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"I learned a valuable lesson while at Disney and I like to pass it along to my audience in every program I teach. ’Unless we continually strive to improve our products, service or leadership style, we automatically concede defeat to the competition; no one is ever too good to stop improving’"Doug Lipp
Doug enjoyed a unique career with Disney, beginning in 1981. He achieved recognition as a college intern in the Disneyland Marketing Department in Anaheim, where his natural speaking skills and leadership capabilitiesput him "on the radar" with Disney’s executive leadership. After graduate school, he was fast-tracked into an exclusive Disney management-training program, where he would soon be promoted to a leader in the prestigious Disney University.
During this time, Tokyo Disneyland (TDL) was in its initial stages of development. It was vital that the "Disne Way" be implemented in its first theme park overseas; Doug was selected as one of the few Americans to help train visiting Japanese executives in this philosophy before TDL opened. His success and acute sensitivity to issues of intercultural management earned Doug a position on the team of American executivestransferred to Japan tobuild and open TDL. For two years, Doug enjoyed an "E Ticket" ride of experiences in helping manage both the construction and operations phases of TDL, including hiring and training over 4,000 Japanese employees. Doug later penned his first of seven books titled The Success of Tokyo Disneyland. Known as a "must read" by the TDL University Library, it is acclaimed highly as one of the first books to address the effects of culture on business.
After completion of TDL in 1983, the leadership at Disney’s headquarters invited Doug to lead corporate training initiatives. Disney’s corporate offices were located at their film studios on an intimate campus cut out of Hollywood’s history. At the time, Disney was undergoing tumultuous change
Not only was the company dealing with eyebrow-raising issues such as the release of its first-ever PG-rated movie, but it was also experiencing change in leadership, away from a family-led business. Disney was threatened by hostile corporate raiders, and the leadership team was under constant attack for doing business the "old way." Change was imminent. Eventually, Michael Eisner stepped in to replace Ron Miller (Walt Disney’s son-in-law) as the new CEO of the company, joined by President and COO Frank Wells. A modern era of a Walt and Roy Disney-like partnership was about to begin…
Doug continued to work at Disney’s corporate office during this period of new leadership and strategic growth; when Disney was recreating itself as a leader in family entertainment. The "new" Disney strove to cater to a broader audience, developing a product line to reflect appeal to both youngsters and adults—from The Little Mermaid and Toy Story to Pretty Woman and ESPN. Eisner and Wells demonstrated an ability to balance the tremendous responsibility of respecting the company legacy and brand, while also creating new markets that Walt could not have envisioned. 
Doug worked alongside Disney’s leadership team, where he witnessed these strategic developments first-hand. When Doug is hired to speak about "Disney," "customer service," and "change,"he hails from anintimate perspective during a time of historical significance at Disney.This is also where he met his wife, Pam.
After heartfelt soul-searching, Doug decided to leave the Walt Disney Company to pursue his passion for researching and analyzing successful global corporations. Doug’s fluency in Japanese, combined with his recent experience at Tokyo Disneyland, fueled his "leap of faith" to leave the security of a large corporation and go independent. After experiencing first-hand the successes and frustrations faced by international teams with the TDL project, Doug aspired to consultwith other multi-national organizationsabout the pitfalls and successes of international teamwork.
With a professor from Stanford University (and co-author of Doug’s second book), Doug helped lead a private, Palo Alto-based consulting firm and think-tank called the Intercultural Relations Institute (IRI). Through IRI, Doug worked with international corporations based in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S. Doug specifically taught IRI’s clients,such as Procter & Gamble and Intel, to develop and implement strategies for better leadership and management of diverse teams of professionals in the growing global business arena.
After years of consulting Fortune 500 clients, Doug was invited to work "in house" by NEC, a major U.S.-based Japanese corporation. For the next seven years, Doug consulted their multi-national executives at their newly constructed semiconductor plant in northern California.
During this time, Doug also worked extensively with a local economic development group called SACTO (Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization).As Chair of SACTO’s Pacific Rim Committee, Doug served as an ambassador to the Sacramento region and helped the organization fulfill its mission of recruiting international companies to the Sacramento area. Doug travelled to Japan a dozen times on this mission, often accompanied by city mayors and university presidents. Doug and the SACTO teams helped attract such companies as Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Gekkeikan Sake, and Mitsubishi Rayon to Sacramento, resulting in millions of direct-investment dollars and hundreds of jobs for the region’s economy.
Doug’s entrepreneurial spirit overtook him-again! The Pebble Beach Company contacted Doug in 1993 to lead a 30-day "Disney-esque" customer service training initiative. After successfully completing this contract, Doug acted upon the idea of establishing his own training and consulting firm. G. Douglas Lipp & Associates had been born!
Remember Doug’s work at Disney’s studios? That’s also where he met his wife, Pam. Together they have grown G. Douglas Lipp & Associates for over twenty years; Pam overseeing marketing and administration,while Doug hits the road. They are a team, much like Walt and Roy, and Michael and Frank, of Disney—constantly teaming their respective strengths of art and science to run a successful business.
The early years of G. Douglas Lipp & Associates primarily involved providing corporate training programs for long-term service and leadership projects forseveral large U.S.- and Canada-based clients. During this time, Doug became intrigued by how many "experts" spoke and wrote about Disney, many of whom had never worked for the company nor could match Doug’s historical background. In 1994 and 1995, Doug tested the public’s interest in his wealth of Disney and Corporate America knowledge by conducting a series of public seminars. This success, along with two books on service excellence and leadership, led todemand for keynote speeches and his compelling message. In no time, Pam was leveraging calls from the largest professional speaking bureaus in the world and Doug’s schedule was busier than ever!
Since 1995, Doug has given over 1,500 keynote presentations to over 500,000 attendees on five continents. He is represented by the most prestigious speaking bureaus in the world, and has shared his message with an impressive client list in such countries as Argentina, Lima, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, South Africa, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Panama, and Canada.He is also the author of seven books, several of which have been translated into Japanese and Spanish.
G. Douglas Lipp & Associates was launched the same year as Doug and Pam’s third child! "What were we thinking?" they sometimes wonder. Though three kids under the age of four (Allison was 3 and Amanda 1 at the time)tested the limits of their time and energy, Pam and Doug learned to juggle family and business, stuck to their dream, and dug deep!
Dig deep they did! The three Lipp kids are now landing as well and interestingly, all enjoy career interests that focus on speaking. Allison, recently graduated from UCLA, is currently following in her father’s footsteps by working abroad, teaching in Spain as a Fulbright Scholar. 
Amanda will pursue a Human Development Degree at UC Davis in and speaks at local high schools and professional conferences about the importance of mental health awareness. Keith a UC Berkeley political science and legal studies major, was a 2011 Sacramento Area Moot Court Champion and MVP.
Doug feels grateful to live close to his Sacramento-based parents, who provided endless support and guidance for him. Doug feels blessed to have blended his father’s entrepreneurial spirit and success with his kindergarten teacher mother’s love for speaking.
And let’s not forget how Doug met Pam! It is only fitting that the couple met at the "happiest place on earth"—Disney! They actually met while working at Disney Studios, where Pam (a former tour guide and candy maker, was busily managing the Mickey Mouse Cast Activity Center. One of their favorite stories is this:
Pam had just been assigned to organize Disney’s corporate-wide cast member Donald Duck 50th Birthday Bash. She wanted to celebrate with a "Quack-Off" to spotlight apprentice "quackers" and honor Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald for over 50 years. Sign-ups began but Pam needed more contestants. Doug, a closetquacker, offered to help. The contest was emceed by Clarence and Wayne Allwyne (the voice of Mickey). Doug won the contest in an infamous run-off between himself and Tony Anselmo, an animator who is the current voice of Donald.
Bonus Question
What product is made by Disneyland’s main street candy palace that sells out in minutes during the holiday season?
Click Here to answer the bonus question and enter drawing for a free book. Click here for answer to the 10 quiz questions.
