"The early flop of The Alice Comedies inoculated Walt against fear of failure; he had risked it all three or four times in his life."
The fact that Walt Disney learned how to operate without the hound of fear on his heels, doesn't necessarily mean that he was reckless. A number of people think that's what operating without fear may mean: it doesn't.
Operating without fear means that in spite of those inner doubts and concerns, we continue on with our purpose and mission in spite of them. We don't allow fear to rule our decisions.
When business leaders have done their homework, know where they're going and what they want, setbacks and potentially discouraging events won't stop them from going forward. Sure, you have to adjust, adapt and change along the way, that's a given for any business venture, but to stop going forward and trying different things can't be an option for anyone.
Fear which rules someone ends up destroying them, as there will always be something that can cause a human being fear, it's part of being alive. Decisions we make can't be influenced by them, or it'll be our master, rather than us being in charge.
So when Walt Disney was building Disney (NYSE:DIS), he ended up not allowing fear to rule him any longer, after the disappointment of "The Alice Comedies."
Again, we have to distinguish between fear itself from how we interact with it. To fear is normal, to be ruled by fear isn't. Walt Disney learned after The Alice Comedies, that the worst that could happen with him in business did, there was nowhere to go but up.
That's why he could put everything on the line throughout his life, as once you experience the worst of your fears, you learn that it doesn't have to have a hold on you.
Walt Disney didn't become reckless because of learning this, but he knew the worst that could happen in business, and was willing to put it all on the line several times. The simple reason wasn't because of a lack of fear, but the ignoring of it.
Other Walt Disney Sources:
"Walt Disney and the Quest for Community"
The Golden Age of Mickey Mouse
Chronology of the Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney's original plans for EPCOT
Builders and Titans: Walt Disney
Disney the Innovator vs Disney the Conservative
A belated thank you to pioneer Walt Disney
Remember to Sign up for my feed
Sponsored link: The outsourcing every manager requires - Tampa Locksmith
Comment Preview