Woody’s Debt to Culture

Friday, September 5, 2008

Check out the article by the president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, in the September issue of the Harvard Business Review (“How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity”). Some quotes that caught my eye and some quick commentary…

We must constantly challenge all of our assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy our culture.

Makes me think about how fragile a strong culture can be.

Good directors not only possess strong analytical skills themselves but also can harness the analytical power and life experiences of their staff members. They are superb listeners and strive to understand the thinking behind every suggestion. They appreciate all contributions, regardless of where or from whom they originate, and use the best ones.

I’m still looking for the word “ego.”

For 20 years, I pursued a dream of making the first computer-animated film. To be honest, after that goal was realized – when we finished Toy Story – I was a bit lost. But then I realized the most exciting thing I had ever done was to help create the unique environment that allowed that film to be made. My new goal became, with John (John Lasseter, Pixar’s chief creative officer) to build a studio that had the depth, robustness, and will to keep searching for the hard truths that preserve the confluence of forces necessary to create magic.

And that my friends, is legacy leadership.


Now if I had a chance to talk with Ed (let me see if he is in my Linked In network) I would want to hear his thoughts on whether you can document and transfer the kind of talent he describes as so critical to Pixar’s consistent success. Given his experience with having to replace the initial Toy Story 2 creative leadership team, what does it take to turn a B Team into an A Team? I would be curious to hear his thoughts on why did the seasoned team see what needed to be changed and not the novice team and how that vision could be transferred to less experienced creative folks. If Ed and John are going to succeed in building a sustainable organization that can consistently deliver magic, that’s the big challenge they’re going to need to overcome.