Lesson from Disney #6

Lesson #6 - The Pixar Rule

At Disney, the Pixar Rule is the basic understanding that you cannot offer criticism without offering a suggested solution.

For example, if you work at Disney on the Pixar Team and you view the opening sequence of Cars 2 and you don't like it you wouldn't say: "The opening sequence wasn't as good as the first movie. You better change it."

That's simply offering criticism without focusing on concrete ideas of how to change it for the better.

Instead, you would say, "The opening sequence would be better if you didn't introduce any new characters and had Mater and Lightening zoom onto the screen straight away. The kids will love it. That's what they want to see."

In our church culture, we strive to offer constructive criticism.

Constructive criticism adds value to your feedback and can institute positive change.

Develop a culture that allows for honest criticism but also keeps the focus solution-oriented.

Lesson from Disney #4

Lesson #4 - Don't Even Try to Please Everyone

+Disney understands that they serve a customer that has strong opinions about the products they make

+They use focus-groups to learn, develop and refine different product lines

+However, there are two groups of people they don't even try to please: the hater and the demanding-fan

+A hater is someone who simply criticizes and complains about everything you do. These people hate everything about Disney, including it's core values. They think the world would be a better place without fairy tales and theme parks. Disney simply ignores this type of person because there is no pleasing them.

+A demanding-fan is someone who only likes a very specific type of Disney experience. For example, a demanding fan wants every Disney animated film to have a fairy-tale princess, an evil step-mother, and talking forest creatures. Anything other than that would be classified as "Disney has lost it's way."

+I've learned this lesson the hard-way leading a local church. I've tried to please everyone with how I preached, the style of music we sing, the length of service, the way I dressed in the pulpit, etc. PCC has it's share of haters and demanding fans. It comes with the territory.

+But here's the lesson: you can't please everyone so stop trying.

+It's okay to not please everyone. Instead, focus on pleasing Jesus!

+I'm not totally there yet (because I'm a people pleaser by nature) but when you live your life by being honest and committed to the vision that Jesus puts in your heart (not what a deacon or disgruntled church member wants) it makes ministry a lot more enjoyable and fruitful.

+Don't try to solve the tension that is inherent when you try to please everyone. Simply choose to please Jesus be doing what He's called you to do and then do it to the best of your ability while trusting Him with the results.

Lessons From Disney #2

Lesson #2 - Insane Talent Is Not Enough

+There are a lot of insanely talented people that work at Disney. But when it comes to building a team, ability is not as important as chemistry.

+Brian told me that he watched many incredibly talented people get fired at Disney because they didn't get along with coworkers and they were difficult to work with. These were people who lived by the creed "it's my way or the highway." Well, at Disney, they just show those people to the the door.

+At Disney you have to be willing to compromise, collaborate and cooperate.

+There's nothing worse for an organization than someone who is very good at what they do but they create a toxic work environment by they way they interact with others.

+When building a solid team, don't always look for the prima donna franchise player that wants everything to revolve around them. Find solid, talented people with a teachable-spirit, team-oriented mentality and do-whatever-it-takes philosophy.

+My friend Herbert Cooper said it best, "Talented people win games but teams win championships."

Lessons from Disney #1

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with my friend Brian who is a VP at Disney. Currently he oversees the mobile gaming division. My kids were very excited to know that their dad met the man who oversaw the development of one of their favorite games, Jelly Car. Very cool dad.

Brian taught me some invaluable lessons he has learned over the many years he's been with Disney, especially those related to organizational culture and team building. So this next set of posts I share what I learned from Brian and Disney. Thanks Brian!

#1 - You can't fake enthusiasm.

+The most successful people within Disney maintain a genuine love for what they do.

+They get to put smiles on peoples faces and create memories for families that last a lifetime.

+Enthusiasm for the Disney brand and being part of the Disney staff is all about attitude. Sure, there are good days and bad days but the best of the best always stay positive no matter what's going on in the organization.

+People that work at Disney call this infectious enthusiasm as being "Pixie Dusted."

+For me, working at PCC is a blessing, not a burden. I can't believe I get to do what I do for a living. I'm literally living my dream. Sure there are tough days and disappointments along the way. But I go to work every day with the mentality that I can't believe I get to do this!

+I've found that negative people suck the life out of a church or staff culture. They bring everyone down. If you don't love ministry, then it's best to find something else to do. Life is too short to not love what you do and who you do it with.

+On the flip side, a genuine, enthusiastic spirit is infectious. It creates joy and excitement and permeates every person you encounter and ever project you work on.

+Maintain an enthusiastic attitude and you will last in the ministry and enjoy your life.

+I'm excited about our church and the team that God is raising up to touch this community. The fact that we get to tell people about Jesus and create experiences that help people get right with God and inherit eternal life is almost too good to be true. On top of that I then to get to watch people grow to spiritual maturity. I can't imagine a better investment of my life.