I Didn’t Plan to Obsess Over Disney’s CEO Transition… Yet Here We Are
I didn’t intend to spend a weekend studying Disney’s CEO handoff with the intensity of an NFL on-air analyst… but when a company built on storytelling finally nails its own leadership story, it’s hard not to look closely.
Because this wasn’t just a leadership announcement.
It was Disney quietly correcting the mistakes of the last transition: the one that felt rushed, mismatched, and ultimately required Bob Iger to return like the world’s most overqualified substitute teacher.
This time, the visual was almost identical: outgoing and incoming CEOs sitting side‑by‑side, framed in that classic “passing the torch” tableau.
But the story underneath?
Completely different.
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The tone matched
Warm. Steady. Aligned.
It felt like continuity, not a plot twist.
There was no sense of “we’re fixing something broken” or “brace for a new era.”
Instead, it sounded like a chapter turn in the same book.
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The language matched
D’Amaro echoed Iger’s vocabulary around storytelling, culture, and responsibility—the core of Disney’s identity.
Not “operations.” Not “efficiencies.”
Actual Disney language.
That matters. When a new leader borrows the company’s native vocabulary, they’re not just talking about the culture; they’re signaling they understand they’re stepping into it.
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The values matched
Less “I run the parks,” more “I steward the brand.”
That’s a subtle shift, but a meaningful one.
It moves the role from “operator in charge of assets” to “guardian of something bigger than themselves.”
For a company like Disney, that’s the only frame that makes sense.
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And the humility landed
D’Amaro didn’t posture.
He didn’t overreach.
He respected the weight of the role, something employees, creatives, and investors pick up on instantly.
We obviously don’t know if he’ll be a great CEO.
But the transition?
That was a masterclass in how leaders use words, tone, and body language to signal stability.
Leadership changes don’t always fail because of strategy.
They fail because of story.
And this time, Disney told a better one.
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They Aren’t the Only Ones Who Got it Right
Disney didn’t succeed because it found a magical, risk‑free successor.
It succeeded because it treated the transition itself as a story worth telling and told it well.
And that’s the broader pattern:
The companies that handle leadership changes effectively aren’t always the loudest or the most dramatic. Often, they’re the ones that know exactly who they are and communicate from that center.
Two very different organizations—Patagonia and Costco—show this in their own ways.
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Patagonia: When the transition is the message
Patagonia didn’t just transition CEOs, it transitioned ownership into a trust designed to protect the planet. That’s a once‑in‑a‑generation narrative moment.
Why it worked:
Founder as continuity, not control:
Yvon Chouinard framed the move as a continuation of Patagonia’s identity, not a departure from it.
Stewardship over reinvention:
The CEO handoff to Ryan Gellert was positioned as stewardship, not “new vision, new direction.”
The message matched the brand:
The language was simple, humble, and unmistakably Patagonia. It didn’t come across as corporate theater, or over‑produced spectacle.
The mission stayed at the center:
The story wasn’t “meet the new leader.” It was “the mission outlives any one leader.”
The lesson:
When your values are clear and consistent, the leadership story almost writes itself. The CEO becomes a character in the story, not the story itself.
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Costco: The quiet power of continuity
Costco’s handoff from longtime CEO Craig Jelinek to Ron Vachris was the opposite of dramatic, and that’s exactly why it was so effective.
Why it worked:
A lifer at the helm:
Vachris is a 40‑year Costco veteran who started as a forklift driver. His story is the culture.
Evolution, not reset:
The transition was framed as a natural next step, not a strategic overhaul.
Culture as the headline:
The messaging emphasized consistency, the “Costco way,” and long‑term member value—not a shiny new agenda.
Signal to stakeholders:
Employees and investors heard one thing: nothing is breaking here.
The lesson:
A transition doesn’t need fireworks to be powerful. Sometimes the most reassuring story is: “We’re good. We’re steady. We’re staying the course.”
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The real takeaway for communicators
Disney, Patagonia, and Costco couldn’t be more different, but their successful transitions share a pattern:
Clear identity
Aligned language
Values that show up in the messaging
A leader who understands the weight of the role
A narrative that reinforces stability, not uncertainty
Leadership transitions are high‑stakes storytelling moments.
Get the story wrong, and the strategy doesn’t matter.
Get the story right, and the organization moves forward with confidence.
Disney finally got the story right.
And for anyone working in communications, that’s the part worth studying.
