Josh D'Amaro had recently been promoted to vice president of Hong Kong Disneyland and was leading his first meeting. Business in Hong Kong was going through a turbulent time, and D'Amaro wanted to set the right leadership tone and lead the iconic theme park to success.
He stood in front of his marketing and sales executives and told them what they were going to do: “Align, build, and prepare yourself for the future.” And they all did exactly what D'Amaro told them to do.
And none of it worked.
When he gathered his management team again to find out what had gone wrong, he got a quick reply: “The executives said, 'We're not going to let you down.' said What should we do? asked “We asked them what we should do,” D'Amaro said.
The experience changed his approach to leadership, from always wanting to be the one to provide answers to becoming the one asking questions. “What I should have done was just say, 'I don't know,'” he admits. “And when you say that, everybody wants to help you. Everybody wants to give you their opinion, tell you what they've experienced and what they think we should do going forward.”
Podcast listeners will appreciate D'Amaro's observation that as leaders, it can be tempting to be the go-to person for all the big decisions, even if you're in unfamiliar territory.
The main lessons learned are:
• The surprising truth D'Amaro learned about himself after playing in the high school basketball all-star game.
• How to turn doubt into a true adventure that pushes your limits.
• The power of insatiable curiosity to explore unknown territories.
In D'Amaro's Disney world, storytelling and curiosity are key metaphors for leadership: just as curiosity guides leaders, curiosity guides the creative people who bring the magical world of Disney to life.
“It's that same passion, attention to detail and belief that makes it a reality,” he said of Disney's legendary Imagineers. “When you watch Imagineers build a new attraction or a new area, it's not with hammers and nails or plaster and paint. They're pouring their heart and soul into these places to make sure everyone feels part of the story. That's the part of Disney that remains the same wherever you go around the world.”
