|
Excerpted from a speech given by Disney
CEO Michael Eisner at the 2001 Tri-State
Camping Conference.
Camp can give you
the keys to success
"I remember my very first canoe trip.
I was terrified. We were venturing out into
what seemed to be uncharted territory, perhaps
never to be seen again. Every aspect of
it was intimidating … but especially the
idea that somehow our survival depended
on us doing stuff and doing it together
and doing it right. Of course, steadily,
terror gave way to triumph, and I returned
with an indescribable feeling of achievement.
Many years later, I was a counselor helping
to lead one of these expeditions.
"But, oh, the lessons I learned. On
these canoe trips, we could never survive
the first day if we didn't practice teamwork,
show initiative, handle adversity, listen
well and, not least important, maintain
a sense of humor.
"May I repeat that list: practice
teamwork, show initiative, handle adversity,
listen well and maintain a sense of humor.
I'm sure it will surprise no one in this
room that these five attributes don't just
apply to canoe trips. They represent keys
to success in one's career. Indeed, they
are keys to success in life. And, you just
can't learn them spending your summers playing
video games."
Life lessons learned
at the campfire
"Simply consider the lessons I was
taught by the campfire. Every time I was
on fire detail, the situation and challenge
was different. But, every time the rich
reward was the same as we simply sat and
enjoyed our consuming creation. And, there
was one aspect in particular that never
failed to intrigue me, and that was the
process of seeing the single small flame
of the match spread to the kindling and
then the twigs and then the smaller branches
and finally the larger logs. It didn't dawn
on me until years later, but this was the
perfect metaphor for the creative process.
In much the same way, the fragile spark
of an idea can spread to become a great
work of art or a movie or a political movement
or an automobile or a Space Shuttle or a
new communications technology. But, these
blazing achievements can only happen if
the initial idea is cared for, protected,
and nurtured until it is ready to spread.
"Years later, I found myself running
a network television division and then a
movie studio and now an entire entertainment
company. But, much of the success I've achieved
can be traced to the direct and metaphorical
lessons I learned in building those campfires.
I can hardly think of an aspect of my life
that wasn't positively affected by my camping
experience."
|
 |
|
