Lessons on business from Lawrence Levy

I attended an event that featured Lawrence Levy, the gentleman who helped Steve Jobs make Pixar a billion dollar household name. Mr. Levy was there to tell us how he ended up at Pixar (Steve Jobs called him), what he found when he got there (a weird money losing mess with lots of upside potential) and how he turned Pixar into an animation powerhouse (by focusing on their USP and their unfair disadvantage).  

Here are the key points that he made that evening. While I learned most of them years ago (and credited my mentors below each lesson), I’ve recapped them here because these lessons pay dividends throughout your business life – and maybe beyond that one as well.

Passion is not a substitute for knowledge.

• Roger Gallerini, V.P. BBDO, Detroit.

Don’t hire people who are like you.

• Judith Elder, V.P. Ogilvy + Mather, Toronto.

Step back and assess things before you act.

• Howard Breen, CEO, MacLaren McCann (U.S.).       

It’s more import to get to the right answer than to be right.

• Hugh Dow, V.P. Media Operations, MacLaren Canada.

Giving the create team control is scary.

• Every single account director that I’ve met in my career. 

Be open-minded and nonjudgmental.

• Julia Wehrmann, my mother.

Remain open to what comes your way.

• Julia Wehrmann, my mother + Charlie Convey, my poodle-man + creative muse.

People need to want to change (their own stress levels). You can show them a new way but you can’t force the new way upon them. 

• Psychology 101 at Ryerson and Dr. Richard Bandler, NLP Founder.