Pixar and Disney are some of the most successful entertainment businesses in the world. They have earned billions of dollars by delighting their customers. How do these organizations stay so successful while other companies falter?
To discover how Pixar and Disney function differently than other companies, we talked to some of the Top Keynote Speakers who work with Disney and Pixar. Here are four ideas they shared to help you succeed with your business.
1) Cultivate Good Relationships
According to leadership expert Simon T. Bailey, one of the keys to the long-term success of any business and career is cultivating good relationships.
So, how do you cultivate good relationships? Bailey suggests one way is to be a giver. Help others solve their problems. They will most likely reciprocate down the line. The other is to keep your word so people can depend on you. If they can depend on you, they will be more willing to help you when you’re in need.
2) Try Many Ideas
Finding the best idea can take time. Sometimes, you can be inspired and come up with a great idea. But often, the path to finding the best idea is to try out as many ideas as you can until you find the one that works.
According to creativity keynote speaker Deanna Marsigliese, who is an animation art director and illustrator at Pixar Studios, sometimes you need to try out thousands of ideas until you find the right idea.
3) Create a Braintrust
Another way to create insights is to create a braintrust, says storytelling keynote speaker Matthew Luhn and former Lead Storyteller at Pixar Studios. At Pixar, brain trusts would be formed by a team of directors, writers, and storytellers who would meet regularly to share their work and get feedback.
Luhn suggests creating your own brain trust in your life. Find people whose opinions you trust, then meet regularly to get feedback on your projects. It’s important to find people you trust and respect so they can deliver feedback with candor and honesty.
4) Get an Outsider’s Perspective
Finally, it’s hard to see how well your organization or ideas are working when you only have one perspective. You need to get the perspective of an outsider. As we grow accustomed to things, says innovation keynote speaker Duncan Wardle and former Vice President of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, we lose the outsider perspective that makes us look at things in a different way.
Wardle suggests you bring someone to one of your meetings who has no expertise in your field. They can offer a completely different perspective. A non-expert will ask why things work in a certain way and help you identify areas you need to work on, sparking new ideas.
