Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney. A world without his magic, optimism and childish fantasy. Walt Disney pioneered the fields of animation and transformed the world of entertainment. He did more to touch the hearts, minds, and emotions of millions of Americans than any other person in the last century.

The Walt Disney Company, now a mega-empire whose profits (yes, profits!) are $1.3 billion, was the brainchild of a high school dropout who went bankrupt, risked it all 4 times, and suffered repeated disasters financial and commercial. How did one man overcome the greatest of challenges to become a legend…a folk hero…a master of the company?

The creative and entrepreneurial wizardry of Walt Disney can be summed up in one word: Imagination. The term, trademarked by Disney in 1967, combines the words “imagination” and “engineering.”

Today, Walt Disney’s Imagineering is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production, project management, and research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company. One of Walt Disney’s co-workers provides a powerful insight into the Imagineering process noting, “…there were actually three different Walts: the dreamer, the realist, and the spoiler (or critic). You never knew which one was coming to you.” a meeting”.

Through the modeling technologies of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), you, too, can cultivate the same entrepreneurial genius as Walt Disney. You, too, can learn Disney’s Imagineering process to bring your boldest visions to life.

Applying the Disney Difference to Your Business:
The benefits of the imagination process

Whether you’re a solo business owner or the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation, Imagineering is a simple yet powerful process that can help you:

o Succeed in the “inner game” of achieving future goals

o Build powerful teams, strategic partnerships and alliances

o Maximize return and minimize risk in new “greenfield” situations, such as launching a new product, expanding into new markets, or acquiring a business

o Lead and manage change throughout your organization

o Develop clear and compelling plans that inspire you or your team to action

o Communicate and work more effectively with diverse groups of people

o Ignite your creativity and problem solving skills

The Imaging Process: An Overview

Whether you are an individual or a team, Imagineering involves the coordination of three “hats” or roles. According to Robert Dilts, an NLP pioneer who modeled the Imagineering process, all three roles are critical to effective problem solving and transforming visions into reality.

Tea Dreamer

The role of the dreamer is to provide the visionary big picture… without borders, limitations or restrictions.

Tea realistic

The realist’s role is to assess what is realistic, think constructively, and organize action plans.

Tea Check

The critic’s role is to test the plan, to look for possible problems, pitfalls, and consequences. That is, what could go wrong, what is missing.

Very few people, teams, or organizations are strong in all three roles or capabilities. What happens when one or two of these roles are missing? Do any of these sound like you or your organization?

o A Dreamer without a Realist gets stuck in fantasy, a “someday” mentality.

o A Realist without a Dreamer or Critical is like a robot. They are foremen. They are driven by “to do” lists.

o A critic and a dreamer without a realist are trapped in a perpetual conflict.

o An uncritical dreamer and realist is an R&D department: lots of prototypes but no quality standards for success.

o A Critic without a Dreamer or Realist is a Spoiler. They stop even before they start.

o Realistic and Critical without a Dreamer are a Bureaucracy.

To make your dreams come true… with ease, precision and passion, mastering and synthesizing all three Imagineering roles is critical. Here’s a look at how I work with individuals, teams, and organizations modeling Disney Imagineering to create extraordinary business results.

Imagining the success of your business:
The process to transform your dreams into reality

Your ability to transform your business goals into reality requires mastery of the following phases of the Imagineering process.

The dreamer: imagining your future

Walt Disney’s genius always started with a dream. He would see clearly in his own mind the vision of what he wanted, whether it was a theme park, a cartoon character, a movie, or any of his other creative endeavors.

As a Dreamer, you want to think about your long-term future, tackle the big picture, and generate many alternatives to reach your goal. The main focus is on the “what” of your idea or vision.

To model the Dreamer on Walt Disney, you need to ask yourself questions like:

o What do I want in an ideal world?

o What is the purpose of this project or objective?

o What are the benefits?

o What will be the impact once my goal is achieved?

o What alternative strategies will help me get there?

Key Points: Always state the goal in positive terms and state the purpose and benefits of reaching your goal. Think big…very big.

The realist: Plan Definition

The purpose of the realist is to turn the dream into a viable plan. As he wears the realistic hat, he wishes to “act as if” the dream is possible and identify the steps, time frames, and milestones to get there.

Your focus should be more action-oriented, on the “how”, that is, procedures and operations, to implement your plan or idea.

To model the Realistic at Walt Disney, you need to ask yourself questions like:

o How will the idea be implemented specifically? What will be the first step? second step? third step? When?

o How will I know when the goal has been achieved?

o How will I get the resources (people, money, skills, etc.) I need to reach my goal?

Key Points: Create a “storyboard” of your plan by finding simple images that represent the steps needed to reach your goal or dream. Disney developed the very powerful “storyboarding” process in 1928 and it is now used by many successful companies, such as GE.

The critic:: Identification of potential problems

The purpose of the Critic is to evaluate the proposed plan and look for potential problems and ‘missing links’. The Critic’s role is to follow the Dreamer and the Realist in this process.

The critic identifies external factors or individuals that may influence the outcome of the plan (either positively or negatively). The main goal of the Critique is to focus on “what if” concerns, along with solutions to avoid them.

To model the Critic on Walt Disney, you need to ask yourself questions like:

o What if I can’t find the necessary resources or funds to implement my plan?

o What if my competitors _____?

o What happens if I do not meet the milestones of the plan? How much will that effect cost? Time and resource requirements?

o What if certain people oppose my plan or may negatively affect its success? How will I handle that?

Key Takeaways: While most people and organizations view critics as negative people, their role is essential to your future success. You want them on your team. To make the critic role more effective, let the critic bring up her concerns only at the last step, after the dream and plans have been formulated.

Summary:

One man, Walt Disney, not only built one of the most successful American companies of all time, this man also left behind a magical legacy that spans nearly a century and will continue for many generations to come.

How has one man achieved so much? The answer is his Imagineering process: his secret to transforming ambitious and creative visions into extraordinary realities. By following Walt Disney’s cycle of Dreamer, Realist, and Critic, you, too, will become aware of an attractive business future and a clear path that will take you there.