Walt Disney Leadership

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Introduction Walt Disney is a highly respected leader and applauded by the masses as the man who made dreams come true. In this report, we analyze Walt’s effectiveness as a leader by utilizing material from books, the internet, and documentaries, and ultimately demonstrate reasons why we admire him. For the purpose of this report, we defined effectiveness as the leader’s ability to create a positive long-lasting influence on organizational culture. Our report is split into 4 themes: Firstly, we discuss the importance of Walt’s passionate and nurturing traits. Next, we examine the effectiveness of his task-oriented behaviour in light of different situational factors. Thirdly, we address his strategic leadership style in executing a shared vision. Lastly, we illustrate how the first three themes all shape the influence he has on organisational culture. Theme 1: Traits 1.1 Passion The many successes that Walt enjoyed as an animator, director, and creator stemmed from his deep passion for what he did. Often quoted to display infectious, genuine and boundless enthusiasm, Walt’s passion defined him as the effective and influential leader who “sparked off the golden age of American animation.” 1.1.1 Leadership Courage Passion is an important trait because it inspires leadership courage, which in turn sparks risk-taking. In 1920s, the significance of these qualities was amplified because of Walt’s desire to pioneer into the relatively untapped world of animation. Unavoidably, uncertainties were bountiful and there was widespread negativity concerning his actions. When Walt took on Snow White, many termed it as “Disney’s Folly” and opposed to the project; Disney’s idea to shoot Flowers and Trees in Techni-colour was not popular either as many thought of it as wasteful unnecessary expenditure . However, Walt carried the mindset that “all your dreams can come true, if

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