BACKGROUND

Even the best and the brightest make mistakes. However, the ability to deal with setbacks, then bounce back even stronger, is the hallmark of consistent market leaders. Join Doug as he takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Walt Disney Company. You’ll learn about its successes and how it overcame spectacular obstacles by challenging the status quo and embracing change. Doug’s Disney career included the landmark corporate culture shift in the mid-80s from a “We’re the best; why change?" mindset to a "Don’t rest on your laurels" philosophy that guides Disney to this day.

The majority of continually successful organizations possess a "change or perish" attitude. The companies that are willing to reinvent themselves will survive and thrive, in spite of tough competition. Constant growth and change, from the executive levels to the front lines, is what drives sustainability. An attitude of arrogance, indifference, or the victim mentality can bring an organization to its knees. How do the best organizations overcome growth traps such as: turf wars, hierarchical barriers and creative stagnation?

In this thought-provoking presentation, Doug spotlights several world-class organizations that have eliminated barriers to improvement and enthusiastically embraced change. Doug challenges his audience to ponder the questions: The world is changing. Are you? The globe is expanding. Is your business? Participants will learn to assess their organizations by blending existing knowledge and skills with improved attitudes, strategies and habits. A primary theme throughout the presentation is the importance of maintaining balance and its role as a change catalyst.

By conducting a personalized needs assessment for every client, Doug develops a presentation that addresses each organization’s specific growth and change issues. What are the prevailing market realities? What strategies are in place to address them? Is change embraced or avoided? What is working and what is failing? Why is this happening? In every presentation, Doug addresses issues unique to each of his clients by leveraging his consulting, presenting and training skills.

PROGRAM

All presentations are customized and needs assessment time with Doug is included with every project. Great attention to organizational challenges and/or mission is considered when designing a client’s presentation. Presentations may be a one-hour keynote or up to three hours in a workshop format. Programs addressing change management, creativity and innovation may contain any of the following learning modules.

• Growth Traps that Come with Brand or Market Dominance

  Legacy. Success. History. These attributes should make any organization very proud…and very wary. Employees at the  majority of continually successful organizations possess a prevailing attitude of constant growth and innovation, from the executive level to the front line employees. When arrogance, indifference or fear sets in, at any level, everything suffers. There are no magic bullets for sustained excellence; the most successful organizations embrace environments of creativity and risk-taking.

• Lessons from Disney – From the Love Bug to Pretty Woman

  How did Disney reinvent itself … twice?! Disney was stuck in a rut making more Love Bug movies while the competition was making ET. How did Disney turn itself around?

• Be Willing to Change, or Be Willing to Perish

  Resting on one’s laurels is not an option. Explore the leader’s and staff member’s roles in creating and maintaining a highly creative and energized team. Being truly innovative means being willing to work out of one’s comfort zone. Is innovation truly alive and well?

• Beyond Stuck in the Middle Seat™ – Welcome Change and Take Control

  What’s the worst place in an airplane? The middle seat! Why? You’re literally stuck in a rotten place, possibly for a long time, and you can’t do anything about it. Or can you? Doug uses the middle seat as a metaphor for what happens to all of us in life. How do you deal with unfortunate situations? When in a situation that you “can’t control,” what options do you actually have?

• Let the "Old Ways" Rule

  Doug examines the most common obstacles to success that we all face. How did these affect the Walt Disney Company? How do they affect you? This segment takes a look at how blindly following the "old ways" can undermine any organization.

• Mental Toughness in a Challenging Economy

  "Do more with less." "Connected to the office 24-7." "Cutthroat competition." These are current realities and can lead to catastrophic burnout and turnover. How do you and your team cope? What can you do to create sustained energy and creativity?

• "We're sooo good!"

  "If we make it, they buy it!" These statements reflect an attitude that can quickly open the door to your competitors. How do you handle marketplace success and name recognition?

• “Whaaa” - This Isn’t Fair! Beware of the “Victim Mentality”

  Competition is fierce, markets are eroding, bosses are demanding and employees are complaining. These are the perfect conditions for creating victims in an organization. Recognize it. Eliminate it.

• Personal and Organizational Kaizen: Never Give Up!

  Kaizen defined: The continuous pursuit of perfection. Major breakthroughs are the result of many minor accomplishments. Explore the strength of connecting happiness, performance and health to personal and organizational resilience and productivity.

• Dreamer or Doer? Walt or Roy? It’s All About Balance:

  Art and Science, Maintenance and Risk-Taking, Short-Term and Long-Term, Expertise and Empathy. All of these represent balances that must be attained. How balanced is your team?

• The Globe is Shrinking, Is Your Market Expanding?

  Backyard globalization is upon us. How is your company tapping into the ever-growing cultural diversity in which you operate? In this segment, learn how some of the world’s most effective teams have leveraged diversity of language, culture and values to accomplish their goals.

Want more? Check out Doug’s other speech topic pages for additional learning modules

TESTIMONIALS

“Your engaging style and personal experience supported your key topics of communication, and leadership and the need for constant change. We are in a hugely competitive market and your stories of how Disney differentiated itself from the competition were inspiring to all.”        Pepsico

“Doug, your recent performance was mesmerizing, motivational and most important meaningful! During the past two decades I have had the opportunity to hire and hear many key note speakers, today, was the first time I actually felt inspired to new heights. You were certainly, the right person, communicating the right message to the right audience in the right way at the right time. Your energy, passion and drive for excellence is contagious! It is my hope that everyone will be able to experience the ‘thrill-ride’ of your Disney magic!”        Mass Mutual

“I enjoyed working with you in the weeks and months leading up to the conference. I appreciate all the time and energy you devoted to the presentation and apologize for us being so demanding. You did an incredible job of modifying your presentation to make it personal to AT&T, even updating your presentation minutes before going on stage. I’m not sure how you did it, but it was quite a feat! Our leader obviously liked your presentation, seeing as how much he referenced your talk in his closing Q&A. I also heard a great deal of positive feedback about your presentation later that day and also after I got back into the office.”        AT & T

“Travel Alberta was thrilled your presentations and had record by our tourism stakeholders. The information in your workshop and the additional reference material you provided were both relevant and timely. I feel so fortunate to have been able to share a little bit of time getting to know you and hope that the near future will provide an opportunity for us to connect again.”        Travel Alberta

“Your presentation on how to maintain excellent customer relations during change, in this case a merger, was superb. By spending a significant amount of your time learning about our bank, the acquiring bank, and the specifics of the merger before the event, you were able to deliver a detailed presentation that was meaningful.”        Regions Bank

“Doug was great. We chatted after the speech and the best thing he did was spend 2-3 hours with us in the weeks before the presentation to understand our business. That understanding, plus his work to understand the work we we’re doing at our strategic planning meeting, really made his contribution the perfect capstone to our meeting. We could not have been more pleased.” Thank you for doing a great job!”        Senior Care