Duncan Wardle: The one who dances with the mouse

m&k: Duncan Wardle, you worked for the Walt Disney Company for more than two decades, most recently as Global Head of Innovation & Creativity. What was the first Disney story you ever encountered?

Duncan Wardle: «The Jungle Book,» 1967. It was my fifth birthday, and I went to the movies with my mother and my twin sister. You're probably too young to remember this, but back then, 80 percent of the moviegoers smoked there. (laughs). And then there was the little non-smoking section for the «weirdos» who didn’t like cigarettes. That’s where we sat. I could barely see anything through all the smoke, but I still remember the snake’s eyes. They scared me to death, even through the tobacco haze. That says a lot about Walt’s talent for bringing his characters to life, don’t you think?

But the snake in *The Jungle Book* didn't stop you from pursuing a career at Disney. According to my research, that career began with a rabbit—and what about Diana, Princess of Wales?

It actually started a little earlier—but I know which incident you're referring to (laughs). My career at Disney began in the 1980s at the company’s London office, in what was known as the Parks and Recreation Department. I called there every day for a whole month and kept bugging the secretary until I was invited for an interview. Eventually, I got a job as a temp, folding dozens of press kits and running out to get cappuccinos for the team. After about three weeks, I was told: «Duncan, you’ll have to step in as character coordinator for the royal premiere of *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* next week. Diana, the Princess of Wales, will be there—so this is a very important event for us.» To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what a «character coordinator» actually does (laughs).

I'm curious to see what happens.

I was simply told that at the premiere, an actor dressed as a rabbit would come down a flight of stairs to shake the princess’s hand. I was just supposed to make sure nothing «unexpected» happened. I guess I was a bit naive and thought there was no way I could mess that up… and that day I learned what a contingency plan is: because I didn’t have one. A contingency plan would have made me realize beforehand that—if you’re having a very large rabbit with very long feet walk down a flight of stairs toward the Princess of Wales—you might want to measure the width of the steps first. Had I done that? No, of course not. So the rabbit steps onto the first step of the staircase, stumbles… and falls straight toward Princess Diana, very quickly, whereupon he is subdued by two Royal Protection Officers. Just imagine that: Roger Rabbit on the floor, two officers on his back—and next to him, a young, 21-year-old PR guy from Disney thinking to himself, «Oh my God, I’m so fired.»

However, they were not fired; they were promoted.

The next day, I went to the office, where I received a call from Disney’s CMO in Los Angeles. I was convinced they were going to fire me. But he said, «That was great publicity!» And I thought: Well, if that’s the case, I can make a career for myself! (laughs) During my first twenty years at Disney, that’s exactly what I did: I tried to develop and implement the boldest and most outlandish ideas.

What ideas are we talking about here?

I had my son’s «Buzz Lightyear» doll sent into space by NASA to celebrate the premiere of «Toy Story.» Buzz spent eighteen months on the International Space Station—making him the most experienced astronaut in history! I had an Olympic-sized swimming pool built at Disneyland so Michael Phelps could swim laps there. I helped Pixar develop storylines and characters and assisted Lucasfilm with integrating «Star Wars» into the Disney universe… and then I got a call from our CEO. He was very nice to me; we chatted a bit, and finally he said, «You’re the guy with the big ideas, aren’t you? And you actually seem to be able to bring those ideas to life, despite all the hierarchies and approval processes we have in the company. I think you should become our Head of Innovation & Creativity.» My first reaction was pretty spontaneous. I replied, «Okay, but… what does that mean?» (laughs)

You were tasked with introducing a culture of continuous innovation at Disney. How did you accomplish that?

I’d like to give you a few specific examples of challenges we’ve faced—and tell you about the solutions we found. That’s actually what led to what I do today—and what I want to share in my talks.

You're very welcome.

Here’s an example from 2011: Back then, my team and I—to put it simply—were tasked with finding ways for the Disney Parks to generate more revenue. The first thing that naturally comes to mind is raising ticket prices. You could raise ticket prices by three percent, boost the quarterly results—voilà! But we approached the issue from a completely different angle from the outset: What, we asked ourselves, was the biggest «pain point» for our guests?

Let me guess: waiting in line?

Exactly! So we set out to find the longest lines: We found them at hotel check-in and check-out, at the park entrances, at meet-and-greets with our characters, at certain rides, and when paying for food or merchandise. Then we looked outside our industry for insights and good ideas. And we found a small company in Tokyo that manufactured RFID chips that could be used to make restaurant reservations. We adapted this technology: We embedded an RFID chip into a plastic wristband; it’s located under Mickey’s head, right here (points to his wrist). This is now the room key for every Disney hotel. It’s also the admission ticket to the theme park. You can use it to make reservations for meet-and-greets with Disney characters and your favorite rides, and you no longer have to wait in line. When I buy merchandise, a simple «tap» on the wristband lets me pay the bill—and if I want my purchases shipped directly to my home, that’s no problem either. The list goes on and on.

«I called Disney every day for a month and kept bugging the secretary until I got an appointment.»

So you’ve been thinking about how to improve your guests’ experience, rather than focusing primarily on increasing revenue. In the end, that approach has still led to an increase in your revenue.

Yes. If we’d just asked ourselves how we could make more money quickly, we could have done that simply by raising ticket prices. But that wouldn’t have been sustainable, and we would have had to raise prices again a short time later. Instead, we implemented a technology that now gives Disney guests two more hours of free time in the park than they had a few years ago. And what do people do with that free time? They spend more money! (laughs) RFID technology and the wristbands have proven to be one of the most profitable innovations in Disney's entire history. And as an added bonus, the technology helps collect real-time data on what guests like, how they behave, and what they don’t like—a perfect foundation for developing new products and offerings.

Can you learn this way of dealing with challenges?

Absolutely. But I think it’s important to give people a simple set of tools to work with. If you ask people what the biggest barrier to innovation is in their respective companies, you’ll hear things like: «Well, we don’t have time for strategic thinking, we’re risk-averse, we have to meet our quarterly targets, we operate in a highly regulated industry…» Okay, so there are rules. But do people break them when the boss isn’t looking? Of course they do. Think about it: What if there were a toolkit that allowed you to break the rules—mentally, so to speak—without actually having to cross any lines? And what if this toolkit could help you think «differently» and come up with new ideas? Walt Disney himself, by the way, worked exactly this way.

That sounds exciting!

Walt produced the film *Fantasia* in 1940. He wanted warm air to be blown into the theater during certain scenes and fog during others, but the theater owners said, «That’s too expensive, Walt; we could never do that.» So Walt observed the industry—at first without any personal judgment—and wrote down the «rules.» When I go to a movie theater, I have to sit down. I have to be quiet. I have to sit in a specific seat. I have to leave at a specific time. I have to pay money to be let in. I can only watch one movie at a time. I can’t control the environment in which people watch my movies. That’s the first step: List the rules of your industry as objectively and impartially as possible.

And then?

Choose one of these «rules» and ask the boldest questions that come to mind. Walt Disney did just that. He asked, «What if I could control the environment in which my films are shown?» Well, he couldn’t, because he didn’t own the movie theaters. And that idea wasn’t broad enough either. The broader your «what if» considerations are, the more likely you are to step outside your own «River of Thinking.» So Disney said, «What if I took my movies out of the theater and into a different setting?» – «Don’t be silly, Walt, they’re two-dimensional—you need a screen!» – «What if I make them three-dimensional?» – «How on earth are you going to pull that off, Walt?» – «Well, I could have real people walking around. What if I put them in costumes? That way, people would believe they’re dealing with a real princess, a real cowboy.» – «»Yes, but Walt, Cinderella can’t stand next to Davy Crockett—people wouldn’t be able to focus on their stories at all.« – »And what if I placed the characters in different themed worlds, different countries… what if I called the whole thing Disneyland?”

The «River of Thinking» is a constant stream of routines and everyday problems that occupy us in both our professional and personal lives. Many people would like to think more like Walt Disney in the story mentioned above—but to do that, they’d have to step out of this «River of Thinking,» wouldn’t they?

When I give keynote speeches, I regularly ask the audience where they come up with their best ideas. How many, do you think, say, «At the office»? I can tell you: zero percent. Because when we’re at work, our brains are usually in a state I call «Busy Beta.» We use about thirteen percent of our mental capacity to deal with the problems of day-to-day business, while the door between our conscious and subconscious minds remains firmly closed. The subconscious, however, is where the big ideas come from. So we try to enter a state I call «Amazing Alpha»—you’re still able to make rational decisions, but the door between your conscious and subconscious minds is opened wide enough to allow great ideas to emerge.

How do you reach the state you call «Amazing Alpha»?

My advice to companies: If you want to tackle a challenge with your employees, brief them well in advance. Don’t give them a task and expect them to come up with a creative solution on the very same day—instead, create space for a certain degree of «playfulness.» The «Amazing Alpha» state often arises quite spontaneously when people have a challenge in the back of their minds but then do something else first. Go for a jog, take a hot shower—yes, even if they wake up in the middle of the night and exclaim, «Eureka! That’s it!» (laughs) Of course, companies can do even more: Toy manufacturer Hasbro gives each of its employees five dollars per quarter for new desk decorations … it can be anything—just not toys! Simply to get people talking to one another. At Pixar, team desks aren’t arranged by department—the lawyers sit right next to the animators. And why? Well, that goes back to the great Steve Jobs, who was convinced that «unplanned collaboration» is a major asset for almost any company. But on a personal level, too, there’s a lot we can do to spark new ideas: We can try a different radio station, listen to a new podcast, or talk to a friend—or even people on social media—who don’t share our views. We can choose a different route to work once a month. Often, it’s the simplest things that spark new ideas.

You're an expert on innovation and transformation. In your opinion, how has the pandemic changed the business world?

No one is going back to «business as usual.» From now on, it’s «business as unusual.» We used to go to restaurants; now the restaurants come to us—here in America, for example, with Uber Eats. We used to go to the supermarket; now the supermarket comes to us via home delivery. We used to go to the movies; now the movies come to us, via Amazon, Disney+ or Netflix. I hope that in a year’s time, the pandemic will be completely behind us—but the things I’ve just described aren’t going away. They’re here to stay, at least to some extent. Part of the market as we knew it is irretrievably lost. However, an endless number of new opportunities are emerging. Of course, technology will play a decisive role.

What developments do you expect to see here?

There are quite a few things that I believe will happen. Imagine a world that is truly and completely connected. Imagine that the bulky virtual reality headsets we use today will become lighter and more affordable, completely transforming the way we live, work, and relax. A child in Cairo or New York will soon be able to buy a ticket for one dollar and use it to sit virtually in the stands at Bayern Munich’s stadium. For five dollars, they can get a virtual seat on the sideline. And for ten dollars, the child can virtually sit on the bench and listen in on the players’ conversation. All without leaving their bedroom. As I said: We’re not talking about some distant future here, but rather three to five years from now.

Not only are you an international keynote speaker, but you also work as a consultant for some of the world’s best-known brands. What advice do you give them when they ask how they can prepare for the future?

For example, I tell them that they finally need to think about their purpose. Because most companies don’t even know what that is—they have no idea! They might think it has something to do with philanthropy, with charity… but they couldn’t be more wrong! The biggest challenge the Western world will face regarding the workforce in the next decade will be Generation Z—specifically, their unwillingness to work for the established companies out there. And why? Because they don’t believe in what these companies stand for. And if they don’t believe in what the companies stand for, they won’t buy their products and services either. My daughter lost her job in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic; in August, she was offered another position—with double the salary! But she turned it down: «I don’t believe in what this company stands for.» That was the end of the matter for her. (laughs). And there are many in Generation Z who think the way my daughter does. In any case, I can't think of a better argument for focusing on purpose—true purpose.

Duncan Wardle He spent a large part of his professional career at the Walt Disney Company—for more than two decades, he was responsible there for global communications, among other things, and most recently served as Head of Innovation & Creativity. Today, the British-born executive is a sought-after international keynote speaker, writes regularly for publications such as *Forbes* and the *Harvard Business Review*, and advises leading companies. Duncan Wardle lives with his family in New York City.