TENACITY SPOTLIGHT: Walter Elias Disney
By Alex Mandossian on July 31, 2008
Foreword: One of the dominant behavioral traits of history’s most successful Entrepreneurial CEOs is: tenacity.
When you look it up in any dictionary you’ll soon discover that it’s typically defined with two-word combinations such as: persistent determination, stubborn perseverance and unrelenting doggedness.
Anytime a behavioral trait like that requires an adjective and a noun to be defined accurately, it’s something I enjoy looking into … and that’s why this month’s “Tenacity Spotlight” is on Walt Disney.
Biographer Dr. Gene Landrum reports, “Creative geniuses (like Walt Disney) never give up and therefore seldom succumb to the vagaries of change and innovation.”
Story: When Disney drew the first Mortimer Mouse (later Mickey Mouse) many of his associates, including his brother, Roy, laughed at his creation.
His colleagues and critics did the same for The Three Little Pigs and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Both animated productions were labeled “Disney’s Folly.”
Walt’s Disneyland idea (now acknowledged as ”The Happiest Place On Earth”) was ridiculed as a “carny” idea from a man with a “Barnum and Bailey” mentality.
But Disney never allowed expert opinion or adversity to halt him from creating what he recognized as unique and innovative children’s entertainment.
It was his tenacity as an Entrepreneurial CEO that enabled him to protect his ideas and confidence to consequently build the world’s most famous animation empire and amusement park!
Disney was extremely productive with approximately 700 films in fourteen languages to his credit. By the beginning of the 21st century, over a billion people had paid admission to see his films.
In my view, it was his tenacity, not his creativity, that inaugurated the Golden Era of Disney (between 1936 and 1941) when he produced many of the greatest animated movies in history.
But it didn’t start out “golden” because in 1934 when Disney decided to produce Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first full-length animated feature film), motion picture critics went into shock. “How could a fairy tale suspend the interest of a viewing audience through over a half-dozen reels of action?” they sneered.
Dr. Gene Landrum writes in Profiles of Power and Success, “Disney’s innovation was considered a brilliant stroke of genius by only a few, but the act of a raving mandman by most. Few had his vision including his brother Roy who told him, ‘You’re trying to ruin us.’ “
Almost everyone in the motion picture world regarded the movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as “Disney’s Folly.”
But Disney didn’t give up on his dream. When the bankers refused to fund this story of a fantasy princess whose innocence wins out over the wicked witch, Disney was out of money half-way through filming.
The extreme pressure and anxiety caused Walt to suffer his third nervous breakdown in 1935.
Again, Disney’s tenacious resolve never gave in to those wanting him to stop the project. Although the film almost destroyed his marriage (he often slept at the studio night-after-night), in mid-1935 he finally convinced Bank of America to loan him $5 million to complete the animated film.
The release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Walt Disney’s crowning achievement and a great example of how a tenacious Entrepreneurial CEO can add massive value to the rest of the world.
Twenty million saw the movie during the first 18 months of its release. Time magazine hailed it as a masterpiece and Variety called it an “all-time box office champ.”
At a time when movie tickets sold for twenty-five cents each, it’s remarkable that Snow White could earn $8 million its first year out of the gate and an unprecedented $100 million by 1991!
The movie was shown in eight languages and enthralled audiences strolled out of the theatres humming, “Heigh ho, heigh ho … it’s off to work we go.”
Dr. Landrum insightfully makes the unarguable point that ”Walt Disney succeeded in making Doepy, Grumpy, Doc, Sneezy, Bashful, Happy and Sleepy into stars.”
Epilogue: I want you to remember Walt Disney’s tenacity the next time you see a Mickey Mouse T-shirt in an airport or theme store in any city in the world. His theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo and Paris attract over 65 million visitors annually.
By 1995, the company Walt Disney tenaciously built employed over 100,000 people and shocked the financial world when Michael Eisner announced on July 31st, 1995 (13 years ago today) the acquisition of ABC for $19 billion.
But the most astonishing fact of all is that of the dozens of animated movies that have since produced hundreds of millions in revenues worldwide, two-thirds of them were considered loser on Walt Disney’s first release!
With this post, I honor Disney’s tenacity.
This over-achieving high school dropout overcame the ridicule from his colleagues and critics, he sidestepped multiple flirtations with bankruptcy (including two bankruptcy filings in the early 1920s) and pushed through eight (yes, eight) nervous breakdowns!
His optimism can be summed-up in two sentences he was known to say often: “If management likes my projects, I seriously question proceeding. If they disdain them totally, I proceed immediately.”
thanks for sharing Alex. My best trait I label focus but actually its more like tenacity. I’m happpy to know i have something in common with such a great creative artist. Nan
while I may take exception to the last paragraph (but I get the essense of what’s being said), its always good to hear the thoughts of successful men. always.
Great idea! Reading about successful entrepreneurs is a terrific way to stay focused, learn trued and true strategies and realize that good old hard work and tenacity pay off. Can’t wait to read new postings as they come. Thanks.
Hi Alex,
As a Disney nut and former Cast Member (albeit it a very short time period), this is a great article on WED. He has been my inspiration during these times since I was in Orlando and my life destroyed by 4 hurricanes in 5 weeks. I eventually returned to Colorado and have NOT given up on “my Disney property”. I believe in my business, I believe in my products, above all…I believe in myself. I know I will eventually get back on my feet from those terrible hurricanes and I will succeed in “jump starting” my business. Jump starting my business will jump start my life and put me back into a position to help others like I did “pre-hurricanes). I know GOD has put me into this position to better understand “victims” of natural disasters and thus be able to help them better. In my mind…this parallels WED’s life and dreams.
Great article…keep it up!
Hope the family is doing great!
Shirley
http://proorganizer.com
(updated site to be launched soon)
I agree. These superpreneurs like the creator of the super mouse have that insatiable ability to never ever stop what they do. Giving and failure is not acceptable. Death is preferable to giving up.
Their stories, like Mr. Disney’s is one of being in positive control of their wealth.
Love this story, Alex.
Great Wealth and Happiness,
Stephen Chua
Wonderful kickoff to your new series, Alex!
Here’s something else folks might enjoy learning about Walt’s approach to business.
When evaluating new creative ideas, he examined them from 3 perspectives. First he put on his “dreamer” hat and mapped out what he thought his “success story” looked like. (Always a good idea to begin with the end in mind.)
Then he put on his “realist” hat and did all the logistical and project planning required to bring the new idea to life leaving no aspect to chance.
Finally, he’d put on his “critic” hat to better anticipate the obstacles that might be placed in his path so they could be neutralized and/or ignored depending on the situation. Note that he did not care about the opinions of “critics” and nor should we. It’s part of the freedom we inherit as entrepreneurs.
Walt cared obsessively about the professional excellence of the finished product. And on that basis, a great company was born to serve as a role model to us all. I agree he’s a terrific role model and I recommend reading about his life and work for inspiration!
Thanks for sharing this info about Walt Disney with us!
Cheers!
Professor Linda M. Lopeke
The SMARTSTART Coach
This was a really intersting post. The Tenacity series could be a great inspiration to us all.
What I liked most about Walt Disney was that in spite of all his problems, his stories were unrelentingly Optimistic! Isn’t that what many of the “Thought Leaders” (including you, Alex) are telling us today — to believe in our dreams! Dream big — and do the work!
When we wish upon a star
Makes no difference who we are
When we wish upon a star our dreams can come true!
Thanks Walt. Thanks Alex.
Martha “The Holistic Cookie”
Tenancity is first because doubt can creep into any project. Walt had it and the people who knew and worked for him loved him.
Having owned multiple businesses in SoCal I have met many of these people and they were inspired by him long after his death.
I liked this post Alex.
Warmest Regards,
Edward
I loved this story. I knew parts of it, but really enjoyed your viewpoint and it makes sense to me: that tenacity was his greatest strength! I did not know about his nervous breakdowns, and I found your comments of great value when I compared it with the “official” Bio. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Hi Alex,
love the post! It seems that “Everything is the opposite of what it appears, and nothing is the opposite of what it appears!”
Maybe the ridicule we receive for thinking outside the box is an indicator that we are onto something great?
Brendan.
What else is possible?
I love stories, music and movies that inspire people, so I think this blog series is very worthwhile. I think it will help all of us infopreneurs to keep going and believing in ourselves and our dreams no matter what others around us say!
Alex - I think this is a great idea and I thank you for this post.
Tenacity is a much-overlooked trait of successful entrepreneurs. So often, in training, we focus on the skills - marketing, selling, operations, product creation (and repurposing!), etc.
We talk about the importance of having a vision, setting goals, overcoming obstacles and taking consistent, measured action towards our vision.
But HOW we do that; how we persevere in the face of adversity and the laughter, disbelief or scorn of others - with the tenacity of people like Disney, Trump, Winfrey, Branson, et al - is something that is rarely discussed.
I wonder - is tenacity something that can be learned or is it an inborn talent that we are either born with or we aren’t?
Are each of us tenacious in the areas of our lives that we are most passionate about and not as resolute in the areas in which we may work but where we do not have such passion?
Can we use tenacity to uncover our true “sweet spot” or purpose in life?
Thanks for making me think about this! I’ll be checking back to see what your other readers think about this topic!
- Paul
Paul Keetch
Creator, Millionaire Prep School
http://www.MillionairePrepSchool.com
Nice post. In fact Disney’s success is quite logically explained. If people think you’re idea is crazy, you probably have a winner. You see, if the average person thought you had a good idea, the chances are it has already been done and the opportunity is diminished. The only way to be first and dominate a market like Disney (or Amazon) is for people to think you’re crazy.
Alex,
I like your post about Walt Disney and would urge you to continue the series. I think many people (adults and children alike) in today’s world are too used to not persevering past initial obstacles. It doesn’t matter if the obstacles are business related, or for kids mastering such things as the multiplication tables, there needs to be recognition that many things just take plain hard work.
For me, my personal mission is to get the non-profit sector to realize that there’s still a goldmine of donations available to them through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). There’s an old saying which is to “Fish where the fish are” but many in the the non-profit sector have forgotten that adage.
In case you think the CFC is small potatoes, through it, Federal public servants have donated more than $1 billion of unrestricted funds in the past five years. In terms of actual giving, if the CFC were a foundation, it would be the tenth largest foundation in the USA.
This is the part that I really don’t get - By law, it is the only time that Federal public servants can be solicitated for charitable contributions at work, and every U.S. Federal agency in the world conducts a CFC campaign each fall. Yet, it’s like pulling teeth to get the non-profit sector to recognize the benefits of workplace giving in general, (which is the only form of subsidized fundraising that I’m aware of) and the CFC in particular.
Regards,
Bill Huddleston, CFC Expert
http://www.cfcfundraising.com
Blog: http://www.cfctreasures.wordpress.com
Hey Alex,
I really enjoy these type of inspirational stories
because not only is there so much to learn, but it gives me hope that no matter how difficult things may get, if I truly persist I will succeed in creating the life I want for my family and myself.
This is the first of your blogs I’ve read, but I guarantee I’ll be back for more. Keep ‘em coming.
Success and Semper Fi,
Patrick (Stepanahaff) Ryea
Even though I love stories and especially ones
that are of tremendous success, I would want to
be challenged in some way to question my level of
tenacity by asking when I have quit and given up
instead of pushing through as Walt Disney did.
What kept him going when he had plenty of reasons
to quit? He certainly was not afraid of failure or
success.
So, the concept is good and the lives are worthy of
acknowledging and emulating….but I believe we all havethe same capability - why do we give up?
Successful people do what other people don’t feel like doing - true? Great idea Alex, keep it going but add some challenge to your readers based on the highlighted life.
Alex,
So many emails, teleseminaars, etc come flying at me thaAlexMandossiant I don’t have time to mess with them.
I run into the same problem trying to get my stuff published, which I’ve done 13 times with the majors, plus a sstack of self pubs by my clients.
I enjoy a lot the brief story of tenacity of Mr. Disney, but the last paragraph has no waste: “if every agrees, I doubt, but if they disdain, I proceed inmediately”. I am going to keep in my mind next time I am in a similar situation,
Alex: Thanks a lot for your blog, congrats!
Hi Alex,
This is a powerful post and it reminds me of Napoleon Hill’s Chapter on Persistence from “Think and Grow Rich”. He wrote, “There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence, but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel.”
Thanks,
Neel Raman
http://www.neelraman.com
This is inspirational! I love this kind of thing; stories like these give me the courage to keep going, to keep pushing forward. I have been a student of yours Alex, for a couple of years now and I am finally starting to live my dream because I followed (am following) ALL your directions and I kept on doing the next thing on my list. Thank-you Alex, and I vote for YES please keep posting these!
Darlene
Thanks for the invite, Alex, and I’m grateful to have seen your message and be able to respond. This was perfect, for today especially; if you’ve got more of these, it may be just what we all need, or those who somehow find their way here. Thanks for everything so far, before this, and what’s on the horizon…
Best,
J.
humanitypages.blogspot.com
Like you, I admire Walt Disney. He is a role model that modern entrepreneurs can learn a lot from. He had creativity, tenacity and he had one thing more, a confidence in the ultimate triumph of his vision; this confidence was the root of his tenacity and the root of his ability to sell the vision to the banker who took a risk on this attractive, but unproven, vision.
Phil Cullum
Host, Conversations with Marketers
We make at least two trips to Walt Disney World a year. My wife loves it, my 10 year old daughter love sit….and deep down, I love it too.
I love it because of the dream that Walt Disney had and I’m seeing his dream in reality.
I keep a Disney World mug on my desk. It’s got mainstreet on it and Walt and Mickey holding hands in the mug.
I’m a believer.
Jay NaPier
I’ve always admired Walt Disney for his creativity. Then when I read his biography this spring, I came to admire his tenacity as well.
He is a man to admire for both his creativity and tenacity.
Tenacious creativity or creative tenacity, they both work.
Interesting thing…. when I started reading his biography, I began to have the most creative dreams…
#1: I live near Disney World and never knew this history of Walt… very interesting.
#2: It’s so easy to look at the super-successful business creators and say ‘how lucky they were to be in the right place at the right time’. And yet the majority of them all started in the same place that many of us are or have — struggling to get a business idea off the ground; dealing with our own self-talk telling us that we don’t have what it takes to be successful; people questioning our sanity, our smarts, and our financial capacity. So it’s great to see one of the superstars brought down to human level and see how his strong will and tenacity got him to the highest of levels. Next time I’ve got that self-talking going again, I need to add some self-talk that says ‘I’m grateful that I haven’t even had one nervous breakdown yet, so I’m doing better than Walt!’
A great article. Very well written. We can all learn something, and/or have our learning reinforced. Patience is a virtue - tenacity is the grit to get-r-done.
Alex-
The source material you used for this profile is not the best. You might want to look at Robert Dilts’ series of books, “Strategies of Genius.” Disney is one of several people that Robert studied and he describes Disney’s thinking strategy.
For example, he explains that Walt was really three people. He was a “dreamer,” a “realist” and a “critic.” The people who worked for Walt weren’t always sure which Walt would show up for a meeting. Disney’s ability to rotate through these three personas was a key to his ability to turn his creative ideas into reality. The story that Dilts tells is much more compelling than the one in your blog.
I’ve met a lot of tenacious people who are dogged in their pursuits. Unfortunately most are not very talented or very smart. They still fail, it just takes them a lot longer than most to realize and admit it. Tenacity alone won’t do much for you if you don’t have good ideas and smart strategies for turning them into reality.
If you really want to provide value with your blog, spell out the ways that people can quickly determine the quality of their ideas and strategies. How do you do it?
Regards,
Dan
Hey Alex,
I am delighted to be the first to post a comment on this timely and inspirational story! I have heard it before of course but it never loses it’s impact!
As you know we’re embarking on a very ambitious project right now (Mobile Banking)and a lot of people say it can’t be done. It’s always great to be reminded that the world’s most ingenious people historically overcame a tremndous amount of adversity on their path to success. My husband Pat has that same type of tenacity and always keeps me thinking outside of the box!
As a side note, I had just 1 minute earlier finsihsed a new post on my blog with one of the sub-themes being tenactiy. I even mentioned you in my post! As soon as I published it I checked my email and there was your invitation to view your post. (do do do do, do do do do - theme to Twilight Zone)!
Ok, so I posted on yours…please post on mine!
http://www.thepowerlineblog.com
And yes, keep more of these coming! I love it!
Peace Out!
~Power Gal :-)
Alex - Terrific. I knew Disney came from humble beginnings and made it big, but I didn’t know that he overcame two bankruptcy filings and eight nervous breakdowns.
We need this kind of inspiration right now!
What an inspirational post! I’m looking forward to more.
We can only imagine what Disney’s tenacious resolve and vision could have led to if he had completed his dream project - the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
Thanks for posting this one, Alex!
Alex, I’m old enugh to have seen the original Snow White, and, living in the southland, knew people in “the movie business.” My family was in the music end –and they thought Disney’s work was magnificent.
I’m glad you chose to blog this story. I think you told it compellingly.
Thanks for the reminder.
I happened to be at the computer when this came in. You chose one of my favorite people. I did not know about the nervous breakdowns tho. The article is a reasonable length, sweet, to the point, and leaves you wanting to learn more. Bravo for your achievement there– how do you spell… Scheherazade? The subject gives hope to those who feel on the brink of similar breakdown due to “life challenges”. Bravo there too!
Hi Alex,
I’ve known about you for many years and always followed what you are up to. For a number of years though I had to stop receiving information (overload)from a number of sources including yours. But I am now on a different track and looking forward to massive changes in my business and entrepreneurial lifewith BHAG! I welcome anything you put out there, and find it to be inspirational. So my only comments can be keep up the FANTASTIC work. Perhaps you should be nominated for a world entreprenuer award. Hey, there’as a thought for a smart cookie! Best wishes, regards, Nobby Kleinman
Hi Alex,
I could not agree more. Certainly, Walt Disney had his share of setbacks and disappointments and his tenacity kept him going. Personally, I attribute my success to my tenacity,
Great subject and very worthwhile!!
Keep up the great messages!
Disneyland opened the month after I was born. Disney had wanted to build it in Burbank, where I was born, but Los Angeles county refused. He went south to Orange County where they welcomed him with open arms.
As I read this story I thought of my experiences in building my online business. I have refused to listen to those who discouraged me, told me I had nothing to offer, and were not supportive of my endeavors.
Instead, I have been tanacious in my efforts, and am enjoying the success that comes along with it. I have chosen to only listen and do business with others who are positive, uplifting, and tenacious as well. I encourage anyone reading this do the same. Listen to your heart, refuse to give up, and you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
Walt Disney certainly is an inspiration. Although I know his story it is a great reminder that what my challenges are seem to be pretty insignificant when I measure against what he overcame. Thanks for a great reminder. I will begin tomorrow morning reminding myself that I am infact tenacious.
That’s right on, Alex. The winners in life have accumulated the most “NOs,” rejections, disappointments and failures.
Failing is not the problem, quitting is. Every great success story teaches the same thing over and over. Fail, learn. Fail, learn. Fail, learn. Fail, SUCCEED! Then do it again only bigger, on the succeed part, that is.
Keep ‘em coming!
Tom Justin
Uncle Walt was quite a guy. Genius is most often ridiculed. Of course, if it is successful, then everybody was with you all along.
I love Walt’s final quote above.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The Walt Disney story not only is extremely inspirational-I am writing this with tears in my eyes, but also tells me something about the strength of your spirit Alex. Nevertheless, I can see that in my Financial situation right now, while all around me seem to fail, I GOT A GLIMPSE IN MY SELF AND I CAN SEE QUITE A LOT OF WALT DISNEY IN ME. I was depressed for a long time, but thanks to you and few other mentors, I will say that my dreams are alive again. I cannot wait to see my dreams of success, financial independence and the respect of my family and friends materialize, but more importantly the spiritual freedom and sharing it with others.
What a terrific post Alex–dedicated to a great & tenacious creative mind! I heartily subscribe to the notion that tenacity is THE essential quality required for success and typically maintain that ‘Perseverance is Key!’ however your pointer to the definitive adjective/noun tenacity is kewl. I like it & think ‘Tenacity Spotlight’ is an excellent idea. Bravo.
Hi Alex, me again.
At my age (56)I am catching up with the technology the younger people have. The reason is that I have focussed on financial planning for the last 20 years,and only needed to rely on a computer. As there are no kids in our home, the latest technology usually centres around flat screen tv and video recorder. So now I am out to look at portable recording and playback, such as ipods. As I am flat out working on my new venture, I would love the opportunity to listen to your blogs on the move. Do you have them available so that they can be downloaded for later? Regards, Nobby
The other thing that Disney had in spades besides tenacity was veracity. You could trust Disney, as a boomer growing up in the 50’s and 60’s the Wonderful World of Disney and indeed his many movies were seen by all as a right of passage for kids. What other reason could there be for today’s children and grandchildren still enjoying the fruit of Walt’s work. Who doesn’t know Mickey, the enduring brand ?
Inspiring Alex, thanks. I love the quote on the end. And I agree, tenacity is a challenge in this age of “instant gratification”. Good lessons.
And since you’re asking for candid, I appreciate getting an inpsiring email from you that isn’t trying to sell me the latest and greatest Internet Marketing program. Keep em coming.
Not very interesting. Walt Disney may be an American hero but he’s not mine
Alex,
The worst losers in the world are quitters, and Walt Disney just make a perfect case to show that we should never give up.
Never, never, ever give up.
Yes, it is true, we need to try to find the best balance in our lives, but sometimes, when you believe in a dream that no one else can see, what would be the meaning of our lives if we don’t give our best shot to be the best we can be, especially when we know what we’re doing is right for the world we live in.
I like what you’re up to with this new series of blog post. This “Tenacity Spotlight” as you call it couldn’t start with a better personality than Walt Disney.
He is certainly a great model to learn from and I am sure they will help us remember to keep going through no matter what.
Thanks for making this possible Alex, and you can have a resounding YES! from me and a big thumbs up to keep writing this high quality blog posts.
You’re the best Alex, keep going through! =)
Sincerely,
Peter Palatnik
Hey Alex, I love your new blog series and I can’t think of anyone better to salute than Walt Disney. In the Customer Service field there are very few who can approach the Disney Company in the way that they select, train and empower their cast members to provide superior service.
I just finished listening to the audio book biography “Walt Disney: The Triumph of The American Imagination” by Neal Gabler from Audible.com and highly recommend it. If you want to learn more about the power of tenacity I also recommend the book and PBS series “They Made America” by Harold Evans. Thanks again Alex for the dose of inspiration and keep up the good work!
Alex, I love this. It is just what I needed to see. Sometimes I feel down because I’ve hit a frustrating place creating a product or encountered some discouraging feedback. After reading your post, how can I complain. I haven’t even had one nervous breakdown! It’s good to know how important the quality of tenacity is and I appreciate that your article has helped to instill some tenacity in me. Please keep these posts coming. Sincerely, Carol Chapman
Alex, thank you! As I end my day contemplating the last 41 hours with only 2 hours of sleep to move forward my new business and be a contribution to the world, I end with your email. I realize that insanity may just be in the eye of the beholder who can’t understand why one would give up so much in order to bring love, light, laughter, peace, beauty, and care to others. Thank you for this story that provides me the feedom to move forward despite what others might see as insane. Please consider continuing this series to inspire those like me that want to create a better world for all and are willing to do what it takes no matter what anyone says. I am ending my successful 41 hours moved, touched and inspied. Thank you!!!
Great story Alex! Thanks so much for sharing! It’s stories like this one, or Abraham Lincoln, or Thomas Edison, that really motivate us to push forward. When you fall on your face, just jump up, dust yourself off, LEARN from your mistakes, and continue on your path to success. The Walt Disney story really hits home if you have people in your life that try to discourage you from following your dreams. Thanks again for reminding us what we can accomplish if we keep following our dream! Best regards to you and your family!
Alex, thanks for starting this series. “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.” …and TENACITY is the tool -the courage- to realize our dreams and help change the world. Bravo.
Great blog post Alex! Keep them coming. It is very inspiring to be reminded of great, tenacious souls of Light…and what a difference they make in this world and in our lives.
I think it’s a very good idea. It’s informative and will make for a good series to anyone who reads it. There are many ways to learn, being able to read someone’s history to see where they came from and where they’ve gone or are going is inspirational.
I look forward to more and even posted it on my Facebook for my friends to review.
Hi Alex,
I have always admired Walt Disney for his vision and the fact that he never gave up on his dream. Even when times got really tough, his tenacity pulled him through. I never knew that he made 8 million when movie tickets were twenty-five cents.
I appreciate you alex, for giving us this fine example of tenacity for all of us entrepreneurs. The next time I may doubt my vision or start to give up on my dreams I will just say the words “Walt Disney” and smile and know that if He can do it, so can I!
Jason Manwill
I love reading about people and how they started and succeeded in their companies, in spite of what others thought. I liked reading about Disney, after all he is an icon, not only in our generation, but generations to come. Now, that’s a legacy. Good job, Joel!
Whoops, I meant, good job, Alex!
Wow! That was an amazing story about Walt Disney! I heard he did file for bankrupcy once but not twice and I had no idea about his nervous breakdowns! What an awesome man for all his dedication to make his dream come true! Just think of what we would be missing if he gave up! Thank you so much for sharing the story of Walt. If he could only see what has been developed in his name? Maybe he does….
Hi Alex,
This is Kathi McKnight, The Handwriting Expert (literally, that is my website, http://www.TheHandwritingExpert.com. You’ll see the reason I’m saying this in a second…
First off, I really enjoyed your share about the FAQ template idea and the more I read of your blog the more deeply interested and impassionated I got over your marketing ideas. You seem to have a wealth of information around marketing and I am inspired and will be following up with that.
I wanted to add a thought about your excerpt about Walt Disney. I googled for his handwriting and after reading your article was expecting to find many indications of tenacity and persistency. However, what I actually found were indicators (over and over again) of a man who is a great **initiator** His handwriting reveals one who takes the initiative on new ideas. It is revealed in the letter t. Instead of crossing it across the t stem, he comes up from the baseline and makes a v-like structure. It is a very specific stroke, and a happy thing to find in ones handwriting. It shows up often in his handwriting.
I believe his persistency and tenacity supported him in his efforts to be a world class initiator of new things. anyone can actually build that into their own handwriting to support them in taking more initiative in their own entrepreneurial ventures.
Thanks for your delicious thoughts of inspiration and giving us many usable and valuable marketing tools.
All the best,
Kathi McKnight
Well, Alex,
You asked the wrong guy about Walt Disney.
(1) Walt didn’t first draw Mortimer/Mickey. Ub Iwerks did. As one of several proposals to replace Oswald. I’m not so sure Roy laughed at the idea, either, though the first Mickey cartoons were turned down by distributors as unmarketable. (Test audiences loved them, however.)
(2) The three little pigs? Well, kinda. Certainly Snow White. And Disneyland. Roy figured that after a year or two they’d turn it over to someone else to run.
(3) Tenacity? Absolutely. But you can’t really nail down a single attribute. Add: His ability to tell a story… and to craft a story over a series of story meetings. And his ability to understand mainstream American tastes and values. (That was something his competitors in Hollywood didn’t have.) And even “tenacity” might better be described as a willingness to risk in the face of opposition.
It’s also a fact that Walt did not pursue many of his ideas, unable to convince Roy of their merit. (Besides, he had so many ideas he couldn’t do them all.) And not every idea worked; many failed. (The circus at Disneyland comes instantly to mind. It was quickly removed. And the Autopia cars… in Walt’s vision, young drivers would learn to drive responsibly. Instead, they treated them as bumper cars and by the end of each day no cars would be running. Finally, the ride was reengineered with a guiding track to keep everyone in line.)
(4) I would argue that Disneyland was Walt’s “crowning achievement.” Snow White brought a relatively short period of success. The movie business was a roller coaster ride. Disneyland was more of a “continuity program.” It brought return visitors and an ongoing stream of new visitors, promoted through his ongoing use of television. Only after a few years running Disneyland did Walt feel the company had reached a stable success.
The idea of your blog posts is a good one… I’m not sure I’d restrict it to tenacity. But there are lots of great role models we can look at for positive values. Walt was a good choice!
Magical greetings,
Rich
Rich Hamilton, a Disney “outsider,” examined
Disney theme park management and
discovered Disney success secrets.
Find Rich’s Books at http://MagicStrategy.com
Alex-
I really enjoyed reading your post. Not only did I learn a few new things, it reminded me of something I just recently heard for a 2nd time on the same subject.
I first read this in Bob Boylan’s “Get Everyone In Your Boat Rowing In The Same Direction”
I Want 10,000 Fireflies Over There!
I actually heard this story again a few months ago when I was a volunteer crew member working for Anthony Robbins’ Unleash The Power Within event in L.A.
One of the gentleman that works for Robbins Research, Jerry Yang, used to work in the planning department at Disney.
Jerry spent some time with the crew for the L.A. event and was telling us all a story about Walt Disney’s tenacity that has lived on over the years in the Disney company.
Something he said that the full team at Disney lived by on a daily basis. It is all about “Creating The Disney Experience”.
Years ago when Disney World in Florida was being created, Walt Disney was walking through the uncompleted park with a group of the Management team over seeing construction.
While they were walking along Walt stopped and pointed to certain area over a pond and said, “I want 10,000 Fireflies over there!
His construction manager simply responded “when?”
The point Jerry Yang was trying to make here when telling us this story was that the construction supervisor asked only “When” not “Where in the world will I possibly find 10,000 fireflies” or “Won’t 5000 fireflies do?”
This construction manager knew that when Walt Disney wanted something, there was no other option than to just “Make It Happen”, no matter how far out or impossible it may seem.
Jerry passed this story on to us of how nothing less than perfection would work when it came to providing that famous “Disney Experience” that millions every year now enjoy every time they watch a Disney movie, or visit any Disney Theme Park.
It is a good lesson we can all learn from when thinking about the products we will develop or the kind of experience we want our customers to have every time they come in contact with our companies regardless of if it is before, during, or after the sale.
If we all had even 1/10th of the kind of tenacity that you have told us about here today in your post about Walt Disney, the success we could all enjoy in business and in life would be truly be taken to a new level.
Thank you for the great post!
Jeremy Burns
Great Article! I have just launched a new guitar company-and right now it’s all about tenacity! We have a great product-I just have to get it out there. Funny, I was in my weekly business meeting with my real estate firm, Netter Real Estate, and we were discussing the fact the the KEY element to success is TENACITY!!! It seems to have been the theme of my day. :) Thank You! I really enjoy your weekly blogs and newsletters, as I am a subscriber.
Thanks Alex!
Great post, Alex. I love “success against all odds” kinds of stories and would welcome many more from the Tenacity Spotlight.
I found it interesting that Disney had eight nervous breakdowns. I have my own home-bases business and I have had three (one lasted two years). July 2008 I decided to give up my business of 13 years and be a housewife. Maybe I should rethink that deision.
Hi Alex
I enjoyed this post because of its inspirational message that whatever barriers were put in Walt Disney’s way he kept on going - even through 8 nervous breakdowns. There is also a wonderful NLP technique, which is known as the Walt Disney Strategy, based on the way Walt Disney used to come up with new ideas. He used to ask people to wear 3 different hats and sit in different rooms, which were designed accordingly. The first was the dreamer where people could come up with all sorts of ideas, no matter how unrealistic they might first appear and no criticism was allowed. Next the same people would then then take on the role of realist in a different room where they could brainstorm all the aspects which might or might not work. And lastly, the role of critic, where the practicalities could be thrashed out. It’s a technique which is great for businesses of all sizes today as it helps new ideas to emerge, which might otherwise never see the light of day. After reading your post on Walt Disney, I can see why the technique worked so well.
Is your plan to write similar posts on inspirational people, or focus on different character traits and the people that show them well? Either way, I’ll enjoy reading them and thank you.
This is a very inspiring piece of work!
I have always liked Disney and never get tired of reading about him when the information is available. He was a great person. Living proof that if you believe in yourself, don’t let anyone get you down and keep smiling no matter how bad it gets it will get better..