Biggest Challenges Faced By a Vice President Original Content and Business Affairs at ESPN and Disney
Heather's biggest challenge as Vice President of Original Content and Business Affairs at ESPN and Disney is "consensus building," specifically the "debate" phase of the company's "discuss, debate, decide, and align" directive. While this process sharpens skills in persuasion and ultimately yields exciting results, navigating differing viewpoints and timelines within this framework presents ongoing difficulties.
Executive/Leadership, Communication, Teamwork, Negotiation, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Heather Anderson
Vice President, Original Content and Business Affairs
ESPN and The Walt Disney Company
UC Berkeley
UCLA School of Law - JD
Ethnic & Related Studies, Political Science, American Studies
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Law
Business Strategy
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. The challenge of consensus building in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.
2. The importance of collaboration and compromise in achieving shared goals.
3. A structured approach to decision-making involving discussion, debate, decision, and alignment
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
Consensus building can be tough. While I enjoy that part the most, I didn't say it was easy all the time. Especially when timelines are involved, that can get tricky.
I always want everyone to collaborate quickly, but sometimes it takes longer to find compromises. At our company, our chairman has a directive for all of us: when we come together to discuss something, we are supposed to discuss, debate, decide, and align.
I love those four steps; I use them in my personal life, not just at work. But the debate part can get tricky sometimes. It also sharpens your skills in making your position and convincing others to buy in.
When we get to the end result, I'm always excited. But in that process, it can get tough sometimes.
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