BOARD PERSPECTIVE
BY JENNY JORGENSEN , AAMD SUPPLIER AT LARGE
What We Can Learn from Walt Disney
Since the toughest economic times of the past 100 years was during the Great Depression of the 1930s , and because experts have drawn many similarities between the conditions that led to the Great Depression of 1930s and current times , my curiosity compelled me to do some research about that period to see what companies were able to do to not only survive the great depression but to come out a better , stronger organization .
Actually , it was not all bad during that period . Many companies that were creative , not afraid to try new approaches and had a positive mental attitude did well , became stronger and thrived in the future . Most of the successful ones focused on a few primary things : they preserved their core values and purposes while their business strategies and operating practices endlessly adapted to a changing world .
Let me tell you about one such businessman who not only survived the great depression but navigated a relatively new company through this financial disaster to become one of the most innovative , creative , and successful men that our country has ever known . This is a man who tried to get a film-making job in Hollywood in 1923 , but no studio would hire him . Rather than give up , he took his meager savings and invested in a camera , which he set up in his uncle ’ s garage and began making animated cartoons . Just as the great depression hit , this man became known as an innovator with the release of the first ever cartoon with synchronized sound .
Then came the depression , instead of being conservative in a time of uncertainty , he continued changing his standard practices in order to continue his success . During the worst days of the depression he gained exclusive rights to use Technicolor in animated films and won his first academy award . He took the bold step of creating the first successful full length feature animation . After the depression , he continued changing things up through television and the creation of the first ever theme park .
From the beginning of his start-up company , through the worst economy our country had ever known , and for the years following , Walt Disney held firmly to a consistent set of core values that included passionate belief in creativity , attention to detail , and preservation of the magic that he created , while constantly innovating and changing to adapt to new technologies . The Disney Company provides a classic case of preserve the core and stimulate progress , holding a core ideology fixed while changing strategies and practices over time .
The past two years have given Supplier Partners so much opportunity to further develop and refine our value to the industry , and how we use data and technology every day to measure and drive the quality of our service ! We know that the road to certainty , understanding , and success for our partnerships is through preservation of our core values at our company - while not being afraid to change our practices and strategies to meet your needs . It ’ s not the beginning or the end of the journey that makes you successful , it ’ s the decisions and adjustments that you make along the way .
Jenny Jorgensen is the Vice President of Multifamily Services at Standard Interiors .
6 | TRENDS FEBRUARY 2022 www . aamdhq . org