SalesForce XP Publisher Mike Morrell Embraces Failure!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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