The Walt Disney Company has made some good moves since Eisner left a couple Octobers ago. BusinessWeek had a great article on how Disney has changed since Bob Iger took over as CEO.
Michael Eisner did some good stuff in the ’90s but it was Bob Iger that brought back the relationship with Steve Jobs’s Pixar. ABC has resurfaced and theme park attendance has been increasing. What Iger did was “unchain” the bureaucratic executives trapped in Eisner’s control and lack of real vision. Disney is now more aggressive and cutting edge (even though some may argue it is becoming too commercial). Iger is all about the whole image, the team, the conversation. He tries not to simply act as an authority but gives the power to all in the company.
“Iger recognized that the problem wasn’t the people running the show. It was the work environment–and he set about changing it. One of the first things Iger did was make the Monday morning meetings less autocratic. Where Eisner held court, Iger encourages a conversation. Even his office is more inviting. Out went the drabness of the Eisner years. In came airiness, family photos, and a cigar store Indian Iger found in the basement of the ABC building in New York. He hangs his suit jacket on it.” - 7 February 2007, BusinessWeek
He takes risks and seems to be more visionary, allowing not just him, but the team to make decisions and risks. Here’s to a better future at Disney.
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