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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, 2018
Jul 31, 2018

This episode was recorded while I was in Italy. The sound quality is not the best because I had to find an internet connection that worked good enough to record. 

There is a reason I wanted to make sure we recorded an episode while I was in Italy. I have said before, the best way to gain exposure and exposure is to travel. When you meet people from other countries, you will find out they are as wonderful as your neighbors. Spending time with them will open your eyes to new ideas and new ways of doing the things you are most comfortable with. 

Which bring me to the topic of this episode, making old ideas new again. 

Disney took an old idea, Minature golf, and made it feel new again. Disney miniature golf courses don't feel like the old boring mini-golf courses you might expect. They are special. They tell a story. 

There is a lesson you can learn from a Disney Miniature golf course. You can take anything and make it better. An old idea can be new again if you add your own spin, your own story to it. An old idea can be new again if you find a way to do it better than you have been doing it. 

We all get set in our ways and accept things are the way they are. We get lazy. Take time to consider if you are as good as you could be? Are you as good as you should be? Can you do better?

Go out and get new ideas and apply them to what you do. Go somewhere you might not expect to get new ideas. Start with a game of miniature golf.

Don't settle for average. Ask people around you; customer, coworkers, vendors, and get new ideas. Always be on the lookout for a way to get better. Each day you are not getting better you are getting worse. 

The audio version of Career Magic is now available. You can get it here

Jul 24, 2018

Gossip can spread through an organization quickly, leaving a wake of confusion, rumors, and hurt feelings. 

You must deal with gossip quickly and clearly. But it all begins when you hire someone. 

Up front, during the onboarding process, explain gossip is not tolerated. Be clear about what you consider to be gossip and rumors and how you will deal with it. 

Don't let it end there. Continue to discuss gossip and what you expect. You will have to continue to remind people. Raise your expectations, be clear about what you want, and hold employees to your standard. 

Gossip is not the only topic we discuss in this episode of Creating Disney Magic. We recorded this episode on Facebook Live with listeners being able to ask questions. It made for another fun episode, and we talk about gossip, how to receive a compliment, working with volunteers and more. 

Jul 17, 2018

What will your legacy be? Have you taken time to consider this?

This episode of Creating Disney Magic is the second episode recorded live at Urbain 40 with a group from a live Mastermind meeting. You can hear the first episode here. People who were in the room had the opportunity to ask me questions, which you will hear on the podcast. 

One of the questions was about what my legacy will be. 

For a long time, I had this all wrong. I thought it was all about Lee Cockerell. But now, I realize I need to be a teacher to leave a legacy. The I do is to help other people have a bigger life. By teaching other people, they will teach what they learn to other people. It spreads. Teaching builds a legacy that lasts a long time. You can't change America, but you can change your family. And you can change your workplace. Start today and you can leave a legacy. 

Other topics we discuss on this episode:

Advice for women in leadership positions. 

Advice for young adults entering the workforce.

People who invested in my life who helped me become who I am today. 

 You can find out more about my Creating Magic Mastermind events HERE.  

Jul 10, 2018

This episode of Creating Disney Magic was recorded live in Orlando during a private mastermind event. 

Twelve people joined me and Jody Maberry to spend the day talking about business and creating magic. During our time together, we turned on the microphones and recorded two episodes of the podcast. Participants of the mastermind were able to ask a question.

You can find out more about my live Creating Disney Magic Mastermind events here

Having the participants of the Mastermind ask me questions live added a fun element to this episode of the show. 

Here are some highlights of what we talk about in this episode. 

Look for attitude, not skill. Great attitude and passion are the elements of a high potential person. Skill can be taught. 

Do you have the attitude to put up with a guest when they are upset because they have spent too much money, rain has ruined their day, or they are stressed out?

Don't underestimate the influence you have on people. It matters how you talk to people. It matters what you say to people. It matters if you say "hello". Be aware of the influence and impact you have on people. 

When I was at Disney, the moment I stepped out of my car I had to be aware of my actions towards other people. It is important to notice people no matter what I may be preoccupied with. 

Plus, I will share with you what I learned during the mastermind event. 

 

Jul 5, 2018

In the last episode of Creating Disney Magic, we answered the first half of a series of questions from a listener. After listening to every episode of the podcast, a listener wrote in with a series of questions. The first half of the questions were more about success. 

You can hear the first episode Here

In this episode, we answer the rest of the questions, which are more about business. 

Here are the questions we answer in this episode;

Why do you think most companies don't follow the principles from Creating Magic?

How would you handle working for a company you wanted to stay at, but dealing with the direct supervisor is frustrating and challenging?

Have you ever received feedback that was not valid?

How did we instill the values of hard work and humility in our son when he was young?

You will enjoy the entire episode, but one message I want you to take away is to stand up for yourself. You know the work you do. You know what you believe in. Stand up for yourself and stand up for what is right. 

Jul 3, 2018

This episode of Creating Disney Magic is a bit different. Let me tell you why; recently someone discovered the podcast and listened to all of the episodes in the catalog. 

After listened to well over 150 episodes, he had a list of questions he wanted to ask. 

Normally, we answer a single question on an episode. This time, we combined all of the questions into an episode. Or, rather, two episodes. This episode we tackle the questions that are more success related. 

When you are around successful people, what are the questions you ask them and why?

If you can have dinner with 3 people who would it be?

These were fun questions to answer and led to an interesting discussion. Here are the two things I want you to remember from this episode;

Use the tools that work for you. An iPhone 10 will not solve your organizational problem any better than an iPhone 5 will. That is why I have used a DayTimer for so many decades. It works for me. It fits my system perfectly. 

If you believe in something, just keep going. Don't give up. You can make a difference. You can create magic. 

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