The Story Behind the Mouse: Transformational Leadership at the Walt Disney Company

This paper will focus on the evolving leadership styles and challenges associated with them for the global media and entertainment conglomerate, the Walt Disney Company. While it started as a family-owned business by two humble brothers with a dream to create and innovate, it has evolved into a multinational and multi-sectoral company serving audiences of all ages. The Walt Disney Company is a company that allows its fans to grow with it, as those who start as fans could eventually work for the company in various capacities. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leadership styles of Walt Disney and more recent CEOs to understand how they can be considered transformational leaders. Additionally, this paper will review the company culture and outline issues of corporate governance surrounding the company to help us understand what they can continue to improve upon. Overall, the constant innovation throughout all sectors of the Walt Disney Company allows the company to remain true to its founding mission despite becoming a public company.