When the United States was founded it was built with the hope of a new start. A place where one could create their own life and pursue their path to achieve their goals. The American dream was alluded to in our Declaration of Independence. This document proclaims “that all men are equal with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It gives each of us the right to create a rich and happy life for ourselves and our family. Being a small business owner is a great example of pursuing the American Dream.
A true example of pursuing that goal is Walt Disney. Born in 1901, he started with drawing cartoons to building the greatest amusement park ever, Disney World. There are many things that contribute to the massive success of his American Dream, but the three basic components as described in the book “How to be Like Walt” are…
Vision – your vision is your definition of success. We each have our own. For many the fulfillment of a project is the ultimate. As in the case of Walt Disney money was not pursued to accumulate but used to finance his dream – fund cartoon creation, movie production and the building of Disneyland and Disneyworld. Financial success was not the ultimate success for him.
Communication – the greater your ability to have a clear vision and share it with others, the greater the force that will bring it life. For many having a clear vision with all the fine details is challenging. Walt Disney visualized Disneyworld, all the way down to the bench strategically placed that he could watch visitors interacting within his park. A clear vision is only powerful if it can be expressed to others. To explain the first feature length animated movie Walt Disney actually performed “Snow White and the seven dwarfs” to his team of animators. He became every character with a distinct voice and personality. Once his performance was over, he asked his team to create it.
People skills – we can achieve more by working with others. The ability to delegate, manage results, inspire loyalty and create a team will create your vision quicker and with a greater impact. The role of coach is the best example of using people skills to execute a dream. A coach focuses on fully utilizing the skill set of each team member, providing encouragement and managing results. A vision is just a dream without execution.
Each July we celebrate the birth of our nation. It is time to crank up the grill, watch spectacular fireworks, listen to music and celebrate with our fellow citizens. I challenge you to take the time to define your vision, clearly communicate with those that can help you realize that vision, then guide it and manage your actions to bring it to life.
