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Creating Disney Magic

Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World, shares his wisdom and experience from his time with Disney, Marriott, and Hilton. Lee joins show host Jody Maberry to discuss how you can apply lessons in leadership, management, and customer service to create magic in your organization.
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Creating Disney Magic
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Now displaying: July, 2019
Jul 30, 2019

If you want to get your message out, you have to do the work. 

Don't count on people hearing your message until you put it directly in front of them. 

Sometimes you have part-time staff who aren't always around. Or staff on different shifts. 

Use technology to make sure all staff members hear the same message no matter what time they work. Or, move around meeting times. If you want to figure it out, you will figure it out. 

Don't worry about annoying staff by getting your message out so often. Worry more about making sure you are clear. 

Write out what you expect, why you do what you do, and what employees can expect. 

If you want to get your message out, you will have to say it over and over. When you feel like you are saying it too much, people are just now beginning to pay attention. You have to get the message to staff on different shifts and in different ways. 

Jul 23, 2019

When I brought on a new employee at Disney, I would have a 2-hour conversation with them, but we would not talk about work. 

A corporate feeling meeting can leave a new employee feeling unsettled. A one on one meeting to find out more about them as a person sets them at ease and welcomes them to the company.

Having a  conversation without talking about work gives a new employee a positive onboarding experience. 

During our talk, I  wanted to get to know them; their background, family, kids, and jobs they have had in the past. I would let them know I expect them to take care of their family before they take care of work. 

People need to know what they can expect when trying to juggle personal life and work life. 

The better you get to know people, the better you can work together. 

 

 

Jul 16, 2019

More than ever, it is important to get some of your team out of the office for team building exercises. People are running so fast we don't have time to settle down and think about what to do long term. 

Getting out of the office and into a new environment allows your team to bond without the distraction and routine of the office. 

When teams have fun, they do better work. When teams have fun away from the office, they can discover new ideas. 

Best ideas don't usually happen in the office. Ideas come away from the office when we are out of the business that surrounds us at work. 

To explore the idea of offsite team building exercises, Teddy Cheek, marketing and brand director for The Escape Game, joins us on this episode of Creating Disney Magic. 

Corporations and organizations use Escape Rooms as a team building exercise. Teddy has seen first hand the impact of offsite team building exercises and how effective it can be. 

Sitting in an office is not very creative. Get off-site away from the phone and email. Do an activity like an Escape Room, then gather together to talk about strategy and go to lunch together. 

Jul 9, 2019

At Disney World we use four keys to make decisions. 

The four keys help people understand how to make decisions. 

Here are the four keys:

Safety - Is the decision you are about to make going to be safe?

Courtesy - Disney is famous for being friendly and clean. Any cast member you meet will go out of their way to take care of you. 

Show - Are we ready to put on a great show? Is the area clean? Are the props in the right place? Are the cast members prepared?

Efficiency - When you are in business you have to be efficient. Always look for a better way. Can we do it quicker? Does someone else have a better way?

If you implement these four keys you will make solid decisions in your organization. 

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we take the four keys and show how to implement them for a corner drug store. You don't have to be Disney World to implement the four keys. 

Jul 2, 2019

Your legacy is the only thing you can take with you and leave behind. 

As I get older, I think about what I have contributed to the world. More than anything, I want to be remembered as a teacher. 

If you have experience and knowledge, there is no upside in keeping it to yourself. Give it away. 

The proof of what your legacy is will be what people say when you are not in front of them. Do you do what you say you will do? Do you make a difference? Can people approach you? If you do the right things people will notice. 

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I talk about what it takes to leave a legacy. 

Do a little more than people expect and before long people will begin recommending you. 

It is never too early to begin to build a legacy. No matter what your job is, you can begin to build a reputation for being curious, hard-working., and dependable. The way you act and your appearance shape how other people view you. People notice when someone is different. 

It is also never too early to begin to build a legacy. Start now and you can make a difference.

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