Recommended Reading

Disney War by James B. Stewart

Published by Simon and Schuster

For many Americans who grew up in the Walt Disney studio’s era of imaginative entertainment, the animation company responsible for encouraging us to wish upon stars and believe in dreams, it is indeed sad to learn that Disney is as mortal as other large corporations. As with so many other companies, the rising executive compensations and the arrogance in the upper management ranks should come as no surprise to the majority of interested readers. But Disney War stands out from many other business books in that it reads more like a Machiavellian tale of survival than a dry recounting of the facts.

James Stewart’s book is based on hundreds of hours worth of interviews and personal observations at inside meetings and conferences. Stewart deftly leads us through the Eisner years in a chronological span with flashbacks at appropriate intervals. It is no secret that Mr. Stewart’s bias holds Mr. Eisner responsible for the core problems at Disney. And while the reader does not have the chance to see the story from Mr. Eisner’s perspective, the evidence just solely based on executive attrition would lead even the most objective of observers to wonder why Eisner sabotaged so much of the strong talent he had over the years.

Of special interest is Stewart’s effective translation of the tension inherent in the nuts and bolts business decision making process that Hollywood executives go through to bring us the glamour while they struggle to retain the profits. Especially interesting was his account of the once fledgling birth of reality TV and how Eisner’s early decisions cut Disney’s ABC network out of the initial success.

Probably more than anything else, Stewart’s writing leads us to believe that we are reading a fine Disney inspired-tale of truth versus lies; something he spent hours spinning on his computer. In this case, fact turns out to be more magically entertaining than fiction.

Naked In the Boardroom by Robin Wollaner

Published by Simon and Schuster

We’ve seen a plethora of these “girl guides to business” with successful women sharing their secrets on how to make it in the corporate world of male dominance. Unfortunately the title of this book betrays its content. It’s a gossipy treatise laid out in a numbered format referred to as Naked Truths (up to 80 of them … ugh). The tone is slightly arrogant and reinforces, rather than dispels, some of the stereotypes women have been fighting for years.

Robin Wollaner’s very successful career in publishing culminated in founding Parenting magazine with the backing of Time, Inc. Unfortunately, rather than recounting how she got in this extraordinary position, Ms. Wollaner seems to be trying to impress us with the depth of her Rolodex, name dropping throughout the book. She even uses a specific name when referencing a veiled sexual proposition she had on a superior’s couch. Rather than being an example on how to effectively network and lead, she dishes the dirt about her first ex-husband’s incompetence and skewers a male colleague’s leadership style (using the gent’s name, of course). When she does praise the male approach, it’s back of the hand. As an example, Naked Truth #33 tells us: “Don’t overlook a potential corporate hero just because he wears a suit.”

On the positive side, Ms Wollaner does counsel the reader about honesty and core principles of fair business. She also calls for a return to basic manners in business. She points out that corporate America seems to have lost the significance of simple niceties like “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me”. Manners, she argues, will differentiate you.

Unfortunately though, more often than not, she slips toward the “if you really want to make it in the man’s world you’ve got to act like one — or at least sleep with one” philosophy of business dealings. It’s disappointing that she does this in place of giving young women solid advice on honing their much needed business skills; information such as: knowing how to read financial statements, understanding the value of a well thought out strategy and raising venture capital. A more concrete handbook on good business practices is wildly missing in this book.