Lunch Q&A with Ron Myers, President of Universal Studios

So on Thursday, 26th July on the Universal Studios lot in LA, we have this event, the Executive Lunch & Learn, featuring Ron Myers who is the current president of Universal Studios and COO.
Here's a little something about him:

RON MEYER
President and Chief Operating Officer
Universal Studios

Ron Meyer was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Studios on August 1, 1995.

Prior to joining Universal Studios, Mr. Meyer was President of Creative Artists Agency, Inc., which he founded in 1975 with four fellow agents from the William Morris Agency. Over the years they built the company into the preeminent talent agency, representing many of the industry's most influential and talented people, and later expanding its range of services to include consulting with leading American and international corporations.

Previously, Mr. Meyer was a television agent with the William Morris Agency from 1970 to 1975. Prior to that, he worked as a messenger at the Paul Kohner Agency in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1970. Before joining the Paul Kohner Agency, Mr. Meyer served in the United States Marine Corps.

He lives in Malibu, California with his wife, Kelly Chapman, and has three daughters and a son..

There are many things to learn from this Q&A Session. We are basically served Subway sandwiches, while waiting for him to arrive. Then once he sat down, it is a Q&A format.

He dropped out of school at the age of 15.

Believes that in current times, education (college, grad school) is important and is used as a floor for employers to assess you.

He is a believer that things will happen if you try to make it happen.

He believes in empowering the people who works for him. He trusts them with key decisions, and if they make the right decisions, he lets them have the credit. If they make a wrong decision, he takes the blame.

His duty as a President is in making sure the enviroment of the company is right for people to work in. A simplified view would be, he would come early in the morning to make sure the office is proper, has everything needed and open the doors for his people to come in and work.

He believe in team work. I asked him a question about his leadership philosophy. He believes that you have to be with your team to show them you are in it together with them. Be the one that talk the talk and walk the walk.

Early on in his career, he has to strive hard for success. Important qualities to have include being dependable. For example, once you said you will do something, make sure you do it. Don't tell someone you will call and don't end up calling. Also, if you tell someone, you will take care of something, make sure that it is taken care of.

Also, always be available. Many people would want to get out of doing crappy and useless chores. He would always think of getting in. Therefore, saying yes to people is the best answer you can give. Be available 7 days a week for people to be able to approach you. Get into situations that others do not want.

One of the biggest mistakes he made during his tenure was to say no to Titanic. He took a few years to get over it.

Overall, in my opinion, Ron Myers is an approachable and likeable guy. He has no airs, and seems like someone who would get his hands dirty together with you. Of course, I have no doubts the amount of hard work needed for success. Also, the kind of shit you would have to take to reach a position as high as his.

the extermination of a dictator , liberalisation leads to civil war

finally, bush got what he wanted.

all along, it was about getting rid of saddam. it isn't about finding WMD, it isn't about liberating the people of Iraq, and it definitely isn't about protecting the freedom and security of americans. The irony is that more and more american soldiers are dying from their stay in iraq than those who died during 9/11.

so who benefits from all these? the iraqis? the americans? people of the free world? or the concept of democracy itself?

is this what the iraqis wanted? we know very well most shi'ites oppose saddam. the minority sunnis supported him.

is this what the americans wanted? do the mass majority of americans know what their leader is getting them into when the US declared war on Iraq? do they foresee that this is going to be a mess which will cost billions of dollars and many lives? don't they ever learn from history? Vietnam?

and what is democracy? suddenly it feels like democracy is simply a party of countries who have the same thinking of protecting their own rights and assets, of their ideas, of their way of doing things. AND the other parties are always the bad guys. to put it simply, if you aren't by our side, you very well be covering your own arses before we come and get you. suddenly, the concept of the free world means the free American world.

hell, i'm 100% not anti-American. i believe it's a beautiful country with many great people. but why can't a country as 'great' as america produce more intelligent and wise leader? i believe there are many wise leaders in America. maybe this just has to be. In order to be happy, you need to know what is sad. In order to know a good leader, you need bad leaders. to label him bad is being respectful.

I am not pro- saddam. but i do admire one thing about him, his courage and dignity. he did not want to be covered on his head when he is about to be hanged. he is calm and composed.

i bet the other guy would pee in his pants.

so what's happening to the world? or has the world not changed since B.C.? it seems like many would think that saddam is getting what he deserved. but think about it, his 'moral' highness, the american commander in chief should have taken steps to make sure that saddam deserves at least to die in peace, and not be 'videod' and youtubed later on. talk about the invasion and pervasiveness of information communication technology.

or maybe he wanted this to turn out this way. an eye for an eye...