Embrace Change… Enjoyed Some of Its Most Successful Times

EDUCATION By Doug Lipp

ou are a successful beyond the one-trick-pony is to level were not embraced. Instead, there food service professional. with yourself and recognize that, was a tremendous force to stay Y Perhaps you have been doing quite possibly, the way you currently the course and avoid upsetting your job for a number of conduct business is out of date. the applecart. The results were years. You might be a dietician, a Perhaps your customers or employees disastrous. After years of creative cook, a supplier or administrator. In would like services that you don't neglect and turning out box-office some cases, you have many employees currently provide. Quite possibly flops like: "Tron," "The Black Hole" reporting to you, or might even own a having the biggest or oldest name in and "Baby," (do you even remember small business. In other cases, you are the community might not be the key these?), Disney stock took a nosedive on the "front lines" and have learned to holding onto existing, or attracting and the company was targeted by over the years to skillfully work with a new customers or employees. Join several financiers who attempted variety of colleagues to provide great the club. In order to remain the same several hostile takeovers from service. You represent the variety of (successful!), we all must change. 1983-1984. faces of success of your profession… and you are ripe for failure. Lessons From Disney From "Davey Crockett" to "Finding Nemo:" Embracing Change As was learned the hard way at the At Disney, we had our one-trick- Walt Disney Company, success breeds pony and his name was "Herbie In spite of the scare, the Disney arrogance and arrogance can lead to the Lovebug." Do you remember organization was not taken over or complacency. Complacency can come him? Adorable little Volkswagen broken up, as was the case with so in many forms and one of them is who appeared on screen with Buddy many companies targeted in the the one-trick-pony. In other words, Hackett, Dean Jones and Suzanne 80's. In fact, the takeover attempts you ride your successes-to-date well Pleshette. The trouble was there served as a wonderful wake-up call for beyond their effective life spans. It was nothing beyond "Herbie the the company. In the years following the takeover attempts, the company Embrace Change… enjoyed some of its most successful times. The reason? As a strategy to move into the future, the Board of In Order to Remain the Same Directors recruited some executives who weren't afraid of either the ghost might be that creative way you manage Lovebug" except: "Herbie Goes of Walt or the legacy of company. To be your team relationships, or it could to Monte Carlo," or "Herbie Goes sure, they respected the tremendous be the way you have traditionally Bananas." To put it bluntly, Herbie successes of their predecessors. They s e r v e d and supported your was getting a little long in the tooth, also believed strongly that respecting customers. For example, but no one at Disney Studios had the the legacy of an organization didn't why deal with all of that guts to pull the plug on the Herbie mean staying in the past. confusing internet, franchise. Why? There were various e-mail, or on-line factors, but the most compelling The renewed emphasis on creativity learning stuff when arguments of the day were a and challenging the "sacred cows" of you have done just combination of risk aversion: "What the past enabled the company to explore new approaches. Instead of Want to hear more the fine without it for would Walt think?" and arrogance: so many years? "We're Disney, we know better than the same, tired formulas for script from Doug Lipp? Why should our customers about their wants writing, the company hired the Be sure to register for you think of and needs". This combination was a talent that created such blockbuster TASN Conference (page the impact of recipe for disaster. Too many people hits as: "The Lion King," "The 35) to hear him speak at recent legislation, at the highest levels of the company Little Mermaid" and, most recently, the closing session!the current demands of were facing the past and wondering if "Finding Nemo." This meant letting the culture of your students, Walt Disney himself would approve go of certain decision-making or even the needs of your younger of a different direction. In spite criteria that had been extremely employees? Why consider the of the fact that this was during the successful…in it's day. From 1937- influence any of these things have had 1970's and early 80's and Walt was 1979, Walt Disney Productions had on your business regarding issues of long gone. an unparalleled string of hits with service, food selection or even kitchen the movies and television shows it layout? Why change now? Great During this period, the concepts of produced. question. The key to getting change, creativity and innovation

54 Spring 2009 EDUCATION

This was over 40 years of knock- It is important to learn from our What Can You: Start, Stop, the-ball-out-of-the-park success and successes and mistakes and apply that Continue? how dare anyone suggest making any learning to the areas of leadership changes to the recipe! and customer service, whether it is Think of and list as many ways you service to your employees or your would like to improve your ability The creative team to take some customers. to consistently provide exceptional calculated risks with such things as: service to your internal and external product development, marketing, sales The World is Changing, Are You? customers. What can you do that and drought from 1979 to 1984 marked is an improvement over current the end of one era and the beginning Many companies and organizations practices? What should you start, of another. Had it not been for the embark on new initiatives to improve stop or continue? willingness of the new management the any number of things, including: their use of technology, the company could service, product quality, production Challenge every existing area very well have vanished. No one is methods and leadership. However, the of your approach to your job, your team or organization as a immune to changes in the marketplace. sad reality is that is that too many fail whole. No one has all of the answers. in their attempts. All too often, these change initiatives are started with much fanfare and public pronouncements, Start: What do you as an individual, yet end up in the ever-growing team or organization want to Start junk pile of "Flavor of the Month" doing that will be an improvement programs. What might have been over your current approach? What an inherently good initiative loses can you do that is more up to popular or date from the perspective of your organizational customers or employees? Even Monkeys support and Fall From Trees falls into the Stop: What have you identified category of as unacceptable, either for your a waste of customer or employee groups, that time and money; Someone's “kick,” you need to Stop? spending run amok. Within a few months, the old attitudes and Continue: What are your destructive behavior patterns return. strengths? How can you ensure the maintenance of these strengths in Even Monkeys Fall From Trees Change in and of itself is not difficult. light of the changes you are planning The challenge is in sustaining the to make? It helps you avoid "throwing This an old Japanese proverb that change and weaving it into the the baby out with the bathwater" captures the essence of what Disney cultural fabric of your team. To that so often accompanies change faced. It is what any organization and embark on a journey of sustained initiatives. What should you any leader ultimately faces. It means change requires answering two vital Continue? that regardless of how capable or questions: skilled we are, sooner or later, we all lose our balance and make mistakes. 1) It is the right change? The opportunities to put these Let's think about this for a moment, ideas into practice are many. The 2) Are support systems and have you ever heard of a monkey benefits of managing the change supportive people in place to give it falling from a tree? Probably not, process proactively, compared a chance to succeed? but we have all observed remarkably to the consequences of having capable people and heard of successful Certainly, there are many sub- change forced upon you, should companies making mistakes. sections to each these questions; convince anyone to let go of defenses he or she has about not How about yourself, which skill or life is never this simple. With that dealing with this important issue. ability are you particularly proud said, it is important to avoid making of? Is that skill as valuable now as any process too cumbersome to implement, much less sustain. The it once was? Is it possible that the Where do you stand? same qualities that have helped you exercise that follows is a simple, succeed are now a hindrance that can yet extremely effective tool for lead you to "falling from your tree"? implementing and sustaining change.