Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

Disney’s Succession Mess

Wayne Rivers
By Wayne Rivers
12 minutes

One of the most venerated and revered companies in the world is having a very difficult go of things about now. Disney, with all its talent and resources, has made a hash of their CEO succession planning. CNBC featured a long, detailed story about this calamity in Sept. 2023, and there are valuable takeaway lessons for construction leaders.

Tune in this week as Wayne outlines ten mistakes Disney made in their botched succession planning, gives you eight “lessons learned” which are applicable to contractor succession plans, and returns to an old favorite you’ve heard here before: “The seeds of a company’s destruction are sown in good times.” What are your thoughts? Please share with us in the comments section.

Registrations for the last Contractor Business Boot Camp class of 2023 close in a week’s time. The class starts on Nov 9 in Raleigh. If you haven’t yet enrolled your rising high-potential leaders to this unique career development course, do it NOW! This is the best investment you will make towards their leadership career. Interested in the program but can’t make it in Nov? We have got you covered. Three new classes are starting in 2024 – Feb 22 in Dallas, April 11 in Raleigh and Aug 8 in Denver. Please contact Charlotte at ckopp@familybusinessinstitute.com for more information.

Related articles

Shirtsleeves to Shirtsleeves in Three Generations?

Researcher James Grubman wrote in the periodical Globe Law and Business about a cliché we have all heard: “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” He analyzes the academic pursuits which attempted to quantify this phenomenon and has some interesting observations. Is it true? Do successful entrepreneurial enterprises really rise and fall so predictably over a lifespan of just three generations?

One hand passing baton to another

Related articles

The More Things Change...

In January of 2025, Brown Brothers Harriman, an investment bank, produced their “Private Business Owner Survey.” They interviewed 400 private business owners who own firms generating between $50 million to over $1 billion. That revenue range is almost a perfect overlap with our members, so that makes their findings even more compelling. You’re not going to believe what they found!

Businessman jumping from smaller fishbowl to a bigger one

Related articles

Outlive - The Science and Art of Longevity

Dr. Peter Attia has written a remarkable book: Outlive – The Science and Art of Longevity. We all want to live long, healthy, productive lives, but there is no owner’s manual for how to do that. Well, now there is – at least in a manner of speaking. This book is well worth your time and effort.

3d render of a stethoscope shaped as a heart with ECG symbol

Subscribe for updates