If you didn’t see the two-part, four-hour documentary “Walt Disney” that launched the new season of the PBS series “American Experience” in September, find it online or watch for it to air again. It’s a fascinating look at a brilliant and driven individual. Long before Steve Jobs was reimagining personal computing and consumer electronics, Disney was pushing the boundaries of animation and inspiring his teamof world-class animators to push the boundaries with him.
“You’re going to leave the room more inspired than when you came in it. To me, that’s leadership,” Disney engineer Bob Gurr says about working with his boss. But as inspiringas Disney was, he was also notorious for his low-key approach to acknowledging his employees’ achievements. “There were no ‘attaboys’ from Walt,” Gurr says. Disney’s pat response to great achievements was, “Hmm…That’ll work.”
I found it astonishing and disappointing that one of American cinema’s greatest storytellers couldn’t work up more enthusiasm to appropriately celebrate his team’s successes.
And then I caught myself making the same mistake. Or rather, my oldest daughter caught me. I spoke with her on the phone on a Friday night. She moved to Boston earlier this year for her first job out of college and she was filling me in on her weekend plans, which included a day at the Boston Book Festival. Earlier in the week, she heard Bob Woodward speak.
“I always feel like you give off the impression I don’t get out enough. You always sound underwhelmed when you ask about my weekend plans. But I’m happy with how things are going right now,” she wrote in an email after our phone conversation.
I quickly responded, assuring her that I felt exactly the opposite — that I was amazed at how busy she stays and how many interesting activities she finds to enjoy. It was a lesson for me to bring more energy, whether talking with my children or praising a co-worker.
That’s the heart of the message of our cover package on what motivates in the workplace. Rewards are great, but it’s the enthusiasm you bring when recognizing someone that matters most.
