Walts Frozen Head's blog

Joe Rohde 

It occurs to me these 'Ten Commandments' that my head of imagineering, Marty Sklar, came up with a few years ago, apply largely (though not entirely) to how to lead as well as how to run a compelling guest experience. you can map most of these rules onto your leadership practice. What do you think? - Walt 

These five learning points are all extracted from the book How To Be Like Walt, by Pat Williams with Jim Denney. I know you're busy, so I read the book for you.

1. GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

Don't be afraid to roll your sleeves up and get out there where the customers are.

Great leaders have faith in us even when we don't in ourselves. They make us believe we can do more than we think. Walt, it turns out, was brilliant at this. Here are some leader learning points:

1. CONNECT WITH PEOPLE ON A PERSONAL LEVEL

A sculptor who worked in Disneyland once explained how he used to be a humble illustrator, one of hundreds working for Disney, when Walt approached him and told him he could be a sculptor. 

The illustrator replied he was happy where he was thanks - in his comfort zone - and could never develop the skills to be a sculptor. It was too far beyond him. Walt smiled and continued to work on him. Eventually, the illustrator was convinced by Walt's belief and went to work in Disneyland, where he became one of the park's leading sculptors.