The Wisdom of Walt

Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth

By: Jeffrey A. Barnes

Narrated by: Al Kessel

Put Walt to Work for You

How do you go from dreaming of a theme park to building one? Walt Disney laid the blueprint. Learn how he did it, and how his wisdom can guide you toward achieving the things that you dream of.

The experts told Walt it'd never work. A giant theme park, where parents and children could play together? Crazy! So Walt put all of his money into this crazy dream of his. He put his reputation on the line. Anyone else would have quit, discouraged and disillusioned, but Walt built Disneyland. How did he go from dreaming to doing? And how can you do the same, no matter what your goal?

In The Wisdom of Walt, Professor Jeffrey Barnes distills Walt Disney's vision, his knowledge, and his methods into a series of actionable lessons. Through historical vignettes about Disneyland, as well as plentiful examples and exercises, Barnes creates a framework through which you can apply Walt's wisdom to improve your career, your company, and your life.

Learn to:

Listen to your "Walter ego" and start trusting yourself

Go "beyond the berm" with the secrets of Disneyland's success

Make a "Main Street impression" on everyone you meet

Create "E-ticket experiences" that keep them coming back for more

WITH THE WISDOM OF WALT, YOUR SUCCESS IS JUST A DREAM AWAY!

©2015 Jeffrey A. Barnes (P)2015 Jeffrey A. Barnes

This was Awesome!!

I learned so much about Walt and Disneyland. Can’t wait to listen to it again.

Amazing Quality & Book. Highly Recommended!

Would you listen to The Wisdom of Walt again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to The Wisdom of Walt again. The narrator Al Kessel pulls you into the story beautifully with his strong, smooth, natural, and easy-to-understand voice. He paints a vivid picture of each scene and picture, and clearly articulates the lessons of the book. This is top-notch work and I loved listening to it.

What other book might you compare The Wisdom of Walt to and why?

I would compare the Wisdom of Walt to 7 Ways to Know You Were Meant to Lead. The reason for this is because the Wisdom of Walt is filled with success principles and key leadership insights. What I love about this book is it not only tells the story of Walt in detail, but also extracts the key success and leadership principles in a clear and easy-to-understand fashion.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when Jeffrey Barnes (through Al Kessel's narration) talked about visualizing the details of his wedding. He told his wife-to-be all of the details of the wedding, including where it would occur and what they would be wearing. This was so inspiring because Jeffrey and his wife Nikki came from extremely different backgrounds and thought they would never be able to get married. Nikki said to Jeffrey in response, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "you're out of your mind". Guess what? Nearly every detail that Jeffrey pictured of his wedding to Nikki came true. This was amazing to listen to. I'm a huge fan of visualization and I can attest to the enormous power of this practice. I'm so glad to hear Jeffrey benefited from it, just like Walt did, and I hope more people implement visualization into their lives.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was a book I wanted to listen to all in one sitting. I wasn't able to do that due to time constraints in my schedule, but the story was so exciting, entertaining, and enlightening that I easily could have listened to it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this is amazing work. A top-notch book by Jeffrey Barnes coupled with excellent narration from Al Kessel makes this a book you must listen to.

Good ideas and content

This book uses Disneyland as a backdrop for life lessons. If your interested in that idea....read this book. If you are looking for more information, stories and interesting facts probably not the right book. There are some but not enough for an intermediate Disneyland buff.

Great book!

Thanks Jeff! Hope you were able to get back on Space Mountain. Many takeaways.

Engaging and thought provoking

I enjoyed the connection between leadership a passion of mine and Walt Disney a man I admire. I was able to reflect and be inspired by Walt Disney's work. The analogies of the host of Disney land to Leadership allowed me to access learning in a "fun" way.