You don't get to be at Disney for that long without being a Yes man
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News Jim MacPhee takes on new role of Senior Vice President, Operations at Walt Disney World
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
So could this new guy affect REAL change at the parks, in a positive way?
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Or if you're smart.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I really hope.
Disnutz311
Disney World Purist
Semi-Off topic question...
Does anybody know who is the new Vice President of Food & Beverage for Walt Disney World? It use to be Beth Scott but she left last year. I ask because there is a position they created that would fit me amazingly well.
Does anybody know who is the new Vice President of Food & Beverage for Walt Disney World? It use to be Beth Scott but she left last year. I ask because there is a position they created that would fit me amazingly well.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Smart people know when to say “yes” and when (and how) to put up a fight.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Exactly
And so it begins. The people standing with/behind him in creating one vision are difference makers. Sometimes you need a strong likable front person who can find middle ground, to make the ideas of some very creative people more palatable and likely to come to fruition. Those people will finally have someone who can get their message across to some more "stubborn" members of the top level. Will it stop all the madness? No, but, it certainly will change the dynamic that has been so poor for a long time now. Short answer on is this a good thing. Yes. Yes it is.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I wish him the best.
And NO he is not a YES man. He is a very smart man who has the full support of key people. People they wont listen to all the time unless there is a calming voice to settle the disputes. He is the calming voice. Those who have been clamoring for change and one voice/vision, more akin to what Walt built, will finally get their wish. Even mid level management in some parts of the company have been hearing these whispers and were already excited. Based on interaction with him Ive had the opportunity to have, he is gracious, smart, a die hard Walt guy, and understands that the major players in creativity just needed someone to bring them all together. I, for one, am very happy and excited to see this finally happen. I assumed it would be later this year, but, when they started moving the pieces around in December, I should have realized thee timeline was much sooner.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
He either agrees with Guardians of the Galaxy coming to Epcot or decided it wasn't worth putting up a fight and was a "yes man" in this case. Which do you think is the case?
He's a great guy, but he doesn't have the power some imagine. He could help make our 50th celebration (the actual celebration, not the rides opening for it) better.
wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
Or the project was already way too far along and would be near impossible to stop now without bigger problems coming of it? Is that a possibility as well? Marie
As with anything Disney does timelines are fluid. Everything I was hearing from the people we deal with is that there would be changes in management, mid and upper, as well as cleaning up some redundancy, but, the top level change wasnt expected until later in the year. Everything else was a table setter. Something moved the timeline up. The people I work with were already excited about the possibility of new leadership because of who they were hearing it was, and they all maintained their roles or moved up in the process. Which made me breathe a sigh of relief because they are really good people. As ive said, this is a very positive move for people who love Disney and long for the singular voice, singular vision. The creative minds now have a bigger voice and the ones who needed to be heard more often, finally will. I think there will be small moves made which will make it obvious who the big supporters of this were/are and who he will lean on a ton for support in the process. I think for me, the biggest thing is the voice I have been waiting to have more of a steering the ship role as a Disney fan, will finally have it through Jim. There has been way too much in fighting, too many voices, and too much creativity has been stifled because of egos and stubborn behavior. Sometimes people trying to accomplish the same goal dont play well together and even the most amazing minds and people with ideas can have a problem getting what they want because of how they "frame" the discussion. Jim is capable of framing those discussions so everyone gets along and then works with a common goal behind one voice.
wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
Thank you for weighing in larandtra, You are giving me reasons to be REALLY optimistic!!! Marie
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
One page of "at least he's not the worst"
One page of "this guy is old school magic"
Now, "this guy yes'd his way from the parking lot to top Op"
From what I can deduce: super nice, has a heart, passion for Disney, isn't the best candidate but certainly someone that will make a positive difference in some way, big or small. Solid choice for the nostalgics, and the "stop messing with a good thing" group.
Its a bit more than that. While there may be more "qualified" people, the bigger issue has been the inability of people to get along and have a single vision when it comes to fixing/improving the parks at WDW. He is not a yes man, but, he is someone who can enable people to work in one direction. And yes that direction is a Nostalgic type Disney feel, but, dont let that kid you into thinking he is not for change and improving things. Even if it includes IPs in parks, new ideas, new ride systems, etc. There are still a LOT of creative genius minds in imagineering. We see ther results and praise their work a lot. The issue has been the inability of people to get along and merge those minds with the people who control the $$$ or make other decisions. He brings the two together. Good business sense and great people person. Just because he is nice doesnt mean he cant sit people down and say, enough. Here is where we are. Here is where we need to get to. Lets find a way. His voice will resonate. And there will be a huge benefit to certain people in imagineering and upper levels of creative because of it.
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
This sounds great! Thank you for sharing this.
Who promoted him to this position? Was it a Board decision? And any insights we can glean from that?
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Ask yourself this- Why would executive leadership promote someone to greater positions of power if they showed ANY sign of being at odds with their plans? Regardless of whether he had any say in the matter, I don't think Jim would have been promoted at all if he wasn't willing to at least put on the facade of agreeing with the GOTG project.
It's similar to Joe Rohde publicly promoting Mission Breakout in DCA. I absolutely do not him being actually happy (behind whatever facade he put up) with having to help create and promote the attraction. I think he did so to maintain a position in the company for longer. So he held his breath and swallowed the bitter medicine.
Unless you have substantial political leverage, Disney bean counters aren't going to promote someone who isn't enthusiastic about their wishes. Even WITH political sway, Tony Baxter was pushed out for speaking his mind and standing up to Iger (his influence was probably why he wasn't fired outright for insubordination, instead given a Legends award and a lucrative "consulting position").
It's similar to Joe Rohde publicly promoting Mission Breakout in DCA. I absolutely do not him being actually happy (behind whatever facade he put up) with having to help create and promote the attraction. I think he did so to maintain a position in the company for longer. So he held his breath and swallowed the bitter medicine.
Unless you have substantial political leverage, Disney bean counters aren't going to promote someone who isn't enthusiastic about their wishes. Even WITH political sway, Tony Baxter was pushed out for speaking his mind and standing up to Iger (his influence was probably why he wasn't fired outright for insubordination, instead given a Legends award and a lucrative "consulting position").
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
Could it be that the bean counters see some sort of writing on the wall in over investing in short-term-IP-ification, perhaps wanting to diversify the future of the parks with more ever-green and classic Disney (substance/imagination)? Bean counters love them some portfolio diversification. This could be the best move for them financially regardless of an Iger agenda.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Considering what we've been told from insiders, it sounds like the IP push is going to continue. They may pare down or cancel projects (business as usual), but IP will persist. Hence the recently announced plans for "Pixar Pier" in DCA.