Staggs promoted to COO

[lazyboy97o]

Im actually quite happy with the promotion of Staggs. And hopefully he becomes the next CEO. He knows this company inside and out from the early 90s. It would be hard to name a better candidate in my opinion. I know people may scream out loud for John Lasseter but honestly would he even be that good as CEO? The CEO oversees everything, yes John would be great overseeing the Studio and perhaps even the parks but people often forget that the current Walt Disney Co. is more than just those 2 divisions (as much as we may not like it). Staggs is the best choice in my opinion for the next CEO and a great hire as a COO.

He knows the Company because he was part of the cancerous Strategic Planning Group.

 

[lebeau]

He knows the Company because he was part of the cancerous Strategic Planning Group.

AKA "They Who Must Not Be Named".

 

[note2001]

So to the cynical side: Do we need to start practicing saying "It's Stagg's fault, it's all Stagg's fault." <slow head shake, single tear for effect>
...or do we wait for just the right moment?

 

[marni1971]

He knows the Company because he was part of the cancerous Strategic Planning Group.

Those three words. Ugh.

GK must be happy too. Bet Holmes is getting restless as well.

But poor little Jay.

 

[HMF]

Thank god it's not Rasulo.

 

[Maerj]

STAGGS!​

 

[monothingie]

I stand by my earlier statement. That man is dead inside.

To paraphrase a legendary sailor:

"he's got... lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eye."

Chewie? or is that Mala or Itchy? (see Star Wars Holiday Special for backstory)

 

[HMF]

Chewie? or is that Mala or Itchy? (see Star Wars Holiday Special for backstory)

Backstory which Iger destroyed when he trashed the EU.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I can't see this as a good thing. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Get me a creative person in the CEO or COO office as opposed to business/margin guys and I'll be happy.

 

[kap91]

I can't see this as a good thing. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Get me a creative person in the CEO or COO office as opposed to business/margin guys and I'll be happy.

See..as much as I'd like to see Lasseter or Baxter in charge, for the most part the creative, artistic people just don't have much business sense. I mean I'd love to run the Disney company, I can think of so many things I'd love to see them do, but I'd probably ruin profits and send shareholders running left and right. And for a modern business that's catastrophic. Unless you can get an absolute visionary in seat surrounded by people who trust in them but know how to run the business too (I can think of exactly two times this has happened in the history of business Walt and Roy, and Steve Jobs and Tim Cook) you're not on great footing. Best to have someone at the head who is a business person but respects and values the product, and gives a lot of trust to the creative department to let them do their thing. Staggs, out of all the executives in the company seems best suited to be that person.

 

[prberk]

Staggs was the head of Strategic Planning. That sin should be unforgivable.

This is, honestly, the one thing that has given me pause, considering everything else that people are reporting about Staggs. I remember essentially thinking that the development of the Strategic Planning Department and putting that in between the imagineers and the higher management (essentially) was the main turning point in the company's poor direction after Eisner lost Frank Wells.

I do seem to remember reports, though, that Igor essentially gutted that department later. Not sure about that.

But anyway, I have a reservation about people from the Strategic Management Department until they show that they actually understand what drove (and continues to drive) Disney's success. By that I mostly mean the things that were always attributed to Walt: innovation rooted in and balanced by a love of the past; great customer service; and entertainment that cared for the perspective of the whole family; and, like many have said here, a love of the parks (a love of what the organization is doing). That last part goes a long way in staying aware of needs for change or organizational health.

So, I am encouraged by his visits as a guest -- but would love to know that he did it some without the VIP treatment. I am encouraged by the changes he made to rides. I am not encouraged by his supposed interest in Avatarland (which, I think, is evidence of a deaf ear, as people mostly could not care less about Avatar as an ongoing enterprise), but that may have been more of an Iger thing.

Anyway, I hope he does well, and continues to invest himself in the parks (and in other divisions of the company) as a consumer, in order to make the best decisions he can. I also hope that someone who loves the parks AND resorts (just as important) takes over his current job.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Originally that was supposed to be a Zebra habitat unfortunately the Zebras are both anti-social and aggressive so that one did not work well, I think they are looking for a new animal in that area I'm glad the poacher stuff is gone - never liked it as it never seemed to 'work' if you understand me.

If Staggs was responsible for THAT it shows he at least has SOME feeling for guest experience as opposed to Rasulo - 'get a bigger share of customer wallet' fame.

We will see.

That's where they put the Addax. In other news, I haven't seen Scimitar Horned Oryx for a few years. Have they been removed from the Safari?

 

[prberk]

This was a speech by Roy Disney at the 2004 Disney Shareholder meeting. Directed as Eisner and Iger, it still rings very true to day.

"First of all, I want to thank everyone for your many letters and emails and all your encouragement in this campaign.

Stanley has talked about why we need to make a change. I want to spend a few minutes talking about what kind of change we need.

The Walt Disney Company is more than just a business. It is an authentic American icon — which is to say that over the years it has come to stand for something real and meaningful and worthwhile to millions of people of all ages and backgrounds around the world.

This is not something you can describe easily on a balance sheet, but it is tangible enough. Indeed, it is the foundation on which everything we have accomplished as a company — both artistically and financially — is based.

I believe our mission has always been to be bringers of joy, to be affirmers of the good in each of us, to be — in subtle ways — teachers. To speak, as Walt once put it, "not to children but to the child in each of us."

We do this through great storytelling, by giving our guests a few hours in another world where their cares can be momentarily put aside, by creating memories that will remain with them forever.


This is the core of what we've come to call "Disney," and to my mind, our single biggest need is to get back to that core.

In my view, the essence of who we are lies in the business of film — especially animation — and the stories, characters, music, and humor that well-made films generate. This is the engine that drives the train, and everything we do as a company basically flows from it.

You will note that I refer to our film work as a business. Whatever else it may be, it is always that as well — a business that needs to be run on a sound basis by people who are sensible as well as sensitive.

My Dad was quoted once as saying, "It's easy to make decisions, once you know what your values are." Unfortunately, our corporate values have been compromised in recent years.

In large part, this is the result of a cynical management's belief that, in the absence of ideas, the road to success is to cut back on everyone and everything that once made you successful, that you don't really need to give your guests value for money, that creativity and originality are luxuries you can no longer afford … that art and artists are commodities to be bought and sold like any other office supply.

To me, the wrong-headedness of these beliefs is self-evident.

The creative process is the lifeblood of the Disney Company. If it is to thrive, we must do everything possible to establish an environment in which it can once again flourish.

Creativity is a funny thing — difficult to quantify, but obvious when it's missing. It's a living, breathing force with a life of its own, and it tends to flower among individuals or small groups. It doesn't always show up on demand … or at convenient times or places. And it often gets killed by committees or by something called strategic planning. So we need to always be on the lookout for ways to nurture it, and not let it be trampled by a lowest-common-denominator mentality.

One of creativity's worst enemies is something I call "Institution Think." This is a very tricky issue. After all, Disney is an institution. But that doesn't mean it has to think like one.

Let me tell you about the danger of Institution Think: It is often said that our company's most valuable asset is the Disney name. You'll get no argument from me. I kind of like the name myself. But, in recent times, there's been a tendency to refer to it as the "Disney brand." To me, this degrades Disney into a "thing" to be bureaucratically managed, rather than a "name" to be creatively championed. And lately I've been seeing Mickey receive this treatment too, as well as Pooh and a lot of others.

As I've said on other occasions, branding is something you do to cows. It makes sense if you're a rancher, since cows do tend to look alike. It's also useful to lots of businessmen, and they brand things like detergents or shoes for almost the same reason as ranchers. Branding is what you do when there's nothing original about your product.

But there is something original about our products. Or at least there used to be. Our name already means something to consumers.

I really believe that if we keep thinking of Disney as a "brand," we will lose all the meaning that has been built into those six letters for more than three-quarters of a century. We need to get back to thinking of it as a "name" that needs to be prized and enhanced, escape the clutches of Institution Think and resume our trajectory of creative and financial success.

How did the Disney Company create enormous shareholder value in the past? Two ways: first by trusting the talents and imagination of its creative people — and then by supporting them with the resources they required.

I don't care what current management may tell you. The plain fact is, you can't fool all the people all the time. Nor can you succeed in our business by trying to get by on the cheap. Consumers know when they are getting value for their money, and they know when you're trying to sell them second-hand goods.

So what kind of change do we need to make? It's really quite simple. We need to install a new management team, one that understands and believes in the enormously valuable legacy that's been entrusted to us.

Speaking as someone with the last name of "Disney," it is my firm belief that we are not a commodity. As long as we continue to believe in the power of creative ideas, then our best years still lie ahead.

Thank you for your attention."

I have always loved that speech, especially the part about "brand" versus "name." I even think that the company (and many others) would get a bump in enthusiasm among both employees and some consumers if they publicly said that very thing: that know that our name is not just a "brand" but a NAME -- something that defines us and something by which we stand.

"Brand management" is fine business-school talk, but at the end of the day a name is deeper, and has more meaning. And when the management and employees understand the value of the company's name, and the part they play in preserving or elevating it, they are more apt to do it well by bringing their best.

And I do believe that the "Disney" name is valuable. And that anyone holding the CEO or COO position in that company should recognize that above and beyond simple "brand management" principles, even if they use those principles. When they take the name to heart, they will make decisions that they believe in, which if combined with good business principles, will be even stronger.

 

[ford91exploder]

That's where they put the Addax. In other news, I haven't seen Scimitar Horned Oryx for a few years. Have they been removed from the Safari?

I seem to recall seeing the Oryx last trip (dec 2014) - they are pretty shy I usually ride the Safari 3-4 times on days when I'm at AK and usually only see them once around midday.

 

[Matt_Black]

Backstory which Iger destroyed when he trashed the EU.

Like Lucas didn't trash existing EU when he made the prequels.

 

[ford91exploder]

This is, honestly, the one thing that has given me pause, considering everything else that people are reporting about Staggs. I remember essentially thinking that the development of the Strategic Planning Department and putting that in between the imagineers and the higher management (essentially) was the main turning point in the company's poor direction after Eisner lost Frank Wells.

I do seem to remember reports, though, that Igor essentially gutted that department later. Not sure about that.

But anyway, I have a reservation about people from the Strategic Management Department until they show that they actually understand what drove (and continues to drive) Disney's success. By that I mostly mean the things that were always attributed to Walt: innovation rooted in and balanced by a love of the past; great customer service; and entertainment that cared for the perspective of the whole family; and, like many have said here, a love of the parks (a love of what the organization is doing). That last part goes a long way in staying aware of needs for change or organizational health.

So, I am encouraged by his visits as a guest -- but would love to know that he did it some without the VIP treatment. I am encouraged by the changes he made to rides. I am not encouraged by his supposed interest in Avatarland (which, I think, is evidence of a deaf ear, as people mostly could not care less about Avatar as an ongoing enterprise), but that may have been more of an Iger thing.

Anyway, I hope he does well, and continues to invest himself in the parks (and in other divisions of the company) as a consumer, in order to make the best decisions he can. I also hope that someone who loves the parks AND resorts (just as important) takes over his current job.

As to Avatarland well it's the Boss's pet project and are you going to get in the way in corporate america, The answer to that one of course is H--l NO.

As to Stagg's visiting as a guest without a plaid but he has only ONE, That may have been difficult given the current culture he may not even be ALLOWED to do that by Iger, But I'll take his simply BEING there WITH his kids as a positive sign that he likes the parks. Iger and Rasulo if they are seen at the parks AT ALL are surrounded by multiple plaids and PR flacks.

Stagg's first big decision is who to hire to run P&R that decision will tell us much about the future direction of P&R.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Get me a creative person in the CEO or COO office as opposed to business/margin guys and I'll be happy.

I actually think a Lasseter/Staggs combo would be a great executive team. Lasseter in Walt's role and Staggs in Roy's role.

Walt was a brilliant creative person and Roy was great at managing the financials, that successful partnership was why the Disney company was so successful. I'd love to see Lasseter in charge, everything he's done with Pixar has been brilliant and he is one of us (huge Disney park fan), but in a multi billion dollar company with 100,000 employees you have to have a business/margin guy alongside your creative guy to protect the company and it's employees.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Lasseter's fatal flaw in my mind is his complete blindness when it comes to his own IP. For someone who's such a huge fan of Disneyland, he has no problem pushing proposals that break the theme as long as they feature his Pixar IP. And he thinks everyone in the world is wrong about Cars 2 and that it was an amazing movie. And he loves Planes. Like - come on dude. It's okay, we all have clunkers. He genuinely doesn't see them, which is disconcerting.

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

I wanted to give Meryl Streep a hug after she was forced to sit next to him at the Golden Globes.

My, my, Meryl, you sure are aging gracefully! Lol

I think it was @WDW1974 that mentioned awhile back there's a few skeletons in Bob's closet that Bob recently learned are discoverable and will prevent him from running for public office. Am I remembering that right?

Oh you know now you have to dish.

 

[Nubs70]

Now Staggs will bring his "Operational Efficiencies" to TWDC as a whole.