The two greatest role models in my professional career were Walt Disney and Dr. Deming. Dr. Deming was the Father of Total Quality Management and the person who redefined quality for the entire world.

Often we will learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.

Knowledge is the understanding of what, how and why we need to do something. Skill is applying that knowledge in a practical situation. Attitude is the desire to transform our knowledge into skills and ultimately into habits.

People are over 20 times more likely to remember a story than a series of facts and figures. A good story touches our hearts.

My mother's work ethic, her attitude, and the way she treated each and every customer as if they were her best friend were better lessons than could be found in all the text books in the world.

Social media can work to a CEO's advantage. Someone with a great product in a small town in the middle of nowhere can compete in the world marketplace. In 1962, Sam Walton changed the face of retailing with Wal-Mart. As we speak, Amazon is again changing the face of retail with on-line buying.

For almost 100 years, The Walt Disney Company has had a variety of leaders. Even though it has been hard for some of these leaders to maintain their focus, the Company has been successful in remaining true to Walt's original direction to create the finest in family entertainment.