection. With leadership, I need to know what works in this economy in this part of Michigan. Those of us that are public entities are faced with lots of challenges. To be a good leader in our world right now, I need information.”

Arrayed before her were leadership books published in the past decade and available at the public library at 211 Commercial St., including “The Disney Way” by Dowagiac visitor Bill Capodagli.

She downloaded the “fascinating book” from the digital collection and read it on an e-reader.

“My two favorites are Rudy Giuliani’s book on leadership and ‘Leading from the Middle.’ I didn’t know much about Giuliani and, in fact, I kind of didn’t like him. But I learned a lot about leadership from reading his book. He was the mayor of New York City and took it from high crime, debt and inefficiency to vast improvements in those areas. His leadership was really tested on 9/11. It’s a fascinating read.” Giuliani advocates literacy through his previous disdain for golf. “He hated golf,” Johnson said, “but his son loved it and was always asking him to play. He could not understand what anyone saw in golf. Then it occurred to him that golf was just like anything else. If you don’t really know about it, you can’t appreciate it, so he made it a point to find everything he could get his hands on about the lore, the jokes, the personalities, the skills involved in golf. Finally, it dawned on him that golf was supposed to be fun and it changed his life. He loves golf so much he can’t get enough of it!”

“Leading from the Middle” is a “really good book on leadership, and let me tell you why,” Johnson said. “There’s a restaurant in San Francisco with excellent food and service beyond compare. It’s not fancy, but the ambience is comfortable and it’s a really wonderful establishment. He asked the waiter to talk to the boss to tell him what a wonderful restaurant it was and the waiter said, ‘I’m the boss. Thank you for your compliment.’ “The guy thought the waiter was being flip and was slightly annoyed by the comment, but he came to realize that they did a lot of training. Every person in the restaurant knows that to the public dealing with that person, he was the restaurant, just like in the library when you go to the desk, that clerk is the library. Leading from the Middle is giving employees that feeling that they have a stake in the whole picture. They are the boss and they have a valuable role to play, which is very similar to a theme in The Disney Way.”

“Digital books are happening right now in a big way,” she said. “Dowagiac District Library is very much involved in digital books — both audio and regular text. They can be downloaded to a mobile device. An audio book you can listen to on your iPod while you go for a walk. Or, it could be on an e-reader, an iPad. There are all kinds of mobile devices and we have a very nice collection of digital books. All you need to do is go to our Web site and click on overdrive. Yes, we can borrow any print book in Michigan, but we’re no longer dependent on print. You can download a book for free and either listen to it or read it anywhere on your mobile device. You’re given 14 days before it disappears. There’s no overdues or dog-eaten damaged books. It’s a great deal for everybody.” Of one of those mobile devices, Kindle, Johnson said, “It will only allow you to buy books from Amazon. It will not let you borrow books for free from libraries.”

Leadership Reading List

1.) The Disney Way, Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, 2007.
2.) Good to Great, Jim Collins, 2001.
3.) Leadership is an Art, Max DePree, 2004.
4.) Leadership, Rudolph Giuliani, 2002.
5.) Leading from the Middle, John Lubans, 2010.
6.) In Search of Excellence, Thomas Peters, 2004.
7.) The Knowing-Doing Gap, Jeffrey Pfeffer, 2000.
8.) Partnering: The New Face of Leadership, 2003.

Innovate the Pixar Way Featured in Credit Union Magazine

2011-03-31T12:50:00.001-04:00

Dare, Do, Dream - How to innovate like a Pixarian.

By Bill Merrick

March 25, 2011

Pixar Animation’s John Lasseter faced a Herculean task as he embarked on the production of the movie Toy Story 2: How could he possibly make it as good as the original?

Daunted by high expectations and intense media interest in the sequel, Lasseter vowed not to let his standards slip, consultant and author Bill Capodagli told the 18th Annual CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Conference.

Lasseter took several steps to ensure the quality of Toy Story 2 remained high.

First, he selected employees who were as passionate about the film as he was, and who exhibited these traits:

Proficiency. People who are very good at what they do and who exhibit remarkable tenacity.
Depth. People who have a wide variety of interests outside the workplace.
Communication and collaboration. People who will work with others to achieve a common goal.

“Pixar goes to great lengths to make sure employees are a group of creative people who are, first and foremost, collaborative teammates,” Capodgli says. “That means they try to accomplish a common goal based on a lot of different skills. Team is everything.”

Lasseter also:

• Focused on quality. All Pixar employees were allowed to take four hours of education per week in classes ranging from drawing to self-defense. When asked why accountants should learn to draw, Lasseter replied, “We’re teaching them to be more observant.”

"Quality is the best business plan," he once said.

• Embraced fun. One day, Lasseter brought his son’s scooter to work and rode it around the building. The following weekend, some Pixar staff scoured local garage sales for used scooters and brought several to work the next week.

“The scooter became Pixar’s symbol of fun,” Capodagli says, noting that such efforts boost an organization’s creativity and create a fun work atmosphere.

• Embraced risk-taking. As children, we learn by exploration and discovery: We try something, fail, and try again, Capodagli explains.

“Organizations need to do that,” he says. “They need to embrace risk and try new things, but be able to make adjustments so they ultimately can be successful.”

Lasseter ultimately achieved his goal: Toy Story 2 earned $120 million more than the original and became a classic among animated films.

“Pixar’s ‘dare, dream, do’ philosophy is alive and well,” Capodagli says. “You need to dream like a child, believe in your playmates, dare to jump in the water and make waves, and unleash your childlike potential.”

New Hampshire Business Review Features The Disney Way–Dream, Believe, Dare, Do

2011-03-18T20:22:00.001-04:00

NHBR Network; The New Hampshire Business Review Blog – 3/17

If you’ve studied Walt Disney or read The Disney Way, you know that his four guiding pillars were: Dream, Believe, Dare, Do. What great advice for entrepreneurs. What’s important is clarity about what phase we’re in and making sure we launch (Do) after we’ve dared (ask for funding). SafetySpan and Trunity were our entrepreneurial stars at last month’s Entrepreneur Forum and found themselves in different phases of Disney’s famous continuum.

SafetySpan’s dream is to change how we construct buildings, one floor at a time. Doug Leonardi, CTO explained that the SafetySpan Building System is a mesh-like, modular, flooring construction system designed to offer affordable alternatives that reduce waste and lower carbon emissions. Why brand “safe” in the name? For a couple of reasons. For one, they claim to be collapse resistant, meaning that if an earthquake hits, or some other disaster, the floor flexes rather than cracking and collapsing, bringing the entire building down with it. (Does the World Trade Center come to mind?) Secondly, by using a more sustainable material than concrete, emissions are significantly reduced. Third, a flexible, light weight, honeycomb-like spaceframe can be assembled between steel beams or wall mounts of a building’s interior construction frame. The magic is in the geometric shape, designed by nature for phenomenal strength.

Today, most buildings are created with concrete flooring which is heavy, expensive, and inflexible if the earth shifts. On the upside, concrete is strong, but has a hefty environmental emissions consequences. SafetySpan’s design replaces concrete flooring altogether. Same strength at half the weight. It’s modular so that makes it easy to install, manufactur, and recycle. Each component is based on human scale making it easy to pack, ship, and install. No mixing required. SafetySpan’s targeted applications are commercial, residential construction in addition to temporary buldings for military installations, emergency response shelters, and interium housing for victums of earthquake and natural disasters. SafetySpan’s solution helps architects and civil engineers gain LEED accrediation, based on its sustainable nature (see USGBC United States Green Building Council www.usgbc.org). It’s also a great solution for datacenters with raised floor requirements. Think crawl space for cabelling.

Our distinguished panel consisted of Lester Hensley, CEO & President of EMSEAL Joint Systems, Wayne Siladi, PE, Associate Principal, Weidlinger Associates, and Andrew Connolly, Director of Finance for R.R. Keller & Associates. Andrew observed, using the Walt Disney vernacular, “You’re in the dare phase. You need to have more guts and ask for more money.” He applauded the concept, but felt that they should be more bullish and launch SafetySpan boldly. Most entrepreneurs we’ve seen underestimate what they will actually need and tend to be overly conservative financially.

Wayne Siladi, PE shared his firms impressive experience in vulnerability assessment; risk analysis; forensic, earthquake, wind, and blast engineering; soil/structure interaction; and sustainability. Weidlinger Associates’ portfolio includes marquee projects like the Shanghai Port’s International Cruise Terminal (80,000 ton capacity), the Georgia Dome, Jacob Javitz Center, and The World Trade Center Forensic Study after 911. He said, “Interesting product.” He referenced the Buckminster Fuller Institute that published an authoritative article written by SafetySpan’s experts where they noted that earthquake loads in particular raise havoc on large buildings, especially where concrete floor comprise 70% of the building’s dead weight. Seismic activity distributes tensile loads across rigid membranes or concrete floors. When dead weight swings and sways, buildings collapse taking human lives. Ideally, design engineers want seismic activity to “pass through” the building. SafetySpan just might be the conduit seismic experts are looking for.

Lester Hensley, President of EMSeal Joint Systems provides structural and architectural sealing products for construction projects such as span bridges, sports stadiums, high rise buildings, and parking decks. His advice was for SafetySpan to complete all testing of the product. This way ratings and results can be provided to civil engineers and architects. Concrete has been used for commercial flooring for decades; introducing new fabric will cause a seachange and shake up the entire building industry. Once embraced by the engineered product space, LEED savvy civil engineers, and architects, this could be the wave (pun intended) of the future. He felt the number one selling point is that SafetySpan prevents progressive collapse, something concrete can’t do. Like a spider web in a wind storm. (Dream, Believe, Dare, Do.)

Our second entrepreneur, Terry Anderton CEO of Trunity, introduced their knowledge-sharing platform which leverages crowd sourcing, or community based design, knowledge, and problem solving. This approach is trending in e-learning empowering virtual publishing, dynamic textbooks, rich content (video) and breaking news. Trunity has harnessed 1500 scientists to contribute to textbooks delivered on-line through Trunity’s Virtual Classroom. Furthermore, Trunity has been awarded several NSF grants to develop this disruptive solution and is partnered with NASA, The National Academy’s of Science, The Encyclopedia of the Earth and the National Foundation for Science and the Environment. Now the “Do” part. They are working with IBM to deliver a commercial solution.

Our distinguished review panel consisted of Ben Bassi, CEO of CommonPlaces e-Solutions, Bill Horn, Executive and Advisory Board Member of the RIMA Foundation, and Yvonne Simon, Chief Executive Officer, Southern New Hampshire University Online. Ben Bassi kicked-off the panel’s comments by recommending that Trunity focus on a 50:50 educations vs. commercial ratio for applications. He raised the question of “are you selling to universities or professors?”. Remember, universities are in the business of generating revenue for textbooks. Ideally, Trunity and Terry must find a way to make this a win-win for educational institutions, partner with publishers, or compete with them.

Bill Horn suggested that there may be wisdom in approaching new commercial markets such as bio/medical and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Both publish volumes of information that need to be made available world-wide. He also brilliantly suggested approaching LexusNexis, the global source for legal research data now expanding to universities (law schools) and corporations. The challenges are data related – unstructured data content can have legal and compliance exposures and who is responsible for managing it? These challenges might be overcome by Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that “develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.”

Finally, Yvonne Simon suggested that Trunity would really make their mark if they focused instead on becoming the replacement for Blackboard, the defacto standard for educational tracking and on-line learning today. She noted that professors need a way to contribute content quickly and Blackboard doesn’t allow this easily, is also not a social learning platform, or open.

Yvonne brought to light a progressive initiative led by Cable Green, Director of eLearning & Open Education for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC). They just adopted an open licensing policy for the competitive grants they administer using “An Expectation of Sharing: Guidelines for Effective Policies to Respect, Protect and Increase the Use of Digital Educational Resources” and “An Evaluation of Private Foundation Copyright Licensing Policies, ... Cable’s passion started as an initiative to drive down the cost of textbooks, many of which are sold in bundles, if you need them or not. Legislation followed and is moving state-by-state in favor of students who can’t afford to shell out hundreds of dollars they don’t have.

Do these trends democratize content, or create a via business model that Trunity can capitalize on? The Dream part is real – now students in Africa can have access to the same information that students in Boston, Manchester, or Durham have. All they need is a cloud and a dream.

In closing, you might enjoy finding out what “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do” blossomed into Disney Corporation - their 10 guiding principles. Or stars to sail by.

10 Disney principles*:

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

*The Disney Way, by Bill Capodagli & Lynn Jackson, McGraw Hill, 2007

See you at the next Entrepreneur Forum!

Catherine Blake, President

Sales Protocol International

cblake@salesprotoocol.com

www.salesprotocol.com

EBSCO Reviews Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-03-16T11:34:00.001-04:00

Today, many American companies are highly risk averse and are taking a short-term view of business. Greater focus on innovation is needed to make companies more competitive. In Innovate the Pixar Way, Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson discuss how leaders at animation giant Pixar have cultivated an innovative culture. They identify numerous ways that organizations can create their own “innovation playgrounds.” While researching the sources of Pixar’s innovative genius, the authors examined the company’s culture, leadership, teaming, and training. Organizations that are both innovative and profitable require a delicate balance between two very different characteristics: 1) childlike dreaming and 2) task-driven execution. Pixar has been successful at achieving this balance.

EBSCO Publishing is an experienced information solution provider and the largest aggregator of journals and periodicals in the world. In addition to providing resources to support the complete information technology needs of the world’s largest corporations and government agencies, EBSCO is:

One of the 200 largest private companies in the United States, as reported by Forbes
A chief resource used in the top twelve ranked MBA programs, as reported by Financial Times
A leader in providing outstanding information technology solutions for the world’s most-recognized companies and industry leaders for more than 60 years

With a combination of creative editorial, technical, and business skills and operations, EBSCO Publishing provides an outstanding collection of resources. This includes proprietary content, as well as book summaries and reports for learning professionals with selected articles from top magazine and journal publishers.

Dreams: The DIsney Way Fieldbook: How to Implement Walt Disney’s Vision of “Dream, Believe, Dare, DO” in Your Own Company

2011-03-11T21:06:00.001-05:00

Posted by overnightmiracle.com on March 11, 2011 by admin

Business people around the world raved about The Disney Way and Fortune proclaimed it, “so useful you may whistle while you work.” Now, authors Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson are back to deliver a comprehensive, step-by-step implementation plan based on Walt Disney’s principles outlined in the best-selling The Disney Way.

The Disney Way Fieldbook provides action plans for instilling Disney’s vision into any company, complete with diagnostic exercises, practice sessions, proven advice, and insightful questionnaires. Packed with universally applicable tools and techniques, the book also features inspiring quotes from Walt Disney himself and little known facts about his extraordinary empire.

Dowagiac City Manager Kevin Anderson Reports on The Disney Way Initiative

2011-03-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

March 4, 2011 Report to Mayor Lyons and City Council Members: “This past week, I was pleased to be able to participate with over a dozen City employees during the intensive training on The Disney Way that was shared with the Dowagiac Union Schools and Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital at Southwestern Michigan College. It was especially good to have workers from all departments and all levels of the City jointly practicing problem-solving techniques and identifying ways in which our services to the community can be enhanced. Now the challenge for us will be implementing practices that help us better understand and respond to the customers we serve each day.”

Editorial: Dowagiac Develops its vision with Disney Way Opportunity

2011-03-11T11:07:00.001-05:00

Published 12:24am in the Dowagiac Daily News, Thursday, March 3, 2011

Rare moments like this don’t materialize every day.

There was that Gwen Brooks poetry reading 20 years ago which spawned a week-long fine arts festival featuring world-class authors, musicians, dancers, storytellers and now culinary artists.

A generation of students grew up believing the way to read a book includes conversing with its creator about where he or she came up with the idea and characters.

Another moment that comes to mind is the new middle school with a Performing Arts Center opened in 2005 by an orchestra.

The Disney Way dangles a different kind of symphony, a complex collection of voices to blend together in a pleasing vision that will be like music in its ability to tell diverse Dowagiac’s inspiring story.

It’s one thing to live here and to know it’s special, but another to try to articulate that across the spectrum of an entire town, from its public schools and community college to service providers at City Hall and our hospital.

Just to look around Wednesday and to see five large tables unleashing and trying to mesh their visions inspires passion for the possibilities and underscores Bill Capodagli’s disclaimer that there’s no instant pudding, just hard work, when it comes to battering down barriers and reimagining entrenched cultures.

Certainly solving customer problems sparks innovation and it was interesting that in the first exercise about identifying examples of exceptional or awful service, 80 percent extolled exemplary examples.

Local imagineers will do well to remember how we got to this point since this initiative was conceived last November in an unprecedented show of cooperation.

This remarkable week can actually be traced to last March with a business and community leaders forum for Dr. W. Craig Misner of Michigan Leadership Institute, gathering information for the Union School District superintendent search which delivered Dr. Mark Daniel to succeed retiring Peg Stowers.

A Daily News column March 29, 2010, headlined, “We need to tell our story to create a climate for success” called for a school chief with exceptional skills and fresh ideas to tell Dowagiac’s story, good and bad, so we define ourselves rather than someone else.

A sense of urgency came from the fact that for the first time ever, Dowagiac finished below state average in 14 test categories. We came across as a mediocre also-ran and the business community knew how hard it would be to recruit for economic development or to sell homes with a school system that across the board ranked consistently in the bottom half of area districts and last in Cass County.

Fair or not, that was reality, even if it’s not the Dowagiac we know, which doesn’t take a back seat to anyone.

The durable storyline that the district is scrappy and squeezes every dollar from limited resources served it well for a long time, but it doesn’t aim high enough for graduates expected to compete in a global economy.

Dogwood is a great example of the power of the possible, ignoring naysayers and creating its own climate for success by expectations it defined.

If its visionaries had wallowed in defeatism or flinched in self-doubt at the prospect of inviting a Kurt Vonnegut, John Updike or Norman Mailer here, there wouldn’t be a new generation writing its own books and pursuing fine arts careers in college or an enviable public art collection.

So this may not prove to be instant pudding or low-hanging fruit, but branches will not be out of reach harnessing so much positive energy and maybe a little pixie dust magic in a mutual direction for the greater good. Just getting all these folks in the same room, their hats checked at the door, was no small feat. Isn’t every small town like this?

Capodagli knows better than most they are not.

The Grand Old City, with a strong identity and rich heritage, is different in a good way and has a story that someday will make a sensational book, The Dowagiac Way.

It All Starts with a Dream

2011-03-09T16:36:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had one of the most gratifying experiences of my professional career. During a time when everything you hear on the news is so negative…government fighting with unions; unions fighting with school districts; school districts fighting with teachers, I felt like I had been transported to another world. What a breath of fresh air to work with a community that is not playing blame games and not paying lip service to problems. No, they are actually doing something as a unified community to institute change!

A few months ago, I received an email from Dr. Mark Daniel, superintendent of the Dowagiac Union Schools in Dowagiac, Michigan. He had a “dream” for his school district – a way of teaching that was student-centered and had the values of Disney. Soon, I was engaged in a conference call with a team of four leaders from the Dowagiac community: Mark Daniel; Joy Strand, CEO of Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital; Larry Seurynck, President of the Board of Education; and Kevin Anderson, City Manager. This unlikely team that became a steering team all shared the “dream” of improving customer service in their respective organizations, but most importantly, of becoming a customer-centric community. I was amazed at their commitment to one another, and their passion for embarking upon a journey with so many unknowns.

We discussed a way to bring these uniquely diverse entities together to introduce and begin the process of adopting “The Disney Way” principles. In my 30+ years of consulting, the approach I proposed for a community-wide cultural change might have seemed daunting to the team. I know how difficult it is for even one organization to change their culture, so at first, I was thinking that the chances of several organizations coming to consensus on a culture was slim and none. But, as I came to discover…the Dowagiac steering team was more unified than some teams after years and years of development! When Mark Daniel called to schedule dates for our engagement, I felt a rush of enthusiasm about being involved in what was to be the launch of something very special in our great state of Michigan.

We began the week-long kickoff with my 90 minute keynote – “If Walt Ran Your Organization” – that was open to the entire community (650 attended, 10% of the Dowagiac population). The subsequent three days were filled with staff interviews and workshop training in which teams from four entities (school, hospital, city government and the Dowagiac community) worked hard, played hard and discovered many “ah has” together. The energy, passion and spirit exhibited by each of these teams is hard to describe…I wish all communities had a “dream” that touched so many members. Each of the Dowagiac teams is now in full swing developing their own “dreams” with great gusto.

I believe that the change that is taking place in the Dowagiac Union Schools will be the most challenging, the most dramatic, and perhaps the most exciting for the community. You’d have to live under a rock to not know that our nation’s educational process is failing our students…our future! For every TEN high school freshmen entering school this year, only SEVEN will graduate in four years. Of those seven, FOUR will go continue on to college, but TWO will need to take a remedial reading, writing or mathematics class. I don’t know of any business that can survive with an 80% defect rate!

Nationally, the finger pointing continues regarding ways to improve our educational system…blame the unions; blame the teachers; blame the administration; blame the parents; too much spending; too little spending. The truth of the matter is that for over twenty-five years, we have thrown money at the problems, drugged students who have behavioral issues and labeled them as ADHD. But the way we teach – the process – has not had any measurable positive change in the past 100 years. We must attack the process not the people.

The leaders of the Dowagiac Union School District have decided to take a stand for real educational change. Revamping a tired, ineffective process begins with a “dream”...and I applaud what they have crafted:

“Imagine a place where Students have a passion for learning

….a place where the focus is student-centered

…a place where students achieve personal goals

…a place where our whole community is valued

…a place where children work together and learn from each other

The Dowagiac Dream for Education”

This week, I had the opportunity to be part of the Dowagiac Union School District’s presentation of their “dream” to all their employees. I also felt privileged to assist in facilitating customer service feedback storyboard sessions with middle school and high school students. When the students identified the “ideal” classroom as: 1. exploration and discovery; 2. interaction with the teacher and fellow students; and 3. fun, I knew they were beginning to build a great future together…a feat worth celebrating. It reminded me of the Millennium Celebration at World Disney World whose theme was Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand. Certainly, being with those students reinforced my passion for student-centered experiential learning, and gave me cause to celebrate!

My personal “dream” is that other communities will look to Dowagiac as a model of what is possible when fellow citizens from diverse organizations come together to “Dream, Believe, Dare, and Do.” Witnessing an entire community collaborate, break down barriers, and embrace change is what made my week so very special. The three-day workshop experience at Southwestern Michigan College (SMC) was frosting on the cake. Dr. Fred Mathews, SMC founder and CEO of 46 years, was our host and a member of what is now known as the “community team.” SMC is a great example of student-centered education and Fred is an advocate and resource for change in Dowagiac’s educational system. What a delight it was to get to know Fred and share ideas with him!

Keep up the good work Dowagiac! It is really an honor to be a small part of your exciting journey!

Bill Capodagli

Dowagiac Union Schools’ Disney Way Initiative

2011-03-08T11:40:00.002-05:00

March 4, 2011; To the Dowagiac Community:

We are on our way to Dreaming, Believing, Daring and Doing! Training has begun to begin the process of creating a collaborative plan with community members to prepare our students for the demands of the 21st Century and a global economy. The Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Trustees and I believe all people of Dowagiac should be part of the dream process to shape Dowagiac Schools for the next decade. From my experience exceptional student achievement can be obtained and sustained if a common dream is generated and implemented with community input and support.

The Disney Way initiative will help guide us to ensure high school graduates are ready to enter college or other post secondary training. A plan where students trust through education and training they can make a family sustaining wage. A Dowagiac Dream where students can rise to the rigor of the curriculum because they have significant relationships with adults making the curriculum relevant and meaningful resulting in higher test scores, increased academic achievement, and increased graduation rates.

A 21st Century Educational Plan will be crafted and presented to our community with a target date of August 31, 2011. As superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools, I can honestly state our Dowagiac Union Schools will improve because stakeholders like you participated in our Dreaming, Believing, Daring, and Doing.

Dr. Mark Daniel, Superintendent

National Seminars Presents Customer Service – The Disney Way with Bill Capodagli, March 8, 2011

2011-03-07T11:04:00.001-05:00

Bill Capodagli presents Customer Service - The Disney Way
Creating "magical" moments that earn you customers for life!

Date: March 08, 2011 | 2:00PM ET • 1:00PM CT • 12:00PM MT • 11:00AM PT

Price: $179
Can't break away for an hour at this time? For your convenience, a CD-ROM recording is made of each Rockhurst Webinar. You may choose to purchase the CD-ROM either along with the webinar or separately. The CD-ROM recording will be available approximately 14-21 days after the webinar.

http://www.nationalseminarstraining.com

Event Description:

Now you can learn how to inspire that level of customer service passion in your own organization by joining us for Customer Service – “The Disney Way”!

What You'll Learn When You Attend ...

Disney’s No.1 unbreakable rule for providing the ultimate customer service
How Walt Disney’s version of “show” business is the perfect tonic for what ails your business
Identifying the “Moments of Truth” in your organization and ensuring nobody ever misses one again!
The hidden – and not-so-hidden – costs for your company of even a single poor customer service experience
How to use a little bit of Disney’s “pixie dust” to create your own customer-centric organization
Are you overlooking the first step in creating great service? Find out here.
How to gain complete buy-in for your new customer service vision and values from everyone up and down the corporate ladder
5 keys to creating “magical” moments for your customers

Invite Others to Gather Around Your Computer to Attend This Webinar Along With You . . . for FREE!

When you enroll in this webinar, you'll be entitled to one webinar connection and the extra benefit of gathering as many people around your computer as you can.
You can maximize the reach of this training even more by setting up your own screening room in your organization.

Dowagiac Officials Learn ‘Disney Way’

2011-03-06T14:54:00.001-05:00

Article published in the South Bend Tribune, Mar 6, 2011
Dowagiac officials learn 'Disney Way'
Hospital, government officials seek to improve customer service.
By TOM MOOR Tribune Staff Writer
DOWAGIAC -- It's apparent community leaders in the Dowagiac area are impressed with the way Walt Disney Corp. relates to its customers.

So much so, in fact, a consultant from "The Disney Way Fieldbook" was in town last week to teach Dowagiac city leaders, Dowagiac Union School officials and staff at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital about how Disney operates as a corporation. The goal, according to city manager Kevin Anderson, is to improve customer service in the Dowagiac area. "It's a way for us to better effectively respond to various constituents," Anderson said.

Bill Capodagli, co-author of "The Disney Way" and "Innovate the Pixar Way," was in Dowagiac Monday through Thursday holding seminars about how and why Disney Corp. has been so successful and how others, like those in Dowagiac, can achieve that success. Capodagli describes Disney as the "best customer-centric company on the planet.""We're trying to look at ways they can be more successful as an organization," he said.

The overall goal of the training was to teach the three entities about what customer service truly means. "It's all about how we can better service our customers," said Mark Daniels, superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools. "How do we improve?" For Daniels, the school district's customers would be the students and parents. The city government, meanwhile, would consist of better serving city residents, while the hospital would focus on its patients and community.

Daniels said what is unique about the training last week was it was attended by all three entities, instead of just one. Southwestern Michigan College also had had a hand in the events as a host and helper, Daniels said."People are catching the spirit of this," Daniels said. "People that aren't even part of the training. That's the beauty of having the city and hospital come together with the education system, bouncing things off of each other."

Daniels said the district is looking down its entire line of employees, from custodians to administrators, to try to improve overall service: "Coming together and agreeing regarding the way you see the delivery of services and your outcomes," he said.
Daniels said the next step is to go from the story-building stage to the story board and putting the plan in place. "We're very excited to be able to work with other people in the community and pick each other's brains," Anderson said.

Capodagli said he was impressed with the leaders in Dowagiac.
"I'm impressed with their enthusiasm and energy and commitment," he said. "There's a lot of hard work that has to be done developing a customer-centric culture. For any organization, it's hard work. Anyone from the board room to the storage room needs to embrace the message and that commitment."

Staff writer Tom Moor:
tmoor@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6234

Dowagiac Union Schools Create “Dream for Education and Students’ Ideal Classroom”

2011-03-06T14:35:00.001-05:00

Last week, Bill worked with several teams in Dowagiac, Michigan, all of whom are in the process of developing their “dreams”; creating their values; identifying barriers to success; and planning their implementations of The Disney Way principles. They learned the technique of storyboarding and were thrilled at their progress using this powerful and flexible tool. Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel is a great champion for the Dowagiac Union School team; yesterday, he sent the following heartfelt message to Bill along with their word-smithed “dream” (to be posted soon!): “… I appreciate your guidance during the past week. We did have our Aha!!! Without your facilitating it, we would not have reached it.” We applaud you, too, Dr. Daniel for being a role model for others in the field of education!”

Innovate the Pixar Way featured in ShiftTheParadigm.com

2011-03-01T13:50:00.001-05:00

Innovate the Pixar Way – Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground details the principles by which Pixar cultivates an innovative corporate culture. Their box office results and timeless movie classics (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc., etc…) created in their brief history speak to the success of their model.

The book highlights a number of principles about fostering an innovative culture that not only applies to the business world, but can be applied to one’s personal life, even to raising children.

A brief sampling:
1. Avoid shortcuts. As Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter has said: “Quality is the best business plan of all.”

2. Maintain a childlike wonder and interest in the world to foster creativity.

3. Dare to take risks. As J.K. Rowling once said: “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you lived so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all – in which case you failed by default.”

4. Don’t just meet expectations of others, fulfill their dreams. A lofty goal indeed, but when you’re able to touch someone’s life in a meaningful way, whether it’s a family member, friend or customer, your satisfaction and the person’s satisfaction soars.

5. Surround yourself with the best and help them establish a shared
purpose.

6. Establish an environment of mutual respect and trust to create a
positive, self-motivated, achievement focused culture.

7. Shake up the status quo by doing something out of the ordinary –
recharge your batteries by going to a park, a museum…Commit to doing something audacious every day.

8. Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. Celebrate successes. Even celebrate failures when something is learned or a smart risk was taken. Celebrate doing!

9. Never accept good enough. Walt Disney coined the term “plus-ing,” which referred to looking for ways to continuously make things better.

10. ____________________________________________________
(intentionally left blank so you can fill-in a best practice that will drive
creativity and innovation into your life; a best practice that you’ll commit to implementing within the next 48 hours!)

Innovate the Pixar Way Featured by ExpertResume.com

2011-03-01T13:36:00.001-05:00

What's Next?

By Sandy Prock M.Ed., JCTC, Co-Owner of www.ExpertResume.com

“Oprah Winfrey failed as a news reporter.” - From “Innovate the Pixar Way” by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, page 77

Consider this, if Oprah can fail at something, lose a job and end up with an even better job - Why not you? However, if you recently lost your position you may not feel so great. If that is the case, don't worry, it’s normal if you feel down or depressed. Why? There are many reasons, and many of those are personal to you. However, there are common reasons for all of us. When we lose something, anything, it is a normal human feeling to feel depressed. This is part of our grief process. The process of healing and getting beyond your feelings of depression is to accept how you feel - and the sooner the better. There is a process of recovery. Knowledge empowers you.

A friend of mine recently told me her story of how she lost her job and found an even better position. She said losing her job felt as if she lost a huge chunk of her family. She felt adrift, lost and her heart ached with deep pain. She felt alone in her pain and confused, very confused. Her supportive husband listened. However, one day she decided she just needed to sit with herself, in the quiet and just be with her pain and loss. She described her experience as if she were on a train. She rode the train of her feelings passing through a dark and painful tunnel. She emerged feeling literally relieved and free – with her “mojo” reignited. She admitted that she continued to have ups and downs; however, now she felt in charge. She learned a life lesson. Paying attention to her feelings untangled her confusion. Every dip in her feelings allowed her another opportunity to practice what she learned. She emerged feeling stronger, clearer and more capable than ever.

My friend then dove into her job search – full time. She spent eight + hours a day, learning everything she could about herself and the job search process. She devoted quality time and re-imagined her life. My friend decided to take this time to see if there was anything, she might want to change in herself or her new job. She re-evaluated the kind of job and environment that she wanted. She took tests, daydreamed and listened to her deeper Self. Her great job loss became a bridge to greater self-knowledge that led to a new idea; why not land a job even better than her last one. Why not land a job more suited to her personality, something that would not just bring home a paycheck, but give her life greater meaning and more fulfillment. She decided to view this job loss as an opportunity - No small accomplishment!

My friend hired herself full-time, got up every day, dressed, and went to work – for herself. She did her homework, researched companies, and prepared herself for every interview. She adopted the attitude of student and became a wise and confident job seeker. She was now the CEO of her life. Her confidence spoke volumes. She even volunteered at her favorite charity a few hours a week, while finding time for fun, family, and friends. She eventually accomplished her dream and landed a job she likes even better than the one she lost. If she can do this, so can you!

Marion Woodman, a noted Jungian Analyst and author said, “It takes great courage to break with one’s past history and stand alone.” Remember how you faced past obstacles. In addition, learn new ways and you are on your way. Consider accepting where you are now, pain and all, learn, grow and consider landing your most fulfilling job yet. Consider what will make you happy. Consider what will fulfill your soul. Consider what will make you feel more whole, more yourself. Climb more fully into “your skin” and be more of you. Be courageous, let go of the past and stand up and be counted.

Think about Oprah Winfrey failing as a news reporter. Think about my friend. Maybe this will help you put your job loss into perspective. I am sure you have heard many stories like these, including how Einstein’s teachers told him he was not too bright and would never amount to anything. Lincoln failed many times. PIXAR, the famed animated movie company, who continually produces one mega hit after another, has learned to embrace failure, learn from it and move forward. Why not you!

The wave of the future for all job seekers is to be more like free agents/entrepreneurs. When you adopt this perspective and learn everything you can about your job search and go after your new job with everything you have, you will have gained a lifelong skill that will benefit you for the rest of your working career. Consider joining the ranks of the great and be on your way to your better future. Be the CEO of your life and your career development.

Make sure your resume, cover letter and other job search documents represent you well. They must be well written and formatted to catch the attention of your future employer. Get noticed. Land your new job.

If you have any questions about your resume, cover letter, or other job search documents, please feel free to call Bob. We welcome your questions. Bob and I wish you the best in your career development.

Sandy Prock M.Ed. (Master’s Degree in Education –Vocational Guidance and Counseling), JCTC (Job and Career Transition Coach), Co-Owner of www.ExpertResume.com

Bill Capodagli’s 2011 CUNA Keynote

2011-03-01T13:22:00.001-05:00

18th Annual
CUNA Marketing
and Business Development Council Conference
Wednesday, March 16 - Saturday, March 19, 2011
Las Vegas, NV

Dreams and Dreamers: How to Innovate like Walt Disney and the Pixarians

With Bill Capodagli, Dreamer, Castle Builder, Storyteller

Sponsored by Third Degree Advertising

Session Description

Pixar is the benchmark of innovative success. With numerous Academy Awards under their belts, they keep breaking the mold on creativity and taking it to the next level. From Toy Story to Up, Pixar never settles for what they’ve done but continues to look forward to the future.

Bill takes you on a tour of the most innovative, creative organization in the world. You’ll learn how to look at the world through a child’s eyes (and why it’s important). You’ll learn how to believe in your team... how to jump in and try something different... how to create your own corporate playground... and more.

Among the Key Points You’ll Learn:

The Dreamers
Walt Disney and the Pixarians
Dream Like a Child
Where did the creativity go?
Believe in Your Playmates
Collaboration in the sandbox
Dare to Jump in the Water and Make Waves
Try, Learn, Try Again
Do Unleash Your Childlike Potential
Make a Dent in the Universe
New Beginnings

Bill Capodagli’s Disney Way Keynote in Dowagiac, Michigan

2011-03-01T13:09:00.001-05:00

Don’t fire Tom Sawyer

Published 10:37pm Monday, February 28, 2011 in the Dowagiac News

Bill Capodagli ended his introduction to The Disney Way at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center Monday night with the tale of the bully Tom Sawyer, who with proper training became a valued 30-year employee.

Through his keynote, Capodagli stressed developing a “Dowagiac dream” collective vision this week in partnership with Dowagiac Union Schools, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital and Southwestern Michigan College would take hard work and perseverance because there is no “instant pudding.”

“When Disneyland was being built” in the 1950s in Anaheim, Calif., the consultant recalled, “there was a boy of 10 or 12 who worked in the mailroom. Whenever a package arrived for Walt, this young man made it his job to deliver it. One day, the young man said he didn’t want to work in the mailroom anymore, he wanted to be Tom Sawyer on Tom Sawyer’s Island. You’re casting the role tomorrow and I wish you’d consider me for the part.”

Disney suggested the move to his vice president of casting, so the youth was hired.

Within a few days, the executive barged into Disney’s office.

“That Tom Sawyer you hired,” he sputtered. “We have to fire him.”

Walt wondered why.

“That little boy has literally become Tom Sawyer,” came the response.

By that he meant the Mark Twain story in which Tom found ways to exert his influence.

“He’s beating up all of your guests as they come onto your island,” the vice president warned.

“This kid’s a bully.”

Disney became uncharacteristically upset.

He pulled his employee into an office and said, “You don’t understand what we’re trying to do. That little boy is being the best Tom Sawyer he knows how to be. Our job is to make him the best Tom Sawyer for Disney. Now go out and do your job.”

“That story was lost for over 30 years,” Capodagli said.

“It was told at the boy’s 30-year recognition dinner with the Disney organization, by the vice president, who came out of retirement to honor his 30 years of service. How close they came to losing a valued employee of over 30 years.

“It seems so easy, but it gets so hard. All we have to do is train the daylights out of our people, give them the tools to succeed and get out of their way so they can become the best employee, teacher or nurse that they know how to be.”

Toy Story 3’s Lee Unkrich Accepts Oscar for “Best Animated Feature”

2011-02-28T16:53:00.001-05:00

Big dreams call for big celebrations, and Pixar is throwing a BIG party for a BIG award! Congratulations to Pixar and to Lee!

National Seminars Presents Customer Service – The Disney Way with Bill Capodagli

2011-02-23T23:05:00.001-05:00

Bill Capodagli presents Customer Service - The Disney Way

National Seminars Live Web & Audio Web Conference
Item No. 1832272

$179.00

Location:
Date:

Web Conference

03/08/2011

Time:

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

Innovate the Pixar Way Book Cover Wins Design Award

2011-02-17T18:53:00.001-05:00

Dowagiac Union Schools Superintendent Invitation to Disney Way Initiative

2011-02-17T17:05:00.001-05:00

It gives me great pleasure to invite you to Dream with Dowagiac Union Schools. As representatives of Dowagiac Union Schools, Larry Seurynck, Board President, and I would like to express our sincere desire for you to attend the keynote address presented by Bill Capodagli on Monday, February 28, at 6:00 PM at the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center. Bill Capodagli is the author of the best seller, The Disney Way and Innovate The Pixar Way, and an international business consultant for Fortune 500 companies.

The keynote address will begin the process of creating a collaborative plan with community members to prepare our students for the demands of the 21st Century and a global economy. The Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Trustees and I believe all people of Dowagiac should be part of the dream process to shape Dowagiac Schools for the next decade. From my experience exceptional student achievement can be obtained and sustained if a common dream is generated and implemented with community input and support.

To that end, please join us for this keynote address to be part of the beginning of the Disney Way initiative. An initiative ensuring high school graduates are ready to enter college or other post secondary training. A plan where students trust through education and training they can make a family sustaining wage. A Dowagiac Dream where students can rise to the rigor of the curriculum because they have significant relationships with adults making the curriculum relevant and meaningful resulting in higher test scores, increased academic achievement, and increased graduation rates.

Utilizing community input, a 21st Century Educational Plan will be crafted and presented to our community with a target date of August 31, 2011. As superintendent of Dowagiac Union Schools, I can honestly state our Dowagiac Union Schools will improve because stakeholders like you participated in our Dreaming, Believing, Daring, and Doing. I look forward to seeing you on February 28, 2011. There is no cost except your valuable time and a commitment to our Dowagiac community.

Dr. Mark Daniel

Superintendent

Italian Nonprofit Management Magazine Review of Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-02-16T09:38:00.001-05:00

The following review was sent to us today from Valerio Melandri, Director of Philanthropy Centro Studi, Universita`diEconomia di Forli

Terzo Settore– II sole 24 Ore MAGAZINE

(Published in Milan)

Starting from the
business case
one of
most important
studios in the world,
authors, business advisors,
deduced settings
the strategic basis of the statement
company in question.
According to its authors
success is mainly due
team spirit, respect
and mutual trust, the
ability to believe in dreams and
then to achieve them. In the appendix,
The text is enriched by curiosity,
anecdotes and references to other
major companies that have
traced this pattern.
(Adele Guardigli)

The Justify Blog Review of Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-02-15T14:33:00.001-05:00

It’s been a while since we’ve talked book reviews, but we finished reading “Innovate the Pixar Way” by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson this weekend. To summarize in a few points as possible:

The book was pretty light on the history of Pixar
The artwork, pull-quote text and some chapters come across almost condescending, but mostly it sounds like they’re trying too hard.

The whole premise of the book when I picked it up was to get an inside look at Pixar Animation Studios, to really have in-depth interviews with their staff or past employees. It wasn’t so much that as it was a compilation of quotes and tidbits compiled from other video and text interviews conducted with key staff over the years. And while it wasn’t the job of this book to run you through the whole history of Pixar, the amount of text supplied to educate the reader on Pixar could be picked up from Wikipedia.

To be honest, I didn’t like this book. It read very vaguely with whispy high-flying ideas on how to innovate and be creative by having fun at work and letting employees be creative with their office space and not getting tied up in your failures. All good ideas, but not practical if your business has less than a few million in the bank.

One good takeaway was a look at Disney and Walt Disney himself, alongside Ed Catmull and Jon Lasseter of Pixar. The concept of scrapping work that was merely “good enough” to take advantage of “great work” is valid, important and arguably the most important lesson of the book. The authors give good examples, accounts and stories to further this concept well.

In all, a pretty light book on Pixar from a detail standpoint; there’s nothing new to be read here that can’t be surmised from articles, videos and interviews already on the Internet.

Bill and Lynn say, “He’s right about the book being ‘pretty light on the history of Pixar.’ (If you want to read a book about Pixar’s history, pick up droidMAKER or The Pixar Touch.) He’s wrong about needing ‘a few million in the bank’ to practice the principles. In the early days of Pixar, they were operating in the red and STILL found ways to jazz up their offices, keep team spirit soaring, and encourage fun in the workplace. Lastly, the purpose of this book was not to provide a Pixar cookie cutter approach to developing an innovative culture, but rather to spark one’s imagination for producing a dream, believe, dare, do culture that is right for each reader’s organization. As Bill says in his keynote presentations, ‘Innovate, don’t Imitate. It’s hard work. There’s no instant pudding.’”

National Seminars Presents Leadership–The Disney Way

2011-02-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

Bill Capodagli presents Leadership - The Disney Way

Live Web & Audio Audio Conference
Item No. 1832244

$179.00

Audio Conference

02/14/2011

Time:

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

Request On-Site

Description:

Success isn’t magic. It's systematic. It comes from passionate leadership and the relentless pursuit of a long-term foundation for excellence. What better business model to follow than that of the phenomenal Walt Disney — an industry titan with a gift for innovation.

Walt Disney was not only a creative genius but also one of the most respected business leaders of the last century. The leadership lessons and core values Disney instilled in his organization are still thriving today.

Disney has achieved leadership success beyond anyone’s imagination. Let Bill Capodagli show you how ...

Now you can learn the inside story behind what makes leaders successful in this inspiring Audio Conference with Bill Capodagli, a Disney expert and co-author of The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company.

When you attend this session, you’ll discover how to establish and manage a creative climate where people and teams are self-motivated. You’ll learn why a short-term mentality creates long-term failures. You'll learn how to foster a fun team atmosphere for your employees — one that energizes their talents and ideas.

Leadership — The Disney Way offers amazing insight into leadership success don’t miss this event!

What’s worked for Disney can work for you. It’s that simple. If you’re ready to take your leadership skills to the next level, you simply can't miss this event. Enroll now.

A Glimpse at Your Agenda …

Two key elements for managing a creative climate
The top 3 reasons why people work (besides money) and why they are important to your success as a leader
How to foster respect and trust among your team
The key to setting long-term goals — what you must do
3 elements of creating a team-focused climate

Meet Your Speaker: The Disney Way Author, Bill Capodagli

A serious student of excellence, Bill Capodagli has a thriving success story of his own. The original edition of The Disney Way, which Capodagli co-wrote, received the coveted “Best Business Book of the Year” award by Fortune magazine and was published in eight languages. He is also the co-author of The Disney Way Fieldbook, which provides action plans for instilling Disney’s vision into any company, complete with diagnostic exercises, practice sessions, proven advice, and insightful questionnaires. Capodagli also co-wrote the popular book Leading at the Speed of Change: Using New Economy Rules to Transform Old Economy Companies.

Ever practical, Capodagli’s style is also passionate and hard-hitting. He is currently the most requested speaker in the United States on Walt Disney’s original success and leadership principles. This Audio Conference is a rare opportunity to hear directly from Capodagli.

“This book is about the real magic: Stimulating and harmonizing the collective energy of your people.” — Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of The One Minute Manager

Carson City Hospital, Carson City, Michigan Adopts The Disney Way

2011-02-12T21:19:00.001-05:00

Success in today's changing world comes from inspired leadership and a relentless pursuit of a long-term culture of excellence. There are great lessons to be gleaned from Walt Disney who believed that creating a memorable experience for "guests" was more about "systems" than "smiles." Carson Health Network and Carson City Hospital are adopting The Disney Way by "creating the magic with a dream, believe, dare, do" philosophy.

Business 901 Review of Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-02-08T14:18:00.002-05:00

The past few weeks I have been heavily immersed into Kaizen, Kanban, Agile Project Development and as a result Scrum. I have found it quite interesting but somewhat overwhelming along with a few other things I am doing. I have taxed my learning absorption level to say the least.

What did I do? I took a little time off and sat back with a good book and a little Jackson Browne(Just like Bach to me). The book; Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground. It was written by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, the pair that wrote The Disney Way, Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company.

It wasn’t long into the book that they discussed stories and development that my mind drifted to agile and scrum comparisons. What they really brought home was the importance of collaboration and building a team. They even discussed the great lengths they go to hire people who are interested in working in a “network” type environment in solving problems, building and supporting each other. Here is a short excerpt from the book; the definitions of a set of proficiencies by Bill Nelson of Pixar:

Depth – demonstrating mastery in a subject or a principal skill; having the discipline to chase dreams all the way to the finish line.

Breadth – possessing a vast array of experiences and interests having empathy for others; having the ability to explore insights from many different perspectives; and being able to effectively generate new ideas by collaborating with the entire team.

Communications – focusing on the receiver; receiving feedback to ascertain whether the message sent was truly understood. Realizing only the receiver can say, “I understand!”

Collaboration – bringing together the skills(depth, breadth, and communications), ideas, and personality styles of an entire team to achieve a shared vision. Fostering an attitude to say, “Yes, and…”, rather than “No, this is better.”

Collaboration is critical to the process of generating ideas and problems in any organization. When you review the principles of Kaizen and Agile, your ability to succeed really comes down to how good of a team you put together. Very few times in an initial read of a book, I started reading this for pleasure, have I never stopped so soon in a book and reread an entire chapter.

The rest of the book proved to be just as valuable and I think the authors did a very nice job of displaying the brilliance and the imagination that is taking place at Pixar. I encourage you to read the book before you put together your next team.

Business 901 provides practical, information-rich, immediately applicable direction that profoundly impacts the success of small and mid-sized businesses. We have designed our services and product offerings so that they are implementable systems that work in the real, not enough time, not enough people world we operate in. Tools that simplify the marketing process, not complicate it.

Disney Way and Disney Way Fieldbook Reviews

2011-02-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

The "Disney Way" describes a philosophy for running an organization
that engages team members and always strives to deliver top-notch
results. This text delves into Disney's “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do”
philosophy, exploring its transformative power by citing numerous
examples from both Disney and other corporations/organizations that
have successfully implemented the “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do”
philosophy.

While reading this book, I began to see how this
philosophy could relate to my organization on many levels. Enter the
"Disney Way Fieldbook", a collection of exercises designed to foster
the Disney's “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do” philosophy. While most
management books leave one seeing the possibilities without a defined road map to the desired goal, These two books come as close as possible to a turnkey approach to transforming an organization. The "Disney Way" will get you dreaming of the possibilities within your organization and believing that it can work. If you have the drive and determination to dare to transform your organization, then the "Fieldbook" provides the tools to do the transformation.

Scott L Goodrick
USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station
Center for Forest Disturbance Science

Innovate the Pixar Way Book Review from Italy

2011-02-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

"…your book started a real waterfall of ideas to adapt the Pixar approach to our company and set our business goals. Before reading your book, we tried to innovate our products/services; after this ‘catalyst event’, I’m sure that the real innovation can come from people!”

Alessandro Rogora, IT Consultant, Busto Arsizio (VA), Italy

Dowagiac Schools Disney Way Initiative Launching in February!

2011-01-28T10:41:00.000-05:00

Published in The Dowagiac News, 9:40pm Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Written by Larry Seurynck is president of the Dowagiac Board of Education.

The Dowagiac Schools want you.

Students, teachers, staff, community at-large.

The schools want you to be a guest and a leader.

Dr. Daniel, the Board of Education, teachers, students, staff and our community share the education mission in Dowagiac.

We share the mission to re-define the schools to meet the demands of the 21st century global community.

On February 28, Bill Capodagli (cap-o-di) will begin a community-wide discussion to accomplish our education mission.

Mr. Capodagli will present “The Disney Way.”

The Disney Way embraces the philosophy and planning techniques Walt Disney developed when he produced such movies as Snow White and Pinocchio and when Walt built Disney Land and Disney World.

Dream!

The first step asks each of us to Dream about what our schools could be.

What would school be for you, for our community, if the schools could be what you imagine?

How could the schools serve the community in ways not yet imagined?

Believe!

The second step sets out what we Believe.

Dowagiac is a unique community.

It is our heritage, our town, the people we see every day.

What beliefs do we share about our schools?

What are the beliefs by which we succeed?

Let’s take what we imagine for the schools and weigh it against what we Believe.

Dare!

The third step is to Dare to take what we imagine, what we Believe and put it in a plan.

When we have our dreams out in front of us we will find a way to make them happen.

Every one of us brings energy and insight.

Every one of us brings strength and support.

Do!

The fourth step is Do!

Working with a story board, like Walt used to build the scenes of Disney movies, we will build the education story for Dowagiac.

Dream of what can be, measure those dreams by what we Believe, Dare to make it happen, then Do it.

Walt Disney knew the power of imagination.

He sought inspiration from everyone around him.

Energy and ideas and the strength to accomplish things come from each of us, that is powerful.

The Dowagiac Schools invite you to the keynote address Feb. 28 at the Performing Arts Center with Bill Capodagli.

Mr. Capodagli is a powerful speaker with a wonderful story to tell.

Mr. Capodagli has consulted with major corporations around the world — and he is excited to bring the Disney Way to our town.

Working with the schools, the city, the hospital and the college, this will be the first time such a community-wide alliance has explored the Disney Way.

Be our guest, and we will be yours.

Let’s imagine schools that will carry all of us forward in the 21st century global community.

A unique opportunity.

A unique community.

As the song says: “On Dowagiac!”

Dowagiac, Michigan Embracing The Disney Way

2011-01-28T10:34:00.001-05:00

Published 10:34pm Monday, January 17, 2011

Bill Capodagli, visiting at the end of February to teach Dowagiac “The Disney Way,” never worked for the company, never met Walt Disney.

Capodagli (pronounced Cap o die), born in 1948, was a senior in high school when Disney died in 1966, but he has devoted much of his professional life to perpetuating the Dream Believe Dare Do credo of a man best known for his bottomless creativity.

For the past two decades “The Disney Way” author has been imparting Disney’s original success principles at seminars, so you might not realize he’s from Michigan.

Capodagli founded his consulting firm in 1993 after working for such firms as Ernst and Young and Coopers and Lybrand.

As a Disney expert, he has studied how the four principles are applied in industries from hotel management to hospitals, and where show business fits in education. Whirlpool is a client.

The Disney Way explored how Dream, Believe, Dare, Do applies to a wide range of endeavors, from a school in Des Moines, Iowa, to a hair salon in Cleveland or Men’s Wearhouse. Fortune magazine raved of the business bestseller that started it all as “so useful you may whistle while you work.”

Though most things from four decades ago are considered obsolete, Disney’s basic premises are so fundamental that the culture he established remains a relevant role model.

Disney dreamed of an organization where employees and teams were self-motivated for the successful achievement of long-term goals in an environment of mutual respect and trust. Discover your “story” and communicate it.

“That short-term mentality is killing us,” as are “my way or the highway” leadership styles, he told the Daily News in a phone interview Jan. 14.

Believe every employee is capable of creating “magical moments” for customers. Examine your values and codes of conduct and understand the importance of using them in decision-making.

Dare to make a difference. Create a unique culture that breaks down barriers, celebrates failure and promotes a climate of fun.

Do create a “show business” atmosphere. Understand the story’s setting and roles.

Asked the secret to his success, Disney replied, “I dream things and ways of doing business that have never been done before. I test those dreams against my personal beliefs and the values of the organization. I dare to take the risk to make my dreams reality and I put plans together so those plans do become reality.”

Dream Believe Dare Do have been the bedrock principles of the Disney organization for more than 80 years.

Disney created the quintessential model for customer service. “Show business” refers to organizations continuously striving to put on good shows for guests. He encourages audiences to become “customer-centric” producers of their own shows.

As Disney said, “You don’t build a product for yourself, you need to know what people want and build it for them.”

Great leaders don’t just meet customer needs, they create unique experiences. They don’t simply provide products or services that meet specifications, they solve customer problems, fulfill customer dreams and create “magical moments.”

Capodagli utilizes storyboarding, a tool Disney created in the 1930s and relied on for creative ventures throughout the rest of his life.

As a structured exercise, storyboarding quickly captures thoughts and creative ideas from a group of participants.

Recorded on cards, they are displayed on a board or wall, forming an “idea landscape.”

Storyboarding is a tool for generating solutions to problems and enhancing communications. He teaches audiences how they can be adapted to a variety of problem-solving situations in which the visual element makes idea interconnections readily apparent.

A “blue sky” idea can move in nine steps to a unique guest experience that kept customers coming back year after year.

Schools need to create a vision that motivates students, teachers and parents alike to succeed in a true learning environment.

School systems must dare to make a difference by breaking out of the traditional teacher-centered classroom with the lecturing sage on the stage in favor a more student-centric learning experience where the teacher serves as a facilitator.

Schools must also plan for long-term change so we don’t waste, as Disney put it, “our greatest natural resource, our children.”

Disney employees are well-trained and well-compensated, with management making sure everyone, from executives to summer workers, has a proprietary feeling. Employees are called “cast members” and they know their role in the “show.” They have the feeling that it’s their show, not someone else’s.

The company provides the atmosphere of trust, gives them tools to do their job, welcomes their ideas and input and isn’t looking over everyone’s shoulders all the time.

“The Gong Show,” modeled after the old TV amateur hour show, provided an opportunity two or three times a year for any employee to present an idea for a full-length feature animation before CEO Michael Eisner, chairman of the board, and Roy Disney, vice chairman.

“Hercules,” the animated film, resulted from an animator’s idea presented at a Gong Show. The company benefits from thousands of good ideas — some of which develop into feature films. Employees benefit from knowing they have the freedom to submit ideas and be listened to, even if they ultimately get gonged. They can celebrate the experience by learning from it.

Many companies make the mistake of thinking everybody knows what they’re supposed to be doing, which, all too often, is not the case.

One way Disney guarded against that is an orientation program, Traditions. New people are immersed in the culture of the company over several days, so all members know what their job is and what’s expected.

Even 12-week summer employees go through this program, with other cast members performing training, which gives new hires a view of the company through the eyes of its employees, which reinforces the Disney culture.

Other companies don’t undertake such orientation until after six months because turnover’s high and they don’t want to waste time and money, which misses the point.

Turnover may be attributable to people not being immediately acquainted with the corporate vision, mission and philosophy.

Capodagli is coming to Dowagiac through a partnership with Union Schools District, the city, Southwestern Michigan College and Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital.

With Lynn Jackson, he is the author of The Disney Way (revised in 2007), The Disney Way Field Book, Leading at the Speed of Change (AT&T created a $5 billion network in five years) and Innovate the Pixar Way, featuring business lessons from the world’s most creative corporate playground.

Jackson has degrees in psychology from Ball State University and instructional systems technology from Indiana University.

When Capodagli talks about “celebrating failure,” he recalls how we learn as toddlers, “by exploration and discovery,” trial and error.

Walt Disney World Blog Review of Innovate the Pixar Way

2011-01-27T16:11:00.001-05:00

Those who are interested in this book probably include those whose primary objective is to understand how to (a) establish an innovative culture within their workplace, (b) think more innovatively, and/or (c) understand the how the studio could produce classic animated films such as Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). I am among those who read this book for all three reasons and congratulate Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson on the wealth of information and insights that they provide.

Others have their reasons for admiring the book. Here are three of mine. First, Capodagli and Jackson skillfully "set the stage" by creating a context for the establishment of Pixar in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm before it was acquired by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1986. The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar in 2006. From the beginning, co-founders Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith and their associates have shared the same credo: "dream like a child." They are also perfectionists in every aspect of film production who believe that "art is a team sport." These are recurrent themes throughout the book because they are core values throughout the entire Pixar organization.

I also appreciate the attention that Capodagli and Jackson devote to lessons that can be learned as well as policies and procedures that can be adopted and then implemented by leaders of almost any organization (regardless of its size or nature) in which there is a need for more and more effective innovation. For example, developing a mindset that places greatest emphasis on bold and compelling visions, collaborative teamwork based on mutual trust and respect, being willing to take risks that defy what Jim O'Toole characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny if custom," and being determined to see the world, again, as a child.

Here's the Pixar mindset:
Dream like a child.
Believe in your playmates.
Dare to jump in the water and make waves.
Do unleash your childlike potential.

Robert Fulghum could not have expressed it better. Yes, those at Pixar have created film art of the highest quality but it should also be noted that each of their eleven films (thus far) has also achieved exceptional commercial as well as critical success that includes but is by no means limited to ticket sales.

Finally, I am grateful for the provision of mini-profiles in Appendix X of "other corporate playgrounds" that include Google, Griffin Hospital (Derby, CT), Men's Wearhouse, Nike, Target, and Zappos. However different these organizations are in most other respects, all of them share with Pixar core values such as those Nike CEO Mark Parker cites in his company's Corporate Responsibility Report. "And for all the athletic and cultural and financial successes of the company, I believe our work in sustainable business and innovation has equal potential to shape our legacy.

For that to happen, we have to focus on the lessons we've learned:
o Transparency is an asset, not a risk.
o Collaboration enables systemic change.
o Every challenge and risk is an opportunity.
o Design allows you to prototype the future, rather than retrofit the past.
o To make real change, you have to be a catalyst."

It is worth noting that those involved in all of these "other corporate playgrounds" continue to outperform their competition in terms of sales, profits, and cap value. It is also worth noting that all seven Pixar films released since the inauguration of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001 have been nominated for that award, beginning with Monsters, Inc. Five of the seven have won the award: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Up is also the first Pixar film and the second animated film in history (the other is Beauty and the Beast) to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

To those who share my high regard Capodagli and Jackson's book, I also recommend two others: David A, Pryce's The Pixar Touch and Karen Paik's To Infinity and Beyond. Also, visit the Pixar website that provides a wealth of information, including "How We Do It" (http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html).

BILL CAPODAGLI SPEAKING AT CUNA – WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND!

2011-01-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

Why We're Sending Our Marketing Director to CUNA's National Marketing Conference

If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. And if you’re a credit union marketer or business development professional the best way to learn and grow is attending CUNA’s Marketing and Business Development Council national conference. The conference is so good this year I made it a part of our new marketing director’s training plan for her to attend the conference. (Self disclosure time: I normally attend the national conference as well but this year have to pass because it falls on our Spring Break and we are doing college visits with our oldest daughter). So what about this year’s conference makes it a “must attend” for credit union executives, marketers and business development professionals? Here are just a few.

(1) Timely topics

Innovation, online marketing, word of mouth marketing, social media and mobile marketing. All of these are issues we’re looking to improve at our credit union. So I’m particularly jazzed that our marketing director can learn the latest on these issues. For those of you wearing the business development hat, the conference also offers sessions on business development measurement and business development creativity (not just the same old material you may have already heard).

(2) Inspiring keynotes

I had the opportunity to meet Bill Capodagli, author of Innovate the Pixar Way, and to hear him speak. His session alone is worth the conference price. I honestly took reams of notes from his presentation that I still use today. Bill is not only entertaining; he is thought provoking and uses excellent examples. Of course, the other keynoters (Libby Gill, Bernard LaChance and Denise Gabel) are also distinguished and will add tremendous value.

(3) Diverse subjects

You name it, they have it! Pretty much any subject relating to marketing and business development is covered. Whether it’s big picture strategy or nit-picky ROI/ALM issues, the conference has a session for you. One thing I look for in a conference is diversity—I don’t want 10 sessions on the same subject. CUNA’s Marketing & Business Development Council Conference offers such a broad range of areas that you’ll have a tough time choosing which breakout to attend. Plus the pre-conference workshops allow you the opportunity to do a deep-dive into strategy and research.

(4) National networking

It takes two hands now to count the number of times I’ve attended CUNA’s Marketing & Business Development Council Conference (and no, I wasn’t at the original one 18 years ago!). However, I still have friends and colleagues from all over the country that I stay in contact with that I first met at this event. We share a common love and passion for credit unions, marketing and business development. When I need to pick their brains, they are an invaluable resource. While social media tools are cool, there is something about that face-to-face time that deepens a relationship and connection. The conference is a great time to not just to “network” but to really connect with others.

So if you’re looking for a stimulating, forward thinking conference to attend then register today for CUNA’s Marketing and Business Development Council national conference.

Innovate the Pixar Way Review by North Allegheny School District (PA) Superintendent of Schools.

2011-01-13T12:29:00.002-05:00

In the book, “Innovate the Pixar Way,” based on the success story of Pixar studios, who brought us “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” “Wall-E,” and so many other animated success stories, Pixar embraces creativity, innovation and imagination in all that they do as an organization. The authors believe that sometimes the imaginative spirit falls silent as a child grows older, but that we as educators still have the power to bring those childhood dreams back to life because creativity and imagination are resilient skills and remain hidden away in the deepest caverns of our children’s minds, waiting to be unleashed. Pixar believes that collaboration is critical to the process of generating creative ideas and solving problems, but we have to take risks to do so and sometimes creative ideas may fail. But it’s all about taking the risk to create in the first place…that’s what is important…if you fail at something or a child fails at something, it’s okay…life goes on. Amid all the nuances of American education today, one of the most critical elements centers on not losing sight of the creative juices and innovative spirit within our teachers and students. Let's not let the creative spirit in our children whither on the vine. Our future as a nation depends on it!

By Dr. Patricia Green

NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE: Keeping the Inner Child Alive

2011-01-04T19:10:00.001-05:00

By Matt Nish

I was reading the book Innovate the Pixar Way by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson, and read one of the chapter breakdowns:

“Managing innovation by numbers alone will result in unimaginative and trite customer experiences!”

Pixar has been so successful by giving their employees the freedom to create. Many companies still think solely about profits, and the best way to increase profits. Recently, though, corporate culture has been given more recognition as an essential factor for successful companies. With Tony Hsieh’s knockout book, Delivering Happiness, culture is on the mind of every well-read entrepreneur.

But where does this type of culture stem from, and why does it seem so difficult to achieve?

I think a large part of if comes from our school system, and how it instills a certain limiting perspective. We’re taught that getting good grades on report cards will take us on the path to success, and those that don’t get adequate grades are labeled as ‘stupid’, ‘incapable’, or ‘ADD/ADHD’. (Even though someone like Richard Branson has dropped out at 15 and become a billionaire entrepreneur.)

It assumes that these classes we have to take will give us the opportunities to find out what we are really good at and love. It assumes that 1 hour classes in every subject 5 days a week is the best approach to learning for everyone. But it always seems like formal education has lagged behind the demands of society. Most majors today don’t seem to give students enough practical knowledge in the work environment. This is one of the reasons why people say that most graduates don’t use their majors after college, because its lagging and not keeping up with the information age. (I’m not going to go into our screwed-up testing approach, which only gauges memory as opposed to creative or critical thinking.)

Our school system has fostered this type of “number” thinking. It’s results-oriented, like the final grade on a report card. It’s the bottom line perspective, without taking into account the human element necessary for continued success.

“Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be twelve years old.” Walt Disney, awesome entrepreneur who visited over 200 banks to find the funding for Disneyland.

It’s important to know what the numbers indicate, but also be aware that they never paint the whole picture. Long-term success is more influenced by your people than today’s higher profit margins. Foster experimentation and idea generation. Innovative people, which seems to be the most valuable asset to today’s companies, are attracted to innovative culture. Companies like Google, Pixar, Mahalo, Zappos, and on…all have creativity ingrained within them. They let you play, like children having recess. They want you to have fun and give you the freedom to innovate, because this encourages everyone to focus on creation and not profit-maximization. And all businesses, even the dinosaurs, must continue to innovate well or they will eventually die off.

“Innovation is one of our core values. It sounds trite, everyone says this, but we really live it. The way we work at Target is a lot of the ideas bubble from the bottom up. It’s not a top-down organization…” Michael Alexin, Target VP of product design and development

So, how does this all boil down for those of us that don’t run a company? If we’ve been taught all our lives to be results-oriented, then we should set ourselves apart by developing a different type of perspective. But how do we gain that? By continually trying new things and learning. By fostering our creative abilities. Trying a new approach or activity. Stepping outside our comfort zone. Thinking of unconventional ways to do things, and finding connections where most see disconnections. Then we can grow as creators.

And it’s important because today, we are all creators.

SalesForce XP Publisher Mike Morrell Embraces Failure!

2010-12-18T13:03:00.002-05:00

Failure Must Be an Option

By Mike Murrell

As published in: SalesForceXP - November-December 2010

The coaching staff of a high school football team I saw this year wore T-shirts on game nights that had "Failure is not an option!" printed in bold letters across the back. On one level, I understand the motivational tug of such a statement, especially when hammered into the heads of a bunch of teen-age boys who aren't fully aware of their potential.

It occurred to me, however, that a former high school coach who became one of the most successful coaches in the history of team sports at any level would have preferred that the shirts state, "Failure must be an option."

John Wooden embraced failure, not on a continuous basis, of course, but as a learning tool. There are dozens of books that document Wooden's philosophy on sports and life, and most of them include his sentiment that "if you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

That spirit of taking chances is what this issue's cover story is all about. When we talk about sitting down to assess the past year and, more importantly, plan for the one ahead, we don't expect that you can predict with any more accuracy than your competitors what the business environment in your industry will bring. Some things can be spotted from a distance and some can't.

Our hope, rather, is that the story reminds you-indeed, inspires you-to make this planning process a formal exercise. Your competition may be tackling this duty in a more routine manner with far less enthusiasm. More importantly, we want to embolden you to incorporate some risks into your 2011 strategies.

Normally, these end-of-the-year messages are chockablock with feel-good wishes for continued success in the year ahead. I certainly wish that for you. But most of us have experienced awfully turbulent times in our recent business endeavors and we've had to make tough decisions. Some of them may have been wrong, but you'd probably agree that you're smarter and tougher for making them.

A few more failures wouldn't be the worst thing to come your way. Be a doer. Make mistakes.

Mike Murrell, Publisher

SALESFORCEXP FEATURES INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY

2010-12-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

To Infinity and Beyond

Pixar-inspired innovation can make your meetings a hit

By Staff

As published in: SalesForceXP - November-December 2010

In their book Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons From the World's Most Creative Corporate Playground (McGraw-Hill, 2010), authors Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson latch on to Pixar Studios' commitment to excellence through imagination.

"It makes no difference if you are making a movie that takes four years or serving a customer that takes four minutes, you have only one chance to deliver that magical, magnetic, enchanting experience for your customer," the authors state.

Because a company's creativity begins during planning sessions, here are three ideas from Capodagli and Jackson that will help your team improve its innovative process during team meetings:

1. Take field trips. Some may be related to particular projects you're working on, while others will feel completely disconnected. In preparation for the animated feature "Cars," Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter and 11 animators rented white Cadillacs and traveled Route 66. To obtain ideas for designing the "Cars" movie characters, Lasseter visited the actual design studios of several automotive companies.

2. Bring in an outside guest speaker. Have your team spend an afternoon learning how to cultivate bonsai trees, or how to prepare an Italian dinner, or how to make classical music relevant to today's youth. The key is to get the team to expand their thinking outside their normal comfort thinking zone.

3. Conduct quarterly "Gong Shows." Years ago, the Disney organization had something called the "Gong Show," which was patterned after the old TV game show and provided an opportunity for anyone in the company to pitch new film ideas.

What Each of Us Can Learn from Pixar Animation Studios by Bob Morris, Dallas Business commentary; Examiner.com

2010-11-17T16:54:00.001-05:00

All great organizations have their own “way” of doing what they do and how they do it. That is certainly true of Pixar Animation Studios, co-founded in 1984 by Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. While leading the computer graphics division at Lucasfilm, they hired John Lasseter whose personal credo was and remains “heart, inventiveness, and inspiration.” He once observed, “Quality is the best business model of all.”

Bill Capodaglio and Lynn Jackson co-authored Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Playground. They explain how the talents, experiences, values, and (especially) the visions of these three geniuses – Catmull, Smith, and Lasseter – co-created an organization that continues to produce animated feature films of unsurpassed quality. The first film, Luxo Jr., was a computer-generated animated (CGI) film lasting about two minutes (1986).

The series of feature-length animated films began with Toy Story (1995), followed by A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), and Toy Story 3 (2010). All CGI films were released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. Many of the “business lessons” to which the book’s subtitle refers are provided in a series of “Chalkboard” summaries at the conclusion of chapters.

In my opinion, these are “business lessons” that will be most helpful to most people:

• Develop an open, inquiring mind

• Frame communications in the form of a story with setting, characters, plot, issues, crises, etc.

• Think long-term and the Big Picture in mind at all times

• But also nail the fundamentals

• Take as much time as necessary (but no more) to do what must be done as well as it can be done

• Help create and then sustain a workplace culture within which imagination is stimulated, prudent risks are encouraged, and visions are nourished (i.e. a "playground")

• Develop reasoning skills that absorb, digest, integrate, and synthesize different perspectives

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David A. Price’s The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company and Karen Paik’s To Infinity and Beyond! The Story of Pixar Animation Studios.

Innovate the Pixar Way cited in The Leaping Lamp Blog, A Place for Pixar Fans

2010-11-14T17:20:00.001-05:00

This Pixar book is how to bring success to your own business or corporate culture using the secrets Pixar has in its culture. I've personally not yet read this Pixar book, but it looks quite interesting.

I worked in an environment similar to what Bill Capodagli describes in the late 90s during the dot-com boom, in a playful, swank office building. It WAS fun working there and there was a "coolness" factor being employed there. So I get it, I understand that the author is aiming for those in the higher-ups in corporate roles to change the culture of their companies.

If business strategy is more your thing, then this might be the book you're looking for. There's a great book review on the author's blog and on the Amazon page, there's a four-minute video promo with Capodagli you should find interesting.

INC.COM Blog References Innovate the Pixar Way

2010-11-14T17:10:00.001-05:00

Question: How do you draw the line between morale boosting and time wasting? There are close to 200 of us now, and we are having a birthday party almost every other day. It was fun when it started with just 17 of us, but now it is getting a bit too much. I don’t know how to tone it down though, without hurting someone’s feelings. Have any ideas?

Blogger Answer: The helping of others is just one of the many morale boosters and is so subconscious that your 200 employees may not even realize it’s happening. A great resource for learning how to create a work environment that is both fun and productive is to study Pixar. There’s actually a book called Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground. As a leader, it’ll raise your eyebrows at least a dozen times.

KENNEDY CENTER’S NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL MEETING FEATURES BILL CAPODAGLI AND INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY!

2010-11-11T10:56:00.001-05:00

I am excited that we have secured Bill Capodagli for the 2011 Annual Meeting keynote address. Thanks to many of you who suggested him as a speaker over the past couple of years. Bill, along with Lynn Jackson, is the author of The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company, and more recently Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground.

After reading both books, I can see many connections to our arts education work. Walt Disney was a great storyteller and innovator who had deeply held values about how to move through life, no matter one’s vocation or role. His four steps were:

Dream beyond the boundaries of today. “From dreams spring ideas, and from ideas comes innovation, the lifeblood of any institution.”

Believe in sound values. “Strong leaders hold values that allow them to make decisions that are best for their people and their business – in that order.” Walt Disney knew his staff and artists were his greatest asset. His definition of leadership revolves around the ability to create and manage an environment for innovation.

Dare to make a difference. “Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition.”

And then go out and do it: Dream, Believe, Dare, Do.

While I recommend beginning with The Disney Way, the Annual Meeting keynote will focus on Innovate the Pixar Way. We think State Alliance and Partners in Education leaders will find the reading so interesting that we are scheduling a “book club” event during the Annual Meeting to allow time for deeper discussion of Innovate the Pixar Way for all who want to join in on Friday evening, February 18.

Happy Reading!

Barbara Shepherd, Director
National Partnerships Annual Meeting
February 15-19, 2011

From Preys-World.com – Book and Literature Review

2010-11-09T22:40:00.001-05:00

One Reader’s Comment:

Innovate the Pixar Way. This is about the way Pixar work and organise themselves, very interesting... to me anyway. It's a perfect companion piece to Drive as they do many of the things stipulated in that book.

Drive by Dan Pink a very interesting book about what motivates people, intrinsic rewards vs extrinsic rewards and such. How rewards or the promise of rewards can narrow focus and creativity.
He gave this TED talk which probably sums up what the book is about better than me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

Innovate the Pixar Way Article Review

2010-11-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

Last month HRM Today posted a great article by Bill Capodagli, the author of “Innovate the Pixar Way” and we liked it so much we thought we’d share some of it with you.

Bill’s key point is that it’s not just enough to hire the best and brightest – you also need to energize them with an environment that inspires passionate action: “All the vision, mission statements and value propositions in the world will not result in an ounce of creative energy without passionate inspired leadership. Fortunately, passion is contagious…it results in an epidemic of creative ideas!”

If you’re interested in fostering a passionate and innovative environment in your workplace, you may want to consider these eight principles that lay the foundation for Pixar’s culture:

Link employees rather than ranking them. At Pixar, team members are linked together by complimentary skills, rather than ranked by level of importance.
Creative ideas come from team collaborations, not top-down mandates.
Passionate leaders get their power from enabling others to do their work, not telling them how to do their work.
Teaching soft skills such as collaboration and improvisation are as important as teaching the hard occupational skills.
To be innovative, you must be able to live with ambiguity. When you don’t have all the information, intuitive decisions are necessary.
Spending time trying to avoid failure often results in stagnation. In stead, quickly try, fail and try again.
Innovative leaders create teams that are highly diversified. Think beyond achieving a balance of gender and race…hire some “wacky” free-thinking creative folks!
Passionate innovate leaders make work fun. Remember when you take yourself too seriously, life ceases to be fun.

Feel free to let us know how you foster passion within your workplace, and again – the original article is worth the read!

tribehr.com/2010/11/03/create-a-culture-of-pa

Pixar’s Eight Beliefs That Create a Culture of Passion – Article Review

2010-11-01T18:42:00.001-04:00

“Great ideas for leaders. I believe these leadership traits must be practiced by all the executives, managers and team leaders in an organisation. What this would do is create an 'organisational culture' that promotes 'passion', which is something needed to be creative at work.”

Milton Keynes Recruitment – http://www.focus-it-uk.com

Bill Capodagli – one of the “40 Hottest Business Speakers on the Association Circuit”

2010-10-27T15:12:00.001-04:00

http://meetingsnet.com/associationmeetings/trends/changing-booking-focus-1001/index4.html

Tucson Unified School District - Seize the Opportunity and Put on Your Superman Cape!

2010-10-23T22:57:00.004-04:00

Technorati Tags: Tucson Unified School District,OMA,Innovate the Pixar Way,Educational Reform

As an author and management consultant, I have had the distinct pleasure to research and feature the Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA) student achievement program in my latest book, Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground. The program is unique, a sort of “test case” for TUSD…and recently, I’ve learned that the administration is wavering in its support of this wonderful arts-infused curriculum.

I am not a professional educator, yet I am passionate about educational reform in our nation. Over the past thirty years, I have studied dozens of innovative educational programs. My work takes me to numerous countries where I presented the innovation, customer service and leadership principles of both Disney and Pixar to thousands of educators. My message has always been consistent: the business community must get involved in their local educational process for two reasons: one, because the public school system is not preparing students for the business world; and two, the public school system is not working!

Consider these statistics: U.S. businesses spend $3.7 billion on remedial training for high school graduates entering the work force; 33% of all incoming college freshmen need to take some form of remedial mathematics or reading education; and our national high school graduation rate is 69.2%. We are not only failing to provide an adequate education to our children, we are failing our teachers as well. 50% will leave the profession within their first five years.

Rather than adopt innovative teaching methods such as OMA, most school districts are throwing money at the problem, hiring more special education teachers, and labeling disruptive children as ADHD for which they recommend drugs. Since the vast majority of classroom environments are boring, dull and unimaginative, who is REALLY to blame for the disruptive behavior? For decades, it seems that most schools support teaching on auto-pilot! Insanity is defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results.

The Tucson Unified School District has a chance to really make a difference in the lives of students. Lucky Tucson…most school districts do not have such a wonderfully Pixar-style vision of collaboration and arts integration. You have the opportunity and privilege of supporting OMA, a proven innovative approach to education that not only addresses the important fundaments of reading, writing and arithmetic, but also the fine arts of music, dance, opera, and art.

I hope and pray that the U.S. will soon realize the urgency for creating a brand new educational system. I have not yet seen the new documentary Waiting for Superman, but I have read many of the reviews and feel it will enlighten more citizens about our educational crises.

Tucson has a unique opportunity to put on that Superman cape and show the rest of the country how to make the educational experience exciting, thought-provoking and magical. Will you leap tall buildings with a single bound or will you be like most other school districts that will sit around and just “wait for Superman?”

HRM TODAY FEATURES INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY

2010-10-20T15:15:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: Bill Capodagli,Pixar,Pixar Culture,Innovate the Pixar Way

HRM Today; feature article; Pixar’s Eight Beliefs that Create a Culture of Passion; October, 2010; http://www.hrmtoday.com/featured-stories/pixar%E2%80%99s-eight-beliefs-that-create-a-culture-of-passion/#more-26787

BILL WILL BE WRITING A QUARTERLY BLOG FOR HRM TODAY!

Pixar President Ed Catmull Coming to Michigan!

2010-10-18T10:04:00.001-04:00

Ed Catmull will be speaking during the 2010 International District Export Council conference “Capitalizing on America’s Export Advantages in Green and Innovation”

Technorati Tags: Pixar keynote,Pixar,Bill Capodagli keynote

being held in Detroit from Oct. 24-27. For registration, go to www.decconference.com or call 248-975-9600.

Ed will speak about innovation and educating business owners on export opportunities.

Bill Capodagli Speaks at FAE Centro Universitario

2010-10-08T17:23:00.001-04:00

www.gazetadopovo.com.br/posgraduacao/con

Bill Speaks in Curitiba, Brazil on October 5, 2010 – Article translated from Portuguese to English via Google Translator

2010-10-06T22:24:00.001-04:00

06.10.2010 | 00:01 | Breno Baldrati
Communicating by errosRSSImprimirEnviar emailReceba news by celularReceba boletinsAumentar letraDiminuir letraOnze films, eleven hits and, for many, a few classics. The history of Pixar, producer of animated films like Toy Story, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, it should serve as inspiration for Brazilian firms, the American consultant Bill Capodagli, author of Behind the Scenes at Pixar. He did talk yesterday on the first day of October. Mondays Management, done by SAF University Center. To Capodagli, who studied three Brazilian companies to prepare for the event, the great lesson of the Pixar executives to the country is the "fun atmosphere." He said in his research, rarely a Brazilian official described his day job as fun. "Sometimes you have to do crazy things with his team's work," he says. See key excerpts from the conversation with Gazeta do Povo.
In the book, you said quite Pixar's philosophy of encouraging employees to see the world through the eyes of a child. What this means for a company?
As children, we dream about anything within the reach of our imagination. There comes an age when we start thinking more like an adult, and creative thinking is limited. Pixar allows its employees to develop this time of childhood imagination. I think most organizations would do this.
How? What are the incentives for that to happen?
There are several ways, and they are listed in the book. One of the crucial things that organizations should teach is improvisation. Teaching employees to react to a stimulus in the right way. The question is not what my boss would like me to say now, "but talk about his true feeling about a given subject. Create an atmosphere of fun is also important. John Lasseter [a key Pixar animators] says that a lot, "one works hard here at Pixar and many, many hours are committed to produce an animated film." But he points out that employees also have much fun, and is so that creativity flows.
The two founders of Pixar, Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, the book says, believe that "art is a team effort." What makes Pixar and how companies can improve working together?
The greatest thing about teamwork is collaboration. All members of a team are as important as everyone else. Ed Catmull says that it is often questioned about why Pixar always have great ideas. He always replies that he agrees, arguing that you can give a good idea for a mediocre team and they can spoil it. Likewise, you can give a mediocre idea to a good team and they can turn it into a great animated film. He believes it's all a matter of having a good team and all members have responsibilities, even small ones. The main thing is to make everyone feel they are contributing to the success of the final result.
This also has to do with the autonomy of employees?
Yes, the continuing directors making the decisions, but everyone can give a two cents. Another most important thing that you see on Pixar and does not happen much in other organizations is transparency in decision making. There they are made of a clear and transparent to all the employees.
And why do companies have so much trouble with this question of transparency?
For decades we have promoted leaders who carry that image of being the toughest, who make things happen. The youngsters come on the market and seeing it begin to imitate. At Pixar, this cycle was broken. Companies need to understand that this business model no longer serves the world today.
His lecture speaks specifically of how Brazilian companies can learn from Pixar. In his research on the companies here, what most impressed him?
I researched three main businesses: Embraco Bematech and Neogrid. In Embraco, one of the interesting things I saw was the company's collaboration with universities. They work to prepare students for the real world, not to the world of textbooks. And 40% of new hires come from these partnerships with universities. In Neogrid, one of the things they do very well is the communication of their objectives. Many companies put their mission and values to employees, spend time to define them, but do not internalize these issues. The mission and values become just words on paper. In Neogrid, they have regular meetings to reinforce these values and mission of the organization. Companies need to do that anymore. We can not implement a value in just one meeting. You have to constantly reinforce the idea.
From what you observed, what companies here can learn from Pixar?
Creating an atmosphere of fun. I think that no employee of the companies I've heard described his day job as fun, except the research team and development of Embraco. There, in the "park" as they call this area, employees are even encouraged to spend several hours a week on projects that may not even have any relation with the company's product lines. I think having fun.
How to create this fun environment?
You have to let it happen naturally. Do some crazy things and strange with your team also helps. One thing that Pixar does is lead staff for a ride once in a while. For example, take them to an art gallery and then make them think about how art is like the product they sell.

Bill Capodagli Speaking on Pixar at the 13th World HR Congress in Montreal!

2010-09-26T11:06:00.001-04:00

On Monday, September 27th, Bill’s keynote on how to Innovate the Pixar Way is from 1:45-3:00pmEST at the . For more information, go to www.hr2010.com!

Innovate the Pixar Way: A book review by Bob Morris, Sept. 20th, 2010, Dallas Business Commentary Examiner

2010-09-22T16:53:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: Innovate the Pixar Way,Pixar company,Pixar culture,Pixar organization,Pixar management

Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Playground
Bill Capødagli and Lynn Jackson
McGraw-Hill (2010)

Those who are interested in this book probably include those whose primary objective is to understand how to (a) establish an innovative culture within their workplace, (b) think more innovatively, and/or (c) understand the how the studio could produce classic animated films such as Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). I am among those who read this book for all three reasons and congratulate Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson on the wealth of information and insights that they provide.

Capodagli and Jackson skillfully “set the stage” by creating a context for the establishment of Pixar in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm before it was acquired by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1986. The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar in 2006. From the beginning, co-founders Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith and their associates have shared the same credo: “dream like a child.” They are also perfectionists in every aspect of film production who believe that “art is a team sport.” These are recurrent themes throughout the book because they are core values throughout the entire Pixar organization.

I also appreciate the attention that Capodagli and Jackson devote to lessons that can be learned as well as policies and procedures that can be adopted and then implemented by leaders of almost any organization (regardless of its size or nature) in which there is a need for more and more effective innovation. For example, developing a mindset that places greatest emphasis on bold and compelling visions, collaborative teamwork based on mutual trust and respect, being willing to take risks that defy what Jim O’Toole characterizes as “the ideology of comfort and the tyranny if custom,” and being determined to see the world, again, as a child. Here’s the Pixar mindset:

Dream like a child.
Believe in your playmates.
Dare to jump in the water and make waves.
Do unleash your childlike potential.

Finally, I am grateful for the provision of mini-profiles in Appendix X of “other corporate playgrounds” that include Google, Griffin Hospital (Derby, CT), Men’s Wearhouse, Nike, Target, and Zappos. However different these organizations are in most other respects, all of them share with Pixar core values such as those Nike CEO Mark Parker cites in his company’s Corporate Responsibility Report. “And for all the athletic and cultural and financial successes of the company, I believe our work in sustainable business and innovation has equal potential to shape our legacy. For that to happen, we have to focus on the lessons we've learned:

o Transparency is an asset, not a risk.
o Collaboration enables systemic change.
o Every challenge and risk is an opportunity.
o Design allows you to prototype the future, rather than retrofit the past.
o To make real change, you have to be a catalyst.”

It is worth noting that those involved in all of these “other corporate playgrounds” continue to outperform their competition in terms of sales, profits, and cap value. It is also worth noting that all seven Pixar films released since the inauguration of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2001 have been nominated for that award, beginning with Monsters, Inc. Five of the seven have won the award: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Up is also the first Pixar film and the second animated film in history (the other is Beauty and the Beast) to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

To those who share my high regard Capodagli and Jackson’s book, I also recommend two others: David A, Pryce’s The Pixar Touch and Karen Paik’s To Infinity and Beyond. Also, visit the Pixar website that provides a wealth of information, including “How We Do It."

Innovate the Pixar Way Book Review

2010-09-06T16:58:00.002-04:00

From an elementary school principal…“You brought out the Pixar story in a great way that even us tired principals could stay engaged with (and that is tough sometimes). Right now, in public education, we need people like you to help energize our schools which will benefit the children. We have so much pressure to meet certain test score benchmarks that much of the fun has disappeared from our schools."

Technorati Tags: Innovate the Pixar Way Book Review,Pixar Book,Pixar culture

Kansas Dental Association Feedback on “Dreams and Dreamers” at ASAE with Bill Capodagli

2010-08-30T13:52:00.001-04:00

Don’t be afraid to Fail
”Finally from Bill Capodagli, author of Innovate the Pixar Way, I learned that it’s time to “destroy the old way of doing things.” He says to never overlook creativity and to encourage failure. That’s right, encourage failure. Now, that doesn’t mean that we should ask people not to do their work. It means that we must encourage people to work outside of their comfort zone and push the limits of ideas. Some work, other do not. In the end, do a post-mortem and find the five things that worked well and don’t neglect the five things you would do over again, even when something is a success.
Today, the expected speed in instantaneous and so we are working hard to deliver that speed.
I’m excited about the things I learned and am very excited to be a part of bringing some of those new ideas to you.”

Greg Hill, Director, Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation

Manage Innovation the Pixar Way – Credit Union Magazine, August, 2010

2010-08-30T10:21:00.002-04:00

CU Mag: What’s Pixar’s approach to managing employees?

Capodagli: It’s based on a collaborative effort. Pixar goes to great lengths to make sure employees are a group of creative people who are, first and foremost, collaborative teammates.

That means they try to accomplish a common goal based on a lot of different skills. They’re constantly reviewing.

One thing many creative types there had to get used to was that Pixar has a daily review of all their work. It’s not about saying something is wrong or bad. It’s just an open area where everyone can comment and help each other.

To do that you need to have a safe haven where people feel safe to tell the truth and express their ideas.

CU Mag: How can CUs create a safe haven for innovation?

Capodagli: It starts with leadership. Leaders must realize they can’t be everywhere all the time and they don’t have all the answers.

One cofounder of Pixar said it’s about people functioning as a team and being enabled to make decisions. That’s more important than great ideas coming down from top management.

I did a keynote for a financial institution a few years ago, and I love what its president said: “We have to do what our customers ask of us unless it’s illegal, immoral, or unethical. They’re entrusting us with their money and their financial future. We need to solve their problems, not cause more problems.

CU Mag: How does Pixar motivate employees to be creative?

Capodagli: The whole premise of our book is that Pixar is this corporate playground. When you go there, you may see people playing foosball or swimming in an Olympic-sized pool.

It has created an atmosphere where work is fun—working hard and playing hard. That’s the greatest motivator.

CU Mag: How can employees embrace playfulness when their employer doesn’t?

Capodagli: That’s tough. If leadership doesn’t embrace or create an atmosphere that enables workers to have a good time, it’s hard for the worker to do that.

On the other hand, front-line employees can still embrace fun during their interactions with customers. You see a lot of examples of that in non-fun organizations, where there may be one employee who’s a little wackier than the rest of them. But the customers love that person and wonder why the whole organization can’t be that way.

Next: How to encourage risk-taking

ASAE THANKS BILL

2010-08-30T09:48:00.001-04:00

August 26, 2010

Bill Capodagli

c/o Speakers Platform

Dear Bill:

On behalf of the members and staff of ASAE, I want to thank you for sharing your time and providing such an excellent presentation during your thought leader session. The time you spent with us was very much appreciated.

ASAE is committed to consistently providing our members with high-quality educational programs. We are pleased that this Meeting was in keeping with those standards and goals. We are unable to hold Meetings such as this without the knowledge and participation of thought leaders like you and we are grateful for the time and energy you put into the preparation.

Again Bill, thank you so very much for sharing your time and expertise with our members. I hope you were able to take some time to enjoy the beautiful city of LA.

Best regards,

Anne Blouin, CAE

Chief Learning Officer

Client Feedback on Using The Disney Way Fieldbook to facilitate a Faculty Workshop

2010-08-30T09:44:00.001-04:00

I wanted to give you an update on my workshop with the school's faculty and staff.
My portion of the program was about four hours. The principal tells me that she is still hearing good things from the employees.
I believe I sparked some ideas, but I noticed a trend among those with more years under their belt.
The workshop was part of their in-service. The school has the faculty and staff participating in these training opportunities every beginning of the year. This year they had me, a first aid/CPR trainer, and a third speaker. One for each day of in-service.
On the positive end:

The workers seemed motivated to start the year on a good note.
Generally speaking they seemed to grasp the Dream, Believe, Dare, Do principles.
Some felt the material was so useful that they wanted to suggest it to be used for their congregations.
Some realized how their vision is not aligned.
They all understood the need for dreaming, and allowing creativity to flow.
I felt they were very pleased with my presentation.

On the negative end:

The veteran workers and the administration did not see how their vision was not aligned. Some older teachers took offense when I tried pointing that out.
The veteran workers were controlling some of the exercises. One actually said to a new teacher that they new better, and simply did not take any of the new teachers 4 core beliefs.
The administration has expressed the idea that those who do not buy into their vision will be force out. So their idea of aligning the vision is "my way or the highway."
The "one man road block" is being backed by old friends in the faculty body and family in the board of directors.

I used the Story Telling exercise for the Dream part. I adapted the vision align for the Believe portion, and did your suggestion to have each individual come up with 4 core beliefs, then pair up choose which four to keep, so on. I was going to use the Kidney exercise for the third portion, but the principal ran over her time, so I simply lectured them a brief lecture on the Dare principle. For the Do portion, I used story boarding, and they chose to story board how to reach higher levels of ACT success.

As they engaged in the exercises, I was discretely observing their interaction, and gathering some information on how they interacted. I was very saddened by the pattern I saw. The administration lives in this illusion that everything is just fine, and when workers leave upset, it is because the ones leaving have bad attitudes. I heard that statement form a board member!

A few weeks after the workshop, the board of directors invited me to join the board. This is a new area I am stepping into, and I am hoping I can plant some seeds that will shake things up in a good way!
_________________________

BILL CAPODAGLI USES RAZOR SCOOTER TO UNLEASH CHILDLIKE ENERGY!

2010-08-30T09:29:00.001-04:00

Jeanne says, "Hi Bill- As you requested last Monday, upon giving me the Razor scooter, I rode it down my office corridor and had a photo taken. It's posted on my Facebook page. I'm happy to send you a photo. I have your business card, but it's MIA at the moment, so I don't have your e-mail address handy. I enjoyed your talk at the ASAE meeting in LA last Monday. Jeanne LaBella, SVP Publishing, American Public Power Association, Washington, DC.".

BILL CAPODAGLI SPEAKS IN COLUMBIA - CONGRESO NACIONAL DE COMERCIANTES SEPTIEMBRE 8,9 y 10 DE 2010

2010-08-30T09:23:00.001-04:00

SUEÑOS Y SOÑADORES: CÓMO INNOVAN LAS GRANDES COMPAÑIAS?

Conozca los secretos de algunas de las empresas más innovadoras y exitosas de nuestro tiempo. Aprenda cómo: Pixar, Disney, Hospital Griffin, Men's Wearhouse y Zappos desencadenaron la imaginación de su equipo y lograron hacer grandes transformaciones. Descubra la magia que le ayudará a su empresa a superar su competencia, atraer a las personas más talentosas para que se unan a su compañía y a la vez mejorar sus resultados.

Think Like a Pixarian When you Return to School This Fall!

2010-08-26T19:04:00.001-04:00

Technorati Tags: Pixar culture,Pixar book

As we write in Innovate the Pixar Way...when we were children the truth lived in our imaginations - where we were the princesses in the castle or the knights in shining armor slaying the dragon. In our minds, we could do anything! But then parents, teachers, and bosses chased the little kid right out of us. Dreaming, making believe, acting impulsively, and taking risks were not rewarded in the real world - the adult world. We must follow the rules. The small child became silent, but childhood dreams are resilent and remain hidden away in the deepest caverns of our minds. In the Pixar "playground", employees are free to let loose their childlike "magic" and energy!

Stimulating Collaboration Explains the Success of Pixar by Aiana Freitas - O Estado de S. Paulo - in Economia & Negogios

2010-08-26T18:49:00.000-04:00

Portuguese to English translation -

Final film, Toy Story 3 has grossed more than $ 350 million worldwide. The good result is explained partly by the fact that the film marks the end of one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history and use of modern technology in a third dimension. But behind the numbers is also a management model that came to be regarded as such by experts worldwide.

Founded in 1986 in Emeryville, Calif., has been collecting since 1995 Pixar blockbusters and criticism as Cars, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo and Up - High Adventure. The good performance is the result of perhaps the most visible feature - and valued - the company: creativity. "This is a quality abundant at Pixar because the company encourages the collaboration of all employees in their projects," said the American consultant Bill Capodagli, author of Innovate the Pixar Way: Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground (Editora Saraiva) recently launched in Brazil.

In daily life, this collaborative environment is established mainly through the stimulation of communication: Pixar employees are encouraged to provide feedback about the films being made by the company, whether or not they are directly involved with production.
Creating this environment means allowing the employee often pass over hierarchies. What, in the case of Pixar, is stimulated by co-founder and president Ed Catmull. "One must realize that the hierarchy of decision making and communication structure are two different things. Employees of any department should be able to approach someone from another department to solve problems without having to go through appropriate channels," he says in the book.

Leadership. The type of leadership exercised by Catmull has been, in fact, a fundamental part of business success. "He avoids making decisions from the top down or say how things should be," explains Capodagli. An attitude that differs greatly, for example, that adopted in most competitor of Pixar, the studio Dreamworks. "Jeffrey Katzenberg (Dreamworks CEO) is a person who gives orders. It is he who defines the way things should be done. That mentality, especially if it comes from a leader, affects everyone in an organization. And other leaders from various levels, they act the same way and taking it further, "says the consultant.

The comparison proves less favorable to the DreamWorks - which has among its owners the most profitable director in movie history, Steven Spielberg - when it reports that the studio was nearly bankrupt before being bought by Paramount in 2005.

Partners. Like Pixar, companies like Apple Computer, the Zappos shoe shop and the network of hypermarkets Walmart became known worldwide for stimulating environments that value collaboration. "These are companies that do much more than just hanging boxes for employees to write down suggestions that are never put into practice," summarizes Denys Monteiro, partner of FESA, undertaking recruitment of senior executives.

But that is more favorable for the desktop, Miller points out that the full engagement only occurs with a change in mindset of the employee. And that, in many cases only happens if the company adopt attitudes more practical. "Some companies, for example, transform their employees into partners. The creation of this" investor mentality "is the best way to achieve engagement, because the employee perceives that he also wins if the company wins."

BILL CAPODAGLI SPEAKS FOR ASAE

2010-08-22T22:23:00.002-04:00

August, 23rd, 2010; 1:30-2:45pm - Bill speaks on Innovate the Pixar Way at the LA Convention Center for Association Executive and Hospitality Industry Leaders; formal book signing to follow

INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY INTERNATIONAL NEWS

2010-08-13T11:26:00.001-04:00

Dear all,

It's our pleasure to let you know that getAbstract prominently promoted the McGraw-Hill Companies title Innovate the Pixar Way by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson in China’s largest English language newspaper (print run: 100,000), the SHANGHAI DAILY. Congratulations! Together with our promotion in the print edition, your title Innovate the Pixar Way by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson is also featured in the newspaper’s online version: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/list.asp?id=309&type=Opinion For your convenience, please also find attached the corresponding page from the newspaper. Feel free to inform your editors and authors, and to use this information for your own marketing purposes.

All the best from Lucerne Arnhild Walz-Rasilier Vice President getAbstract

INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY INTERVIEW

2010-08-09T21:46:00.004-04:00

Corporate Strategist and Author Talks About How Pixar Innovates and How IT Can Benefit From It

by Elizabeth Ferrarini, July 31, 2010

EDITED VERSION

Buzz. Wall-E. Up. Walt Disney's Pixar is synonymous with animated films, which display creativity, magical stories, and unforgettable characters. Behind the fun of making these films, Pixar has a set of deeply rooted values that champion excellence, tap innovation, and encourage collaboration. Bill Capodagli, the co-author of Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World's Most Creative Corporate Playground, and co-founder of Capodagli Jackson Consulting, says, "These are just the starting points for pushing your own team or organization to unleash a Pixar-style creativity, innovation, and brilliance." From its humble beginnings in the 1990s, Pixar modeled its culture after Walt Disney's legendary studio of the 1930s. In fact, Capodagli has written one of the most authoritative books about Disney called The Disney Way. In deconstructing Pixar's success, Capodagli provides readers with a proven example of how an organization can cultivate innovative talent across all levels of employees and background.

Enterpriseleadership.org sat down with Capodagli to learn more about what fuels innovation at Pixar and how Capodagli's consulting practice applied similar techniques to technology-based organizations. Here is what he had to say:

EL. Why did you decide to write this book?

BC. I have been studying the Disney culture more about 30 years. I continue to speak on keynotes about Walt Disney's success. Pixar first came onto our radar screen in 1995 when we were in the midst of writing The Disney Way. We watched this rather obscure boutique organization arise from being a subcontractor to Disney to replacing Disney animation in the late 1990s. Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 for a cool $7.4 billion. The Pixar president (Ed Catmull), the chief creative officer (John Lasseter), and retired co-founder (Alvy Ray Smith) all admired and emulated Disney's creative genius. Pixar honors the legacy of Walt Disney by refusing to take short cuts and bringing the story to life in each of their movies. They live by the simple formula -quality is the best business plan.

EL. What was your first-hand experience dealing with the Pixar folks?

BC. During the research of our book, Pixar was all consumed with the launch of UP, which ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. We were fortunate to have one of the Pixar cofounders grant as much time as we needed to understand the inner workings of Pixar, especially how the organization was born in the spirit of collaboration and trust. We talked with other Pixar employees as their time allowed. They shared with us some wonderful stories about the collaboration and this childlike playground Pixar has created.

EL. Can you describe some of the methods Pixar uses to innovation?

BC. The Pixar cofounders pioneered computer graphics technology back in 1974. The 1984 hiring of John Lassiter helped to bring all of the pieces together. Pixar's innovation brings technology and art together. John was an animator and the cofounders were these computer graphics technocrats. Walt Disney said when art and technology come together, magic happens. That is really Pixar's secret and that is how it works today. Everyone at Pixar works in a collaborative environment. The technical people and animators work hand in hand.

EL. If I want to make my organization more innovative, what things can I take from the Pixar innovation model?

BC. The culture of collaboration is the missing key in most organizations. At Pixar, everything revolves around the storyboarding which Walt Disney created. In the traditional sense, it involves pinning up the story on a board and then starting to put the story together in that conceptual phase. Everyone contributes to the story during daily meetings. In most film companies, the executive producers, directors, and some of the executives preside over the daily meeting. Everyone participates in the daily meetings at Pixar. An open discussion takes place about how they can make what they are doing better.

The brain trust is another interesting concept. Pixar has a brain trust that convenes whenever a film project requires input from trusted fellow employees. The film project review process includes a group of eight directors - the brain trust - and any others they would like to invite to the meeting. During the meeting, a director presents segments of a film and engages the brain trust in a lively two-hour discussion about how they can improve it. The key to the brain trust is that there are no mandatory notes and no mandatory action. The brain trust has absolutely no authority. The director and his or her team make the changes as they see fit.

EL. Does Pixar normally have many people seeking them out for their innovation methods?

BC. I am sure they have many people seeking them out, but they are like a closed set. They are not like Disneyland or Walt Disney World where you can visit and observe the innovation, creativity, and the customer service. They do not welcome people in to observe the process. I have known many companies that tried to open Pixar's door.

EL. How does Pixar reward employees for outstanding innovations? Do they have a specific rewards system?

BC. We asked the cofounder about that. The biggest reward system these people have is that they can publish their findings and their methods in technical journals and speak at technical conferences. Technical people value this more than monetary rewards.

EL. What is the Pixar education program about?

BC. Pixar modeled its education program after Walt Disney's eight-page, 1938 memo to Don Graham. Don was an art educator in the Los Angeles area. Walt wanted his animators to, not only be technically competent in drawing, but he wanted them to be creative when they got into the story. This memo outlined ways of providing education in music and comedy and storylines as such. President Ed Catmull had a copy of this memo and decided this was a good model for providing an education program for everyone in the organization. As a result, everyone at Pixar can take up to four hours of educational courses on company time at Pixar University. They offer more than 110 courses. As a janitor, you could attend PU and take enough courses to obtain the equivalent of a BS in filmmaking.

EL. Can you provide an overview of your management consulting business?

BC. I have spent most of my professional career in management consulting. In the 1980s, clients began asking us to benchmark the best-of-the-best companies. Disney would always appear at the top of the list not only in customer service, but also in areas of training, turnover, and even in production. Disney has the fifth largest laundry in the world. I have taken many clients behind the scenes to benchmark Disney. Over the years, we interviewed thousands of Disney cast members. Back then, we began using Disney as a model for our consulting practice. In 1998, when we wrote The Disney Way, our business was 90 percent consulting and about 10 percent public speaking and seminars. Since The Disney Way's success, I have spent most of my time delivering keynotes in various countries.

EL. Where does the innovation initiative reside in many of your client companies?

BC. Our main thrust is to help our clients develop a culture of innovation. That means having a culture where you unleash the abilities of everyone in an organization. Walt Disney (and the cofounders of Pixar) believed that innovation comes from everyone in the organization. Simply because one person has the idea for a film does not mean that that person is the only innovative genius. Rest assured that innovative ideas from everyone on the team go into making a Pixar film. Pixar promotes and encourages this mentality that good ideas come from anywhere in the organization. We have organizations tell us that they cannot afford to have the Pixar-type innovators. This is NOT the case. Everyone in an organization has the potential to be an innovator! Not everyone can come up with the next Harry Potter novel or a flat screen TV. But, anyone can be innovative when it comes to the most cost-effective ways to serve their customers!

EL. Does that include IT? Is IT a different animal from everyone else?

BC. I do not think so. Pixar has taught us that the technocrats and the animators need to work in concert. Everyone is on a level playing field. In many technical organizations, engineers and IT people reign suprime. The production people and support staff feel like second-class citizens. In other organizations, the marketing people might have that same perception.

Sure, you can train people on techniques like storyboarding or improvisation that helps stimulate those creative juices. However, we found that many ideas, especially in large corporations, come from the front-line people who are trying things out and saying, 'Gee, this seems to work better than what is coming from corporate. You need to unleash that capability and have a culture that nurtures that.

EL. Are you saying that storyboarding can apply to other things besides filmmaking? Have you ever applied it to IT people?

BC. Yes. I have storyboarded with many IT groups. One large IT group wanted to install a large computer system in many locations throughout a foreign country. We brought a group of 30 IT professionals from all over the world to at hotel for a week. We started the storyboarding process by throwing ideas out to the group.

To prioritize things, we asked, 'What are the first things we have to do (on the proejct)? What are the plans? How can we put it together to carry out a materials management system throughout this large organization?' The group members put their ideas on cards, and then we posted the cards on the wall. It was not about one person's idea. The facilitator read all the cards after we presented the problem, and we all engaged in a discussion around that problem. At the end of a week, we had this gigantic ballroom filled with cards, plans, and ideas that would have taken months to put together the comprehensive plan that emerged from this.

EL. Can you tell me more about what came out of that storyboarding?

BC. They started working on the implementation. They would meet quarterly and refine the plan-such as what barriers kept recurring. They would react according. What would normally take three years to four years to carry out took 18 months.

EL. Can you talk about another technology project you worked on?

BC. At Whirlpool Corporation, we worked with the Global No-Frost team. It was very similar to the overseas IT team. The Whirlpool team had the task of designing a brand new no-frost refrigerator along with a factory that could produce products anywhere in the world. Normally, individuals from marketing, purchasing, technology, and such would meet and say, 'You go do this and you go do that.' After a week, they would go off in their own corners of the world. Every six months, they would get together and start putting the pieces together. This process would take about four years.

But, this international team had a 20-month time period to get this project off the ground. Instead of doing it the traditional way, we worked with this team throughout their 20 months together. They brought in individuals from numerous countries. They had full-time representation in Indiana. Before they even began the project, we got together for an entire week of team building and planning. We did things similar to the IT team's activities. We placed strips of tape on the walls for the storyboarding process. The group created storyboard cards and we asked questions such as, 'Now for January, what are all of the things we need to accomplish?'

This team came together with the common goal of getting this mammoth project done in record time. The barriers within the organization were broken down. When we had the entire plan displayed, we asked everyone, 'What are the things YOU need to be involved in to make our goal of getting the plans for the factory and the no-frost refrigerator done on time?' We found that technicians were willing to take on engineering tasks and purchasing people were saying, 'I could help with marketing.' Everyone looked at accomplishing the overall goal rather than trying to work in his or her own silo. We had great results. Despite a cut in the product cost halfway through the project, the team still met all the milestones and deadlines.

SHANGHAI DAILY CLAIMS INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY AS ONE OF THE TOP FIVE USA BUSINESS BOOKS!

2010-08-08T18:17:00.003-04:00

INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY BOOK REVIEW

2010-08-08T17:57:00.002-04:00

Whimsical analysis of Pixar's "fun is work" corporate philosophy, July 26, 2010
By
Rolf Dobelli (Switzerland)

Despite a blue-sky tone, this book offers a fascinating window into the singular culture of Pixar, the world's foremost animation studio. Management consultants Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson balance their accounts of technological advances, cutthroat corporate politics and astonishing profits with descriptions of Pixar's arcane approach to strategy and human resources.

The tale of how Pixar's leaders exercise their determination to run the shop their own way - while standing up to interference from Disney, their corporate parent - injects narrative drama into this straightforward presentation of Pixar's in-house philosophy. Its leaders' willingness to accept failure, and their faith in their own judgment about products and people, prove inspiring.

The lessons offered at the end of each chapter err toward the simplistic and don't usually demonstrate how conventional businesses might apply Pixar's methods. Instead, the authors mostly leave extrapolation of Pixar's business teachings to the reader.

A lengthy index citing other companies that thrive under a "fun" matrix helps make up for that shortcoming. getAbstract finds that those examples, plus revealing quotes from Pixar executives, will enable readers to emulate Pixar's strategy as they enjoy this inside-the-theatre corporate profile.

Great Ideas Can Come from Anyone and Anywhere!

2010-07-19T14:04:00.001-04:00

There’s a great example in the news today of one of our 10 ideas to encourage risk taking from Innovate the Pixar Way…
#5. Don’t cry poor. Many innovative breakthroughs haven’t come from the formal “fat cats” in the R&D departments but from field operations scrounging around trying something new, learning and trying again. Not having the budget is an excuse, not a barrier!

I’m sure you have all been following the horrific BP tragedy where gallons of oil have been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

For three months, and with billions of dollars of resources, the government and corporate engineers and scientists were unable to find a solution to the problem. It took the creative genius of a retired plumber with NO resources to suggest a solution that, as of today, appears to be working.

So, again, let’s not claim we can’t attract the people and resources we need to be creative! Everyone – from the front line to the boardroom – can and probably does have unique and innovative ideas that can help propel your organization to greatness!

BILL CAPODAGLI ON CONTACT TALK RADIO WITH SUSAN AXISA

2010-07-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

JULY 16, 2010….TO BE AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE ARCHIVES SOON!

In my work as a teamwork consultant for companies wanting to improve their teams' abilities to work together well, I've noticed a dramatic rise in the need for real innovators: people whose creativity helps break through old, stifling paradigms for how things ought to be. My work as a self-esteem coach tells me that increasing numbers of clients have vast resources of untapped creativity, so why can't we, as a society, tap into it more. My guest today, Bill Capodagli, talks about just that – how to bring more creativity into the way we work. We will be talking about his latest book, Innovate the Pixar Way, which he co-authored (along with The Disney Way) with Lynn Jackson.

As our thirst for true innovation grows, and if my own experience is anything to go by, it is not surprising that Bill is much in demand as a keynote speaker on both these innovative cultures, but what makes them so innovative?

Join us as we discuss the Pixar culture and why the authors think it has become nothing short of an animation hit factory, full of films that enhance our lives by touching our innocence and our can-do spirit!

BILL CAPODAGLI AND INNOVATE THE PIXAR WAY FEATURED IN IDEA CONNECTION

2010-07-11T18:28:00.002-04:00

Check out Vern Burkhardt's interview with Bill Capodagli at
www.ideaconnection.com/books/225-Innovate-the-Pixar-Way

Innovation in the Disney Stores!

2010-07-07T14:21:00.002-04:00

Last week, Disney relaunched its Disney Store concept with the grand opening of their Montebello, California store, located near LA. What a makeover it is…some might say it's more of a “theme park” than a store. This high-tech attraction-focused “dream” store is the prototype for more than 20 newly designed Disney Store locations in the US and Europe that will open this year. The Montebello store has the first-ever Disney-Pixar CARS-branded RIDEMAKERZ experience in which kids of all ages can build toy cars, the initial line-up being Lighting McQueen, Mater and Sally! The Disney-Pixar CARS-branded RIDEMAKERZ attraction is a one-of-a-kind immersive car building and customizing experience.

The 4,800-plus square foot store's floor-to-ceiling remodel now features multimedia technology, interactive storytelling and Disney Store exclusive merchandise that bring Disney's most beloved characters to life for families in the local community. Naturally, the latest and greatest technology is integrated throughout the new store to create magical moments for guests.

And, there’s a "Pixie Dust Trail" that leads guests through the store and to major interactive elements as they enjoy a Disney-themed skyline and surrounding magical trees which are programmable with changing colors, images, and music set to an array of Disney themes. The new store is organized by franchise neighborhoods anchored by “hero fixtures” so it easy to seek out your favorite character or theme of interest.

The new store concept features an interactive kiosk with touch screen that leads the guests into an animated experience in shopping, viewing video clips, perusing articles and checking out in-store events. This technology also allows Disney to share news with customers via email, Facebook and Twitter.

And….how cool is it to have a theatre in a Disney Store? Guests can pick from a selection of pre-loaded content that will be updated regularly and can view a variety of Disney entertainment, sneak-peek previews, music videos and more. The theater will also be used for exciting in-store events including reading time and scavenger hunts.

As you may remember from reading The Disney Way, one of Disney’s great success stories (once upon a time!) was the launch of the Disney Stores. What began as theme-park shops where customers could buy Mickey Mouse shirts and other Disney memorabilia developed into a place where not only a wide array of merchandise was available, but also tickets to Disneyland and Walt Disney World could be purchased. In the mid 80s, former Disney employee Steve Burke (now COO of Comcast Cable Communications) convinced the management to open a mall-based chain of stores. For over a decade, Disney Stores maintained strong sales, but then the mounting cost of sales and operation and the loss of key executives who had driven the Disney Stores to success lead The Walt Disney Company to convert Disney Stores into a licensed operation.

But since Bob Iger assumed the leadership of Disney in 2005, many good things have happened such as taking buying back the Disney Stores. Bob has said that the Disney Stores goes beyond offering Disney merchandise...it’s all about reinforcing the company’s core businesses. Recently, Bob told the New York Times, “Our brand is so powerful because of our heritage. But you’ve got to innovate, and not just in terms of what is new today but what will be new far into the future.”

Legacy is one thing, but Innovation is the key to Disney and Pixar’s continued success!

Give Pixar a Break!

2010-06-18T14:57:00.002-04:00

This week, the LA Times reported: “On Friday, Pixar debuts the highly-anticipated third chapter of its popular "Toy Story" saga, to be followed in the next two years by new installments of "Cars" and "Monsters, Inc." Pixar won't have another original movie until 2012.” The articles goes on to paint Pixar as selling into Disney’s pressure to produce “franchise” movies that will gross as much, if not more, in consumer products. This may sell newspapers, but let’s examine the facts:

Toy Story 2 was the result of a Disney directive to Pixar. Originally, Disney had positioned the film as a low cost, low quality, direct-to-video release. Pixar convinced Disney to make Toy Story 2 as a theatrical release and it did what many critics said was the impossible…improve on a near perfect original.

This article leads readers to believe that Disney CEO Bob Iger forces Pixar to “franchise” movies. In April of 2009 Doug Creutz, vice-president of Cowen and Company Investment Bankers said, “The worries keep coming, despite Pixar’s track record, because each film it delivers seems to be less commercial.” Iger’s response, “We seek to make great films first. If the film gives birth to a franchise, we are the first to leverage such success. A check the boxes approach to creativity is likely to result in blandness and failure.”

So why not give Pixar a break? Their first sequel in 11 years…let’s wait and see if it has the same magic as Toy Story and Toy Story 2. My money is on Iger, Catmull and John Lasseter.

They all get it…make a great product and the bottom line will follow.

Innovate the Pixar Way Book Review

2010-06-18T13:58:00.002-04:00

"I have recently finished your book, Innovate the Pixar Way, and I will have to say, it was excellent. It was an approach to business success, unlike anything I have ever read before. Yet, it was so much more than that. It's not just about short-term fixes, but long-term, truly sustainable goals I think everyone can and should learn.

To be honest, I do not really read many business books. I have worked in small business for much of my adult life, mostly restaurants, so I have had plenty of exposure to how a business is run. I picked up your book at first because of my interest in Pixar. I have been a fan of the studio since I first saw Toy Story in theaters as an 11 year-old girl, and have followed it closely ever since. I can say now that I have learned more about Pixar, not only why I am so attracted to the studio in the first place, but also what makes them succeed.

I agree fully with the principals or re-awakening that inner child. Not the immature parts, but that sense of wonder, exploration, and discovery that we are all too often told to put aside once we grow up. I also enjoyed the long-term planning and risk taking, as opposed to the short-term gain and thinking I have seen all too often. If more companies had followed these principals in the first place, I dare say that we would not be in the mess we are in now. And that goes for everybody. As you put it so well, "Childhood is not an age, but rather a state of mind."

As I write this, I cannot help but to think back to when Toy Story first came out. Plenty of people told me that it was a neat thing, but that it would never last. Traditional animation was still king, and most people just assumed it would always be that way. Once again, short-term thinking. People kept telling me things, like, "Oh, this isn't going to last...it's too expensive...the technology's just not there right now." I did not believe a word of it. I already knew that technology would only get faster and cheaper. I knew that something had happened, something big, and it was not going to go away.

I understood only two things. That this was just the beginning, we were going to see more CGI films, some good and some bad, and that I wanted to be part of it. Toy Story is one of three key influences in my life that encouraged me to become a storyteller.

I have already recommended the book to my boss, the owner and manager of the Puyallup Alfy's, an Everett-based company (I wrote the history of the Puyallup location on the company's web site). I would strongly recommend your book to every manager, supervisor and employee in any business, all over the world. If there is one thing, that I have read recently, that will help us get out of this recession for good, it is your work. At a time when most private companies are cutting back, Pixar is expanding. I think we can all take a lesson from that.

Thanks for the continued inspiration and keep up the good work."

Tiffany from Seattle

BILL CAPODAGLI TALKS to ORLANDO MAGIC'S PAT WILLIAMS TODAY ON WDBO/AM 580

2010-05-14T11:05:00.003-04:00

NBA Orlando Magic's senior vice president Pat Williams interviews Bill Capodagli ...the 20-minute interview will be featured on Pat Williams' Twitter and Facebook pages. The program will run twice on Saturday from Tampa to Daytona Beach.

Examine Your Culture

2010-05-14T10:31:00.002-04:00

If we specify that we are talking about excellence in business arts, letters, manners, and so on, and about a form or stage of business civilization, we can apply the following from The Random House College Dictionary to the corporate world.

culture, n. 1. the quality in a person or society that arises from an interest in and acquaintance with excellence in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc. 2. a particular form or stage of civilization.

The dictionary has more to say about culture. It is also

3. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Since a company's culture inspires and informs actions at all levels and over time, this definition can also be applied to the corporate world.

Culture can so mean

4. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.

Education and training play a huge part in creating, developing, inculcating and propagating corporate culture.

First things first...If you don't currently have an orientation program, start one. Focus on CULTURE, not on policies, rules and boring corporate details that employees can read in a manual. Take a good look at policy manual. Less policy - as long as it's good policy - is a smart goal. Your company can't be innovative if it's plowing through reams of policy prose.

Just remember...in innovative cultures, people come first!

Capodagli Jackson Consulting

Creating an Environment of Innovation- Pixar Style!

Spring Fever in January is Contagious!

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Reinvent your Company’s Policy Manual

DISNEY WAY WEBINAR–“Creating Magical Customer Service–The Disney Way”

Disney Way Changes Dowagiac Michigan–Review of 2011

Schools top local story

SAVE THE DATE–WED. FEB 15th, 2-3:30pmEST–NEW WEBINAR: Creating Magical Customer Service–The Disney Way!

LAUP’S Storyboard Success

Pollys Pets Adopts The Disney Way

Latin Americans United for Progress using Disney Way Storyboarding

Junior Chamber International–Manila–Using The Disney Way in Training

Innovate the Pixar Way for Filmmakers

The PIXAR Method: Tricks of the Hit Machine

By John Ott

DISNEY WAY LEADERSHIP

Leadership: How to Make an Elephant Fly

“I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band, I seen a needle that winked its eye. But I be done seen ‘bout ev’rything When I see an elephant fly.”

Have you ever made an elephant fly? Probably not, but I know an organization that has. Of course I’m talking about the Walt Disney Company, and it’s become a catch-phrase . . . Make an elephant fly.

Uncle Walt’s Wisdom

How to Make an Elephant Fly – Project Plan

Step 1 – Blue Sky

Step 2 – Concept development

Step 3 – Feasibility

Step 4 – Schematic

Step 5 – Design objectives

Step 6 – Contract documents

Step 7 – Production

Step 8 – Install, test, adjust

Step 9 – Close out

Expanded Excellence

1 – Document Everything

2 – Keep Everyone Informed

Linked 2 Leadership is a group of global professionals dedicated to leadership development, organizational health, and personal & professional growth.

This group strives to maintain and communicate the highest standards and disciplines involved in personal leadership effectiveness

Bill Capodagli presents Customer Service - The Disney Way; Live Web & Audio Webinar Item No. 1838303; $179.00; Date: Web Conference 09/09/2011 Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT;www.nationalseminarstraining.com/RockhurstConferences

DISNEY WAY COMMUNITY TURNING DREAMS INTO REALITY!

‘Dream’ would remake Dowagiac

“Dreams and Dreamers” SHARE Keynote Review

London’s Bute Coaching Adopts The Disney Way

The Disney Way Inspires The Quality Coach

William C. Gast Business Library/Michigan State University Features Innovate the Pixar Way

ARVEST BANK LEARNS DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING

DISNEY WAY RECOMMENDED READING FOR THOSE WHO PROACTIVELY MANAGE THEIR CAREERS

Smart Lemming Review

BILL CAPODAGLI’S VIDEO FROM THE 13TH World Human Resources Congress in Montreal

CUNA REVIEW of BILL’S KEYNOTE - DREAMS AND DREAMERS: HOW TO INNOVATE LIKE WALT DISNEY AND THE PIXARIANS

Excerpt from:

My Top 5 Takeaways from the CUNA HR/TD Conference/www.creditunionmagazine.com

By Michelle Greear, vice president, learning and development, for Technology Credit Union, San Jose, Calif.

Orange Leaders Embrace Innovate the Pixar Way

Excerpts from the What is Orange blog…How do you emphasize MILESTONES?

About Orange Leaders

How Group Studios Can Foster Creativity

Innovate the Pixar Way

Striking art from Artpunch

Njovu Art Studio

Using art to change lives

A potential for further innovation

DOWAGIAC STUDENTS APPLYING DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING

Scores head in right direction

DISNEY WAY STORYBOARDING FEEDBACK FROM CAAP’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Disney Way “Magical Moments” Account of WDW’s Customer Service

It’s a Wonderful World

The micro details of customer service are what separate the winners from the losers in business

Progress Media.ca’s site is designed to help business owners and CEOs grow their businesses more effectively.

Kennedy Center Learns Secrets from Innovate the Pixar Way

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Kennedy Center Meeting: A Glimpse of the Future

Disney Way Featured in the Dowagiac News

Leaders are readers

Innovate the Pixar Way Featured in Credit Union Magazine

Dare, Do, Dream - How to innovate like a Pixarian.

New Hampshire Business Review Features The Disney Way–Dream, Believe, Dare, Do

EBSCO Reviews Innovate the Pixar Way

Dreams: The DIsney Way Fieldbook: How to Implement Walt Disney’s Vision of “Dream, Believe, Dare, DO” in Your Own Company

Dowagiac City Manager Kevin Anderson Reports on The Disney Way Initiative

Editorial: Dowagiac Develops its vision with Disney Way Opportunity

It All Starts with a Dream

Dowagiac Union Schools’ Disney Way Initiative

“I seen a peanut stand, heard a rubber band,
I seen a needle that winked its eye.
But I be done seen ‘bout ev’rything
When I see an elephant fly.”