Leaders ViewPointe

A Disney View On What It Takes To Succeed

"The secret to making dreams come true?  Curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy."  - Walt Disney

Dreams, goals, ambitions, objectives and challenges.  It doesn't matter what you call them.  The things that stir our thoughts, keep us awake during the day and inspired while we sleep, demand some kind of action.  Dreams, the kind that prompt us to be more than we currently are, stretch us to a place of discontent.  We cannot go back to existing like we always have.  Once sparked by an idea or desire, we are drawn into a grand scheme and feel a compulsion to do something about the dream.

Sadly, many people only dream and then foolishly hope for it to magically come true.  That may be because of misleading inspiration, such as:

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do

Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you thru
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true

Wishing is fun; but dreams only come true when you take the right actions that move you closer to the reality.  Take a closer look at Walt's success philosophy and see how it fits your current dreams.

Curiosity - This is where dreams begin.  This is the proverbial "drawing board."  Every invention, modern or antiquated, is the product of curiosity.  For every new convenience you and I enjoy, some one has dared to ask, "I wonder what would happen if..."  And the dream begins.  Your path to new solutions and exciting adventures begins in that exhilarating moment when you shift your thinking from critical mentality to creative possibilities!  Go ahead, ask what could be. 

Confidence - Confidence is trust and hope.  The conductor of a train was walking through the passenger cars collecting tickets.  He happened upon the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.  The Justice could not find his ticket and became very upset.  He looked through all his pockets and bags.  No ticket.  He emptied his wallet.  No ticket.  The conductor tried to ease the situation, "Sir, don't worry.  I know who you are and I know that when you reach your destination the ticket will be found.  You can mail it to us."  His kind words did not comfort the Justice.  In fact, he seemed to be more agitated then before.  And he replied, "My good man, my problem is not - where is my ticket? The problem is where am I going?"

Confidence is the trust that you know where to go and the hope that you will arrive!  To make dreams come true you need to have confidence in your self, your abilities, and in other people who can help you get where you hope to go. 

Courage - This is  what makes the dreamers become the doers.  Courage is the ingredient that gets dreams off the drawing board.  What good would Walt Disney's dreams and sketches of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs be today if he had not tried to put them on the big screen?  No one else had ever attempted such a risky venture.  While Hollywood called out "Lights, Camera, Action!" he had the courage to act on his belief.  Dreams + Courage = Action!

Constancy - It is not a new concept.  The winners in life are not always the people who can sprint to the front of the line.  Most often the winners are those who don't give up.  You can count on set backs and delays.  Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board.  The adjustments you make to the little things along the way are what eventually produce the bigger picture.  Your dream may take a while to come true -- make sure it is a dream worth your life time!

Leaders ViewPointe:

• Which element of Disney's "secret" do you feel is your strength - Curiosity, Confidence, Courage or Constancy?  Why do you believe that is your strength?
• Which one of these dream builders do you need to "animate" because it gets pushed aside when things get hectic?  What will you do to keep this in motion?
• Remember: All four must be in the "picture" in order for your goals / dreams to be realized. 

Click on the Title above to respond or comment on this blog.  Leaders ViewPointe is for leaders to exchange ideas, challenges and dialog about current leadership issues.  What current issues would you like Steven to address in the next few months?  Let us know at steveniwersen@kc.rr.com .

For more info on Walt, check out this article from Time Magazine.  It provides some great insight as to the value of his quote above.

More details into his life can be found on Wikipedia

For more on curiosity, check out Jim Canterucci's thoughts on the subject.

John Maxwell on Confidence.

Transitional Leadership: Helping Others Gain Confidence and Competence

It was an incredible day - sunny, just enough wind, and a 40' sail boat.  This was the first time my wife had been sailing.  And it was a big deal.  We were not sailing in a little lake in Kansas, this was San Diego and off the coast of Mexico. Why was this such a big deal?  She's not comfortable with deep water.  But this was her idea. I watched with delight throughout the day as she challenged her fear, transitioning from a tentative seated place in the stern to literally walking to the front of the boat and napping on the bow while we returned to Shelter Island in San Diego Bay.  Her comfort and confidence grew as the captain explained the features of the boat and proved his competence. 

This got me thinking about our role as leaders.  What can we do to help others gain self confidence in the deep waters of change and transition?  What do we need to understand about ourselves during times of transition?

Transitions.  An intriguing word.  The root is "transit."  It implies moving from one place to another.  Transition is the act of going from one point and arriving at a new point.

Sometimes transitions are the dramatic ending of an experience and the beginning of a new one.  At other times the transition is smooth and not at all a conclusion of something, but a quiet shifting of direction.

Whatever the means of your transitions, you are still the same person - same strengths, talents, hopes and fears.  Yes, there are times that the condition of the transition affects our lives and we are influenced by the cause of the change.  For example: a death, a move, a layoff, a divorce or a birth.  These do shape our perspective.  And yet, we are still the same.

If you step from a dock onto a boat, are you suddenly a different person?  No.  You can "transit" your life from a stationary, solid foundation to a new foundation that lifts and pitches according to the waves below.  You have not changed, but your physical experience has.  Your inner person, the core of who you are, did not stay on the dock.  You became fully engaged on the boat.  The transition does not change you.  However, the new experience brings a new point of reference and an opportunity to learn and grow.  That becomes the basis for a transition of mindset, beliefs and behaviors.

What happens on the boat?  Your behaviors change. You intuitively begin to adjust your balance according to the shifting of the physical environment.  On the dock, your body had no need to focus on keeping balance.  But on the boat, the circumstances are in constant change and your actions adjust to those changes.  If you remain rigid and make no adjustments to your personal position in relation to the on going changes, you will probably be tossed overboard.

Now, let's "transit" this understanding to our real world of leadership.  If we become rigid during times of transition, we're going to get tossed around.  However, if we begin to see change as an opportunity to learn new behaviors, the end result will be a greater comfort with new environments and the confidence to stretch a little more beyond our past "dock" experience.  The comfort and confidence we model during times of transition will become inspiration for those we lead - encouraging them to "transit" from the dock into new directions and understanding.  You and I will not be able to model that if we don't step off our own dock once in a while.

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - Picasso

Leaders ViewPointe:

1. Challenge my own apprehensions.
2. Help others overcome their apprehensions by informing them of the features and proving my own competence.
3. See change as a transition, not a conclusion.
4. Be willing to adjust to the circumstances and learn new behaviors.

Now it is your turn to step aboard.  What challenges are you seeing in your leadership environment?  What changes are you having to lead others through? 

Click on the "comments" link below, share with me and other leaders what is working as you lead others in times of transit.

(My wife can't wait to go sailing again!)