No offense to Josh, because he seems like a nice guy. But... What exactly did the man do to win so much favor with the community? He played the game well. Has anything changed at Walt Disney World because of his leadership? No. He was in and out in an instant. It was during his tenure as Disneyland Resort president that the Galaxy’s Edge launch was bungled and the “close the gap initiative” was implemented.
He has absolutely nailed social media and creating a presence for himself. That does not make a good leader. The product is the ultimate barometer of leadership.
The jury is still very much out.
I also want to take the opportunity to remind you all of another fan-favorite executive. Catherine Powell rose to prominence just as impressively as Josh. She had social media savvy and did a lot to curate her image. She eventually ended up being fired for events that happened at Disneyland Resort. A complex that Josh happened to be president of... She was fired and he got promoted.
This also leaves Michael Colglazier in an interesting position. He and Powell seemed to be the likely successors to parks and resorts. Chapek may have been doing his own “bake off.” Instead, Powell was fired and Colglazier was passed over. Is Colglazier going to leave, or is he doing something really important? The one reason he might stay is if he is currently spearheading an effort to build a new Disneyland in Asia. That’s an assignment that would be arguably just as high profile as parks chairman. Or maybe he will just stick around reporting to the guy who leapfrogged him.
Interesting!