As leaders, we all want our team to produce breakthrough results. How do we create a climate that consistently produces these outcomes? Pixar Studios, the animation studio responsible for some of the most beloved movies of our time, may hold one key to this question.

Pixar’s story began in 1995 with the release of Toy Story, the world’s first computer-animated feature film and the largest initial public offering ever made by a film studio. Toy Story became the highest-grossing film of the year. After that, Pixar made hit after hit, with fifteen consecutive feature films being critical and commercial successes. A series of fifteen big wins without a single failure from any one company in any one industry is unheard of. How has Pixar made this possible? Ed Catmull, Pixar’s co-founder, has revealed the simple secret behind their extraordinary success.

At Pixar, a small group called the Braintrust meets every few months to review early runs of a movie under production. This is important, because as Catmull explains, “Early on, all of our movies suck.” What follows is a lively yet thoughtful discussion that lasts a few hours. Candid notes are exchanged on what works and what does not, with the sole purpose of making the movie — and in the process, everyone in the room — better.

Catmull has written: “Candor isn’t cruel. It does not destroy. On the contrary, any successful feedback system is built on empathy, on the idea that we are all in this together, that we understand your pain because we’ve experienced it ourselves. The need to stroke one’s own ego, to get the credit we feel we deserve — we check those impulses at the door. The Braintrust is fueled by the idea that every note we give is in the service of a common goal: Supporting and helping each other as we try to make better movies.…A lively debate in a Braintrust meeting is not waged in the hopes of any one person winning the day. To the extent there is ‘argument’, it seeks only to excavate the truth.”

This isn’t to say that the Braintrust operates without rules. The ‘notes’, for example, that Catmull talks about need to be constructive. In the words of Andrew Stanton, one of the major creative forces at Pixar since their founding days, “There’s a difference between criticism and constructive criticism. With the latter, you’re constructing at the same time that you’re criticizing. You’re building as you’re breaking down, making new pieces work. That’s an art form in itself.”

There are three principles that guide how Pixar’s Braintrust operates:

1. Feedback must be received as it is offered: constructively. The person asking for the feedback — the film’s director — must be ready to hear the truth and not jump to the movie’s defense.
2. The feedback must be treated as a suggestion, not a prescription. There are no mandates — nothing the director must do. This is important because it liberates the person asking for input, as well as those offering it.
3. Candor must rise from a place of empathy and appreciation for the vision and ambition of the film’s creator — it must not be seen as a “gotcha” moment.

“The Braintrust is benevolent,” remarks Catmull. “It wants to help. And it has no selfish agenda.”

Think of your own team, unit, and organization. Are there systems in place that make candid feedback possible? Do you and the people around you have growth partners — a network of supporters who offer mentorship, feedback, and accountability — to rely on? What more can you do to ensure you’re getting balanced, outside-in perspective on your core projects so that you’re not blindsided by biases, attachments, or distortions?

As Ed Catmull wisely puts it, “You don’t want to be at a company where there is more candor in the hallways than in the rooms where fundamental ideas or policy are being hashed out. The best inoculation against this fate? Seek out people who are willing to level with you, and when you find them, hold them close.”

This is exactly what LiFT, Mentora’s GenAI-powered coaching tool, is designed to do — provide candid, supportive, and personalized coaching that fuels continuous improvement and high performance. Whether it’s guiding you on how you can activate the energy of Wisdom to make non-biased, balanced decisions, or the energy of Purpose to align your team on its deeper “why,” LiFT helps leaders cultivate the environment where breakthrough results, like Pixar’s, are not just possible but expected. Explore how LiFT can support your goals, navigate complex leadership challenges, and inspire greatness in yourself and your team.

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