Blog – Page 680 – Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker

Burn the ship of fear

(photo: Last night leaving the parking lot at Buena Vista Palace in Walt Disney World. Cortes? Burn the ships? Yes!)

Everyone is afraid. Not everyone lets fear become an excuse.

A thought from Troy Tyler:

“Strategy is all about commitment,” says Tyler. “If what you’re doing isn’t irrevocable, then you don’t have a strategy — because anyone can do it. That’s why burning the boats is so important. I’ve always wanted to treat life like I was an invading army and there was no turning back.”

Boldness has genius.

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PS. What are the odds that tucked at the far edge of a hotel parking lot at Walt Disney World there’d be Cortes’ trailer?

Scary retirement announcement?

(photo: Mid Life Celebration, LLC has been under construction for six years. Down to 12 days and counting.)

Intentionality creates better stories. Stories create culture and legacy.

Last night Mid Life Celebration went public with jeff noel’s retirement date which is only 12 days away on November 1, 2014.

Final day as a full-time Disney Leader is October 31 – Halloween.

How scary is that!

Insight: Could have picked any day. Intentionally picked Halloween as the last one. Because it is very scary to leave at 55.

And it’s part of the story.

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No theory at Mid Life Celebration

(photo: Yosemite operating system install complete.)

Why can so few of us slow down enough to appreciate unusually rare art?

Called three people yesterday on the flight home from Detroit. The calls were the first of this type in 55 years.

The people were chosen for their dedication, support, encouragement, loyalty, hope.

People side by side with MLC from the beginning in April 2009.

Mid Life Celebration’s very first post was November 14, 2008.

Sure it’s challenging to read five daily, differently-themed blog posts for five-plus years.

Maybe they were contacted because they understand it’s exponentially more challenging to write them.

No theory here.

Only real life in real time.

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Before he could say anything, the other already knew

After days of facilitating transformational insights, we had a final dinner together at the Mexican restaurant below. While snapping a few pictures of the colorful decor, the other was getting caught up on work emails.

How many once-in-a-lifetime moments do we get?

The boss found out first a couple weeks ago. Then two days ago the colleague he respects immeasurably found out (second) via phone call. Yesterday everyone found out via an (earlier than expected) official email invitation from the boss.

The third person to find out was a client who would wonder why he never said anything all week. To nip that in the bud, he told her last night after the program, and asked her not to tell his colleague because he would do that himself at dinner.

Before the menus were opened, the colleague starts reading aloud the announcement from his work phone email.

It was a moment.

Oh well.

He understood after the explanation.

The next level of mid life celebration officially begins.

Napa Room

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There are moments in our lives that only happen once.

(photo: Two days ago the photo was inspired to capture the laptop cable lock, middle left. Most professional speakers don’t secure their laptop.)

There are moments in our lives that only happen once.

The gratitude from the solitude at 4:30am in this quiet Flint, Michigan Holiday Inn room is remarkable.

Pause for a moment and think about your working years, and the working years of your parents and grandparents.

Have you followed in their footsteps?

Why or why not?

Have you set an example for your children (if you’re a parent)?

Disney career officially began January 25, 1982 as a Magic Kingdom Jungle Cruise Skipper. Left later that year to ride a bicycle across the Country. Returned to Walt Disney World permanently September 1984.

Eventually we all reach the once-in-a-lifetime moment…

The official, public sharing of the impending retirement began yesterday, October 16, 2014.

Never been ~~there~~ here, nor done that before.

Exciting.

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