THE GENIUS of PIXAR - TOP 10 PRINCIPLES
The other day I finally watched Leslie Iwerks’ documentary The Pixar Story…twice.
The first time I was romanced by the amazing Pixar story. As a father of two young daughters I certainly love the movies, but it was behind the scenes of the company that fascinated me the most. It’s almost too good to be true. Nine movies, nine hits, ten Academy Awards and grossing over $2 billion in domestic sales. Ripley’s good and incredibly inspiring.
The second time through the documentary I focused my attention on listening to the verve that gave hint to and suggested why they are so successful. I was intrigued by the how. What makes them so successful, time after time? I discovered that embedded in the story of the brand are some wonderful principles for us all to consider.
My take on the top 10 Principles of Pixar:
1. ATTITUDE OF A STUDENT – As a culture I sometimes think we have lost the art of listening and absorbing. We tend to rush to solutions and judgment versus taking the time to quiet our cleverness and absorb in the way that let’s us see the true possibility. The Pixar team was consistently asking why and what if…which inevitably led to their greatest gift…asking themselves why not?
2. SEEK SYMBIOTIC PARTNERSHIPS - Butch had Sundance. Fred has Ginger. And Pixar had Disney, Tom Hanks, Steve Jobs, Tim Allen, Billy Crystal and Brad Bird. The quick moral of this principle is that by finding the right partner you can optimize your efficiency and potential. You need not climb the mountain alone. In fact, discovering the right partner is encouraged.
3. SHIFT FROM EGOSYSTEM TO ECOSYSTEM - Great teams have great chemistry. Why? Because they rally around the greater cause above and beyond their own personal desires. As my friend Peter Senge often suggests, great cultures have the ability to move from an ego-system to an eco-system. Even in their darkest days, you simply got the sense that the Pixar team was just that…a team. A team that trusted, encouraged and believed in one another. Beautiful.
4. HUMAN CAPITAL IS THE BEST CAPITAL - So often overlooked or underappreciated. The beauty of Pixar is that they were disciplined around nurturing and cultivating the best talent across the board. Candidly, I am not sure they would have had a tenth of the current success without the investment in brilliant individuals. Human capital is not an expense…it is an investment.
5. WORK FROM THE HEART v. THE HEAD - Sometimes you have ideas and thoughts that feel so damn right, but the establishment condemns the thought. Pixar illustrates the incredible value when you have the right people and you work from the heart versus the head. Their story is filled with moments when conventional wisdom would have said no way (e.g. 3D versus 2D animation), but their hearts suggested yes there is a better way. That said imagine all of the wonderful ideas we have crushed because our head and voice of cynicism said no versus what if.
6. NOTHING STARTS WITHOUT A VISION NOTHING LASTS WITHOUT A VISION – From the onset the Pixar team believed in a vision of new possibility and new frontiers. That vision enabled them to work through some very difficult times. It also allowed them to partner with one of our culture’s greatest entrepreneurial spirits…Steve Jobs. What’s most interesting is how Jobs could see the possibility in the vision while others passed.
7. THE STORY DRIVES EVERYTHING – As is quite often the case with most brands, untapped potential remains just that…untapped. Why? There are a myriad of reasons, but one big one is that folks not only forget that the story drives everything, but they are simply awful storytellers. Many brands lose sight of their story because they lack discipline and frameworks. In addition, most brands run the risk of becoming stagnant because they are less than scintillating when it comes to storytelling.
8. CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY AND THE DESTINATION - I loved the scenes of the documentary when the Pixar group documented the team’s reaction to small wins along the journey. A simple thing that can have such a magnificent impact. Inspiration and motivation fuels success…celebrate the journey!
9. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS – We love convenience and we love big gain with little pain. However, if you look deep into the history of most great brands and individuals you’ll find that they were filled with dark moments, deep troughs and bumpy times. It’s what gives the brands character, resiliency and appreciation. It took Pixar ten long years to get to Toy Story. Lean times (they lost $1M a year for 5 years –fortunately for them they had Steve Jobs as a believer and supporter) defined the character and values the team has today.
10. HAVE FUN – Look at your brand’s values. Any mention of having fun? Probably not. It’s a lost art of business. The Pixar story resonated with me because you could not only see the joy they had in the journey, but you could FEEL it as well. Having fun and loving what you do…what’s better than that?
Tags: leslie iwerks, Pixar, Steve Jobs