Alan DeGenereus, the host of the "Allen Show", has been a guest on her show by countless European and American celebrities, including the Obamas, Little Plums, Bill Gates and so on. In the show, Allen often talks and laughs with guests from all walks of life, but in one episode of the show, Allen rarely shows some nervousness, and she even stumbles from time to time with her sharp teeth. What kind of guest has such a great "deterrent"?
He is the author of the good book "The Journey of a Lifetime" shared in this issue of "I Have a Problem with You", and has been named the most influential person in Hollywood for many years - Disney CEO Robert Egger.
The sharer, Shivin, asked 7 questions about the book and found answers to those 7 questions in the book.
#01
How did Egger deal with his poor family environment of origin?
A: The original family has long become a hot topic on the Internet today, and the frustration and pain of life seem to be attributable to the influence of the original family. If you look at Egger's childhood environment with such a harsh eye, it is really not good.
Egger was born into a so-called middle-class American family, but in reality, his family was only able to feed himself and had no extra income to squander. From an early age, he began to work part-time to subsidize the family, and his clothes could only be repaired, which could only be called ordinary in the rapid development of the United States after World War II.
As a child, Egger loved to read, a habit he developed thanks to his father, who had an excellent educational background. Unfortunately, Egger's father is also a bipolar disorder, and his emotions switch randomly between volcanoes and glaciers. His job is extremely unstable, and he often loses his job, which may also be related to this emotional problem.
If Egg likes to complain, he can find too many places to complain in his native family.
But as the eldest son in the family, he not only took on family responsibilities very early, but also very well resisted the influence of negative emotions from his parents. On the one hand, this should be attributed to his precociousness and talent, and on the other hand, it may be due to his good reading and living habits. Because of his father's frustrated life, Egger instead used this to self-motivate, in his youth, although he did not yet have a definite ideal of life, he knew very well that he should not make the same mistakes as his father.
I told myself that no matter how life unfolded, I would never allow myself to work hard in despair, nor would I allow myself to fall into the quagmire of lack of satisfaction.
Eiger's peaceful treatment of the problems of the original family should come from some instinct, but it fits the simple principle of "choose the good and follow it, and the bad and change it".
#02
What kind of crisis did Disney face at the beginning of the century? How did Egger act?
A: The fame and achievements of The Walt Disney Company need not be mentioned, and as a century company, its development history has not been smooth. Disney was on the verge of being sold in the 1980s, when Michael Eisner was tasked with saving the faltering company in the decade that followed.
But Eisner's magic did not last, and by the beginning of the new century, Disney's once proud animated film had not produced a masterpiece for many years, and the relationship with Jobs-led Pixar was also very stiff, coupled with the 911 terrorist attacks, which made the park's ticket revenue plummet. Eisner's management style and strategic philosophy were questioned by the board members, and internal contradictions began to appear and intensify.
The roof leak coincided with overnight rain, and at this time, Disney once again faced a hostile takeover by an outside giant, and the nightmare of the past was staged again.
At the time of the company's survival, Egger was nominated as the next CEO candidate, and before successfully winning the position, he clearly proposed three strategic guidelines that have spanned more than a decade of Iger's Disney CEO career.
1. We need to invest the vast majority of our time and capital in building high-quality branded content.
2. We need to embrace technology to the maximum extent possible, first using technology to create the conditions for higher quality products, and then reaching more consumers through more advanced and precise ways.
3. We must become a truly global enterprise.
From organization to culture, change is all-encompassing.
For example, as soon as Agef took office, he adjusted the operational position of the "Strategic Planning Department" that had been at the core of the organization. This department is composed of 65 elite graduates from the top business schools. They are savvy and have extraordinary intelligence, but in a creative content company, the department is too powerful, dampening the motivation of the front-line people in the business, and the speed of response is also slow due to the excessive emphasis on data and analysis.
After taking office, Egger greatly streamlined the staff and roles of this department, and after the reform of the War Regulation Department, the morale of the group soared, and some executives even lamented: "If there are church bells hanging on the minarets around Disney, it must be a scene of bells ringing in unison." ”
#03
What do you think of Disney's M&A strategy?
A: Among the top ten films in the world box office, the Disney family now occupies eight seats. That's right, not only Marvel of "Avengers" and Lucasfilm of "Star Wars", Fox, who produced "Avatar" and "Titanic", has also been bought by Disney, and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are followed by countless superheroes, Alien Rangers.
And these shocking mergers and acquisitions are all written by Egger.
After taking office, in order to quickly save the core business of Disney Pictures, Egger proposed to acquire Pixar.
Buying jobs' limelight? The idea is seen by almost everyone as whimsical. But Egger knew very well that it was almost impossible to quickly change Disney Studios from within, and through a field visit, he judged that Pixar, as a partner, was perfectly in line with his long-term strategy for Disney.
It turned out that Egger made the right choice, not only successfully bringing Pixar's talent and technology to Disney, but more rarely, allowing Pixar's culture to be preserved. In the more than a decade since, Pixar's achievements have not diminished, and Disney Pictures has been able to revive the dead.
In contrast, Iger's acquisition of Marvel in 2009 appeared relatively calm, and even when the news was announced, the market reaction was cold, and the stock price did not rise but fell. But the final result of this move also exceeded Egger's own "most optimistic" expectations, and the value of these IPs has been vividly reflected in the marvel universe movies.
In the decade that followed, Egger repeatedly took Lucasfilm and Twenty-first Century Fox under his wing, creating a veritable media empire. No matter how high the amount and how big the money, Egger's idea of mergers and acquisitions has never deviated from the three major strategies he has formulated, and it has also ensured the smooth integration of the acquired party and Disney, which is not less difficult than creating a new company.
#04
In the face of the new era, how does Iger's Disney deal with the uncertain future?
A: "The elephant turning around" is a huge challenge for any large business manager, especially in the rapidly changing media industry. In 2013, Netflix's self-produced drama "House of Cards" became a global hit, heralding the arrival of a new way of content media, and after the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Egger has clearly felt the impact of the content channel revolution.
In 2017, Egger announced that it had begun to build its own streaming platform to push its own content directly to consumers. This not only means a change in channels, but also a self-revolution.
Routine processes and priorities are disrupted, positions are changed, and responsibilities are redistributed. Traditional ways of working begin to be replaced, new models are gradually revealed, and it is easy to feel anxious at such moments.
Disney staff is active all over the world, from employees to executives need to respond to the concerns, unlike other business CEOs, Egger is extremely concerned about staff management, and this emphasis has continued unabated after embarking on a new path.
Egger's employee management is not about describing the blueprint and drawing the pie, but with tangible paychecks. When he set up a new production department, Egger personally created a new compensation system and launched a "gratuitous allotment" initiative, which is unprecedented in Disney history.
As a professional manager who has spent his entire career working in large companies, Egger drives change like a risky entrepreneur.
At every stage of the company's development, we are going against the tide. I tell everyone, "The choice is in your hands." Do you want to get into the 'innovator's dilemma' or do you want to fight it? ”
#05
What can we learn from Egger's experience in dealing with difficult situations?
A: Egger is not a genius like Jobs, he is not from a famous university, after graduating from college, he started his career from the lowest "production service" position at the bottom of ABC, and gradually grew into the helmsman of a Fortune 500 company, and his growth experience may be more valuable for ordinary "hit workers".
Perhaps due to the adaptation to his father's manic mood, or perhaps the polishing of trivial work, Egger has an unforgettable quality, that is, his calmness and tenacity.
The book chronicles an accident in which he participated in the broadcast of the Winter Olympics as a program director.
Broadcasting the Winter Olympics requires heavy preparations in advance and coordination with governments and organizations at all times. But a sudden temperature surge led to the cancellation of scheduled matches, leaving prime time without a program to broadcast, which was disastrous for egger's broadcast program.
The only way out was to stay mentally focused and as calm as possible in front of the team, and to face the daily challenges with such awareness brought me a great sense of satisfaction.
In the face of the predicament, he had to find another way, temporarily producing some humanistic feature films on and off the field to attract the audience in the original time period, but he did not expect to be a great success, and the ratings of the program were rising. Not only did this save the broadcast project, but for Egger himself, the crisis management became a turning point for him to achieve more.
The quality of calmness in the face of crisis requires long-term self-training, and in this regard, his self-discipline is also rare. For decades, he would wake up at four o'clock every morning to "make time to think, read, and exercise," and when he was a candidate for a board interview for a Disney CEO, he even took part in a triathlon that morning. This state of mind and body is where his "calm and tenacious" underpinnings lie.
Such a "harsh" habit obviously doesn't work for everyone, but a regular lifestyle is worth learning for everyone, as it can really improve a person's mind and body in the long term.
#06
What are the communication skills and principles of Iger as a great professional manager?
A: From the moment he stepped into the workplace, the core of Egger's work was to deal with people. Dealing with so many people is never easy, with difficult bosses, with colleagues with very different temperaments, with eccentric partners, egger is at ease. To summarize his communication principles simply, it is probably bravery and honesty.
After becoming Disney's second-in-command, boss CEO Michael Eisner's attitude towards him was erratic, entrusting him with heavy responsibilities on the one hand, and secretly guarding against him on the other hand, fearing that he would "seek power and usurp the throne". Egger was caught in a dilemma by this attitude, and with a meeting, Egger chose to confront this sensitive issue with Eisner.
"Michael, I don't want to take your place or do anything to your detriment." I told him that although I would like to have the opportunity to manage the company in the future, I didn't think it would happen in the near future.
In terms of reasonable demands, anyone has the right to express their dissatisfaction, and Egger did not back down here when facing his superiors. At the same time, he also knows very well where the boundaries of this appeal are, knows Eisner's position and mentality, and understands his position. In terms of bravery and honesty, Egger strikes a good balance.
In terms of employee management, Egger's performance is also different when faced with the problem of dismissals that many corporate executives have headaches. He won't put HR in charge of firing key employees, but will do it himself.
It's impossible not to hurt people like this, but we can at least treat each other with sincerity, so that even if the interviewed party is angry when they leave the scene, they can at least have a chance to understand why it happened and finally come out of their sadness.
This meticulous communication effort does not directly help KPIs, but gradually fosters strong internal cohesion and broader prestige.
#07
As one of the world's best CEOs, what are Iger's most valuable leadership/management principles?
A: In 2019, Egger was named Business Person of the Year by Time magazine and Forbes magazine as "World's Best CEO." Many people wonder what is the secret behind such achievements? To answer this question, Egger concludes the book by laying out the leadership principles outlined. Some of the content has already been mentioned, and this part focuses on selecting a few articles to interpret.
You need to articulate clearly and repeatedly emphasize your priorities. If you can't communicate your priorities clearly, then the people around you don't know what their priorities are. This creates a waste of time, effort, and capital.
In Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey emphasized the principle of "prioritizing things first", suggesting that the most energy and time be devoted to important and unemeseen things, and Egger's management principle is not only aimed at himself, but also includes the consensus of the whole team.
Ask questions that you have to ask, admit what you don't understand without any apologies, do your homework, and learn what you have to learn as soon as possible.
Because of long-term test-taking education and strong self-esteem, we often feel uneasy or ashamed of problems we don't understand, and sometimes masquerade as experienced, especially for senior managers. But our reason tells us that this kind of behavior does not help at all in solving real problems. Facing it frankly and learning continuously is the basis for eternal progress.
When faced with work and life, please maintain a sense of humility from the heart. Part of my success has come from my own efforts, but the multitude of factors outside, the efforts, support and examples of many people, and the wheel of destiny beyond my control have also played a major role.
Finally, special mention needs to be made to the principle of humility. The ego of the successful person usually comes from equating their efforts and talents with the results, but as Fitzgerald famously said, "Whenever you want to criticize others, you must remember that not everyone in this world has your superior conditions", and remaining calm and humble in applause and praise is a rare quality and wisdom.
An Easter Egg: The Great Adventure
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