The Wisdom of Walt Audiobook By Jeffrey A. Barnes cover art

The Wisdom of Walt

Leadership Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth

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The Wisdom of Walt

By: Jeffrey A. Barnes
Narrated by: Al Kessel
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About this listen

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
    Career Success Leadership Travel & Tourism Business Career Inspiring Thought-Provoking Wisdom Dream
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    What listeners say about The Wisdom of Walt

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    This was Awesome!!

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

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    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.

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    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.

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    Very enjoyable and informative

    Being a Disney crazed fan, I loved hearing the stories. Now to put the lessons into practice. Thank you Jeff for helping give me to tools to make myself a more successful paramedic and person.

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    Walt

    Was timeless it was great to listen to I always loved to hear him speak

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    The Wisdom of a Great Teacher!!!!

    Jeffrey Barnes , the author of this awesome book is one of those Teachers that everyone fights for a spot in his class. He's inventive, insightful, & not afraid to try something new! His review of Walt Disney was delightful & I learned so much! I would love to visit Disneyland and experience it for myself. I would also love to take his class. I don't think he would want to come to Alabama. I thought I knew a lot about WDW & the history behind it but he has me beat by far. You will enjoy reading this book if you like or love anything about Walt, Mickey, or Disneyland,

    🎵Who's the leader of the class that's made for you & me, J.E.F.R.E.Y.🎵 B.A.R.N.S...🎵.....fForever let Us Hold Our Banner High..🏳...Come Along & Sing🎵 Our Song And Join Our Jamboree 🎪.. J.E.F.R.E.Y🎵....B.A.R.N.S.......Yeah Jeffrey!!!!🏳🚩🏳🚩

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    Great book!

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

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    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.

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    Leadership Nuggets from Walt Disney? Yes Please!

    As Bob Thomas observed in Walt Disney: An American Original, “a man gave birth to a mouse. The mouse built the man an empire.”

    In The Wisdom of Walt, Jeffrey Barnes tells the story of how he came to live his dream of teaching a college level course on The History Disney Land, which obviouisly has to include a lot of the history of Walt Disney as well. Where was this course when I was in college?

    Along the way he weaves in many nuggets of wisdom and leadership that can be learned from Walt Disney, the man who created Disney Land and is one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. If you have any curiosity about Walt Disney and Disney Land you will enjoy this book We listened to it on our last trip to Walt Disney World and it made the journey fun and educational. If you are a fan of Walt Disney like I am you will love it.

    “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

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    Edutainment at it's finest! 💕✨

    I always prefer audiobooks read by the author, but I will say the narrator did a great job, overall. I could tell when quotes we're being read, and there were plenty of vocal inflections made throughout.

    As far as the book itself goes, this was AMAZING. It was everything I hoped and expected it to be after hearing an interview with the author on a Disney podcast. I really got a lot out of this book from history to life lessons to action steps. The organization of the book is also extremely well thought out.

    This book would be best experienced in physical form as there are actions steps at the end of each chapter and it's meant to be read through a span of time. That being said, I enjoyed the convenience of hearing it first and in large chunks (because I didn't want to stop experiencing it). I plan to purchase the physical copy to reference going forward--it was THAT good. But again, do not regret purchasing the audio version first. Really, so great!

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