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In this episode, we have the first of a 2-part interview with Doug Lipp. Doug enjoyed a unique career with Disney, from a marketing internship to Disneyland to Tokyo Disneyland to Disney University in multiple roles, and we touch on all of it. He also has great insights about leadership—whether you’re leading a multi-billion dollar corporation or your own family—and he had some amazing mentors.
In this episode, Doug talks about…
- How he got started at Disney and what he did;
- His internship with The Magic Kingdom Club;
- His original goal, and how Disney sidetracked that…in a good way;
- An early memory of going to Disneyland;
- What brought him back to the Walt Disney Company after graduate school;
- Combining his training skills and Japanese language skills to help with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland;
- Two of his primary mentors: Van France (founder of Disney University) and Jim Cora (among other things, he was on Walt Disney’s team to open the Enchanted Tiki Room);
- The origin of the terms onstage, backstage, cast member, etc. as they related to Disneyland;
- What it was like to visit Tokyo Disneyland for the first time in 19 years;
- The similarities he sees between Japanese culture and Disney culture;
- Taking the opportunity to lead the training team at the Walt Disney Studios and what he did in that role;
- A great, but brief, discussion about former Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook;
- A rarely-heard quote from Walt Disney, and now one of my favorites;
- How he met his wife, Pam, while working for Disney;
- The transition of the Walt Disney Company to Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, and his experience giving them their name badges;
- A memory of when he knew he was doing something truly special;
- And more.
Find Doug Online:
- DougLipp.com
- Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal, and Customer-Centric Employees Book (Amazon – affiliate link)
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Thanks for listening!
Music and voiceovers provided by Rick Moyer.