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December 2008
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  1. iPhone @ Harvard
  2. Kathy Griffin on E! True Hollywood Story
  3. To the man dressed as the Washington Monument (10/30/07)
  4. University of DC
  5. Wagamama Harvard Square
  6. Safeway Thanksgiving
  7. Apple - New Get a Mac Ads
  8. Remember
  9. Now Reading: Realityland, by David Koenig
  10. A Few Photos of Americana
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25 Nov 2007Now Reading

Now Reading: Realityland, by David Koenig

I was immediately attracted to this title when I first read about it. I’ve had my share of trips to Disney properties and I’ve read some about their service culture and unique way of providing products for the masses. And as you’ve seen here before, I love a good story.

This is the story of Disney’s Florida attractions, starting with the dream and the film that was used to sell it, which through the magic of the Internet, you can now see for yourself.

The book is an absolutely fascinating read, and I appreciated the author’s interest in acquiring as many details about the Walt Disney World, EPCOT, and associated parks’ development and operations. This included a host of challenges, including difficulties in acquiring the land, construction, and ongoing maintenance headaches. Of particular intrigue to me were the chapters dealing with the various safety incidents that have occurred in the parks over time. I didn’t see these chapters as “tell all” or “expose.” I saw them as detailing what has happened in the course of millions of people attending the parks. Some of the stories are very tragic. Similar detailed treatments were given to describing the parks’ initial plans - everything from the attractions to the economics.

For me, the overall story was one of charismatic leadership and execution over time. In reading and watching about Walt Disney’s dream, it seems that he was unique person who made a difference in the company - pushing ahead every day. As I read about the leaders that worked to implement his dream over time, it seemed that they just weren’t Walt. And the impact is what we see today at EPCOT. Is it really true that a leader’s job is to create an organization that functions well without them?

Popularity: 4%
Matt - 25 Nov - 8:06 pm,

People love Disney so much that the fans and the employees are very close. The fans are like rabid stockholders and thank goodness. If it weren’t for these fans and the blogs and books they write the Disney company would have destroyed itself long ago.

Walt Disney was the best kind of leader. The kind that has a dream first and a desire to make a profit in close second. He was able to accomplish so much because he was a great leader who truly understood his business better than anyone else. There’s no way to replace these leaders, unfortunately.

Michael - 26 Nov - 2:28 pm,

I think Walt had what’s called “divine discontent” - he was upset with conditions at existing parks and was inspired to create something radically better. (Same as Steve Jobs, I’d say.)

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