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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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Now displaying: 2019
Dec 31, 2019

When a new year begins, the only shift I make is getting out my January insert for my DayTimer. 

A new year has no more importance than a new day. 

Many people make the mistake of having a philosophical approach to a new year. 

Have you thought to yourself, "well, it's a new year, now is the time to focus on ..." and here is where you might insert losing weight, spending time with family, or finding a new job. 

If so, you are taking the wrong approach. 

The better approach is to think about it each day. How can you make today better?

Get out of the habit of setting resolutions or goals for a new year. Instead, make today better. Then make tomorrow better. 

Wake up 15 minutes earlier, sit down with the Morning Magic Planner and plan out your day. 

Every day is a good day to get better. 

 

Dec 24, 2019

Many companies focus on results and don't care how you feel. You get a paycheck and they don't owe you anything else, they reason. 

You don't have to put up with it. 

If you have a job where you are not respected or appreciated, it is time to move on. Perform as good as you can at your current position while you look for a new job, but begin now looking for a new job. Don't stay in a job where you are not satisfied with what you are doing. 

People who don't feel they matter tend to make drastic changes. It is why people leave relationships. And it is the number one reason why people leave jobs. 

There really isn't anything you personally can do if you have a boss who doesn't appreciate people. 

The odds of you being able to do anything to change the person as slim. Do not fool with fools. Get out of the situation. 

Basically, there are only two options. Stay and put up with it or leave.

Leaving is uncomfortable. But life is short, don't put up with a bad situation too long. Your boss won't change. 

In a few years, what you are going through now will be a little detour. 

Or, you can stay and put up with it. 

Your problem is not your situation. Your problem is your decisions. If you stay in a bad work situation it is your decision. 

Dec 17, 2019

In your book, your phone number. What do you do with all the extra phone calls you get?

Believe it or not, I don't get many phone calls. Sure, I get some spam calls. Even when I was the EVP of Disney World, I made myself available to any cast member. It wasn't often a cast member reached out. And today, not many people reach out. If someone calls me, I want to make sure they get in touch with me. That is how I am able to book presentations and other business. 

If phone calls are taking away from your business, you still have to find a way to handle the calls. Most businesses make it hard to talk to a real person. Answering the phone is part of taking care of your customers. 

If I have my own business but want to learn from someone in a different business, how can I ask them to be my mentor?

Reach out and ask for advice. Find out more about the company, pick someone in the company, explain your situation and ask if you can spend a few minutes asking questions. Keep at it. Don't get discouraged. 

Persistence is a big problem today. People give up too easily. The power of persistence will take you far in life.

Dec 10, 2019

Being a parent is the most important leadership job in the world. 

If you can't have hard discussions and make tough choices, don't become a leader. And definitely don't have kids. 

Parenting can be hard. Especially when you are the parent of a teenager. 

As a leader in your home, you have to keep talking to your teenager constantly. Even when they don't want to talk to you. And you have to model the behavior at home you want to see from your teenager. 

Kids are going to push back and test you. 

But you have to stick with them and keep communicating. 

Understand what kids are telling you may not include all of the truth. They will leave parts of the story out to keep out of trouble. 

When I was a teenager, the biggest trouble we could get into was beer and cigarettes. By the time my son was a teenager, drugs had become a big problem. We talked about the potential of trouble and consequences often. 

You have to pay attention to your teenager. Go into their room often to see what is happening. And keep talking. 

Talk to your teenager about situations before they happen. Kids need to understand bad things are going to happen. They will face bullies and peer pressure. A kid will already have to know what they will do in situations before it happens. 

Let them know peer pressure is the worst way to make a decision. Fill their brains with reality. 

One of the best ways to have a talk with a teenager is to go for a drive. They can't escape and you can talk 

You don't need to be best friends with your kids, but you have to respect them and they have to respect you. You build mutual respect by communicating and modeling behavior. 

Dec 3, 2019

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we answer listener questions about careers and promotions.

How should I dress on my first day at a new job?

Before your first day, you should already have an idea of the culture of the company and the way people dress for work. On your first day, dress slightly better than the usual work appearance. It is better to show up a little overdressed than underdressed. 

People do judge you on how you look. Make sure you look professional. 

What would you tell an employee who wants a raise beyond the usual annual raise?

The simple answer is to tell them the truth. Often, people want a bigger raise because of the amount of time they have been in their job. But they are in a job that doesn't pay more than they are earning. Tell them the truth about what it would take to get a job that will pay them more. 

During my entire career, I never asked for a raise. I just kept doing my best and kept getting promotions. With each promotion, I made more money. If you become the type of employee your company won't want to be without, you will always have a better chance for a raise. 

What if I am so good at my current job my boss won't promote me?

You have to have a candid conversation with your supervisor to find out what it will take to move up to the next level. If you are a great performer, having this conversation won't impact your job. If you are going to raise your performance, you need to know what your supervisor expects. 

I used to ask my boss, "Are you telling your boss something about me you are not telling me?" I made it as easy as possible for my boss to tell me how I could do better. 

Your job and career have to be good for you, not just for the company.

If you want to read about my career and the lessons I learned along the way, check out my book, Career Magic.

Nov 26, 2019

When you have a big announcement to make, you know what people are going to ask. Go ahead and address the big issues upfront before they even have to bring it up. 

If you want to be sure you cover all potential questions, get a team together. Talk about what questions, concerns, and issues people are going to have with the announcement. Come up with 5 or 6 questions you know people are going to have and include the information in your announcement. 

Anticipating the problems and addressing the issues upfront will soften any pushback you might get. 

As an example, At Disney, when we moved from paying people weekly to every other week and moved from paper checks to direct deposit only we knew this may cause concerns for some cast members. 

Since we knew people would have some issues, in advance, we put together a process to help people set up a bank account if needed. Or help them set up direct deposit into their bank account. Offering the help upfront made adopting the new system easier for the people it would impact the most. 

Working through this process will help you find ways you can help people. 

Don't lay it out and tell people it is their problem. Problems caused to employees are your problems, too. Work with them to ease the concerns before they become problems. 

Get it down to the basics. This will cover the biggest issues. One-off questions can be handled by individual managers. 

Nov 19, 2019

Is it possible to enforce rules and guidelines and still focus on delivering an excellent customer experience?

At Disney, we are clear to cast members about the responsibility to enforce rules and be polite at the same time. 

No matter what rule or policy you have, there will be someone who does not like it. 

Always remain polite and courteous and explain why the policy is in place. And be consistent about enforcing the policy. 

You probably already know the 5 or 6 policies you have in place a customer might complain about. Train employees on how to answer and handle those complaints. Don't wait for people to complain before you help employees. Be proactive. 

You can also find ways to serve the customer while enforcing a policy. When you visit DisneyWorld, we provide lockers so a guest can put something away if they are not allowed to bring it into the park. 

Nov 12, 2019

At Disney, it doesn't matter what your job is. We all have the same purpose. 

Take care of the guest.

It doesn't matter if what you are doing for the guest is in your job description. 

A culture of customer service doesn't happen by accident. It has to be part of your culture. It has to be repeated. People have to hear it over and over. 

No matter what your job is, your purpose is to take care of the guests. 

At Disney, our purpose was to make sure guests have the most fabulous time of their lives, no matter what your job title is. 

When all 80,000 cast members at Disney World focuses on this purpose, a guest will have an unbelievable experience when they least expect it. 

Imagine someone working in security being able to tell you what the specials are at the restaurant. Something like doesn't happen. Except it does at Disney. Taking care of the guest is baked into our culture. 

Hire the right people. Train them. Explain expectations. Give them examples. And then let them take care of the customers. Hold them accountable. And role model what you want to see from employees. 

Customer service is not a department. It is a way of doing business.  

Nov 5, 2019

Every organization has team members resign. Some of the people who leave are popular. Some of them fill an important role in the organization. 

How you handle the resignation will have an impact on other employees. 

Begin by telling the right people in the right order about the resignation. Doing so will eliminate the wrong story getting into the rumor mill. Within a couple of hours, everyone who needs to know should know. Then you can let other team members know. 

Communicate quickly and keep it positive. 

At Disney, I had senior executives leave the company for better opportunities. I didn't want them to leave, but people are going to do what is best for them and their careers. 

Don't burn bridges. Always keep it positive whether you are the one leaving or someone left behind. 

When I left Marriott, I told Bill Marriott first. Then I talked to my direct boss. I even helped them work on transitioning a new person into my role. 

Marriott treated me well over the years. When I left, I wanted to treat them well, too. And I did not take any people with me to Disney, even though there were people who wanted the opportunity to join me at Euro Disney. 

Remember, your career does not revolve around a single company. And you shouldn't expect anyone else to have their career revolve around your organization.

Oct 29, 2019

Your job is not to motivate employees. Your job is to hire the right employees. When you hire the right people they will motivate themselves. 

Not everyone agrees with this idea. Some people feel the main responsibility of a leader is to motivate employees. 

During my career, I have had obstacles, bad bosses, bad work situations, bad pay, lots of stress, bad work environments, and in all of those circumstances, I motivated myself. 

You own your own motivation. You own your own development. And your attitude. No one else is responsible for your motivation. 

At Disney, we hired people with the right attitude and gave them a professional, respectful environment to work in. Our job was to train them and development. But cast members owned their own motivation and outcome. 

As a supervisor, if someone has a bad attitude, you will never motivate them. 

As an employee, you will eventually run into a boss who doesn't like you and doesn't work well with you. You will still have to do a good job. 

If you want to learn more about the ups and downs of my career, check out my book, Career Magic

"Only you are responsible for your happiness and your health." - Sunshine Payne

 

Oct 22, 2019

How you manage your time is how you manage your reputation. 

Nobody is born disorganized. It is a learned thing. 

With discipline, you can do the right things when you are supposed to do them. 

Time Management Magic is not just a book, it is a way of thinking. 

Most of my career success can be attributed to 3 things; organization, time management, and persistence. 

But you can't just focus on work, you need to keep your whole life under control. If you don't take the time to plan the life you want, you will spend a lot of time living the life you don't want. 

My book, Time Management Magic will help you understand the things in your life you should be working on. Your reputation is at stake. 

 

Oct 15, 2019

What if you are so busy you don't have room to fit in a new customer?

It happens. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with our current workload it is difficult to fit in new customers. 

But you should never leave it to someone else to get back to you. Put in a system where you get back to a potential customer without putting the burden on them.  

If you leave it to a potential customer to get back to you, they will find someone else to do business with. Don't let a customer try a competitor before you even get the chance to serve them. 

Make it easy to do business with you, and more people will do business with you. 

If you put a system in place where you call back customers and keep communicating with them they will be willing to wait. 

Don't string along a customer, but keep the contact alive. 

Most people are so disorganized they will forget about you if you don't keep reminding them. 

Don't just think about how busy you are right now and let them walk away. Consider the lifetime value of a customer. 

Most customers, when they find someone great, will stay with you. Make sure people get the chance to experience how good you are. 

If you keep these ideas in mind, people will be glad to wait for you:

Make every customer feel special. 

Treat people respectfully. 

Be reliable and credible. 

People will wait for quality. 

Have the attitude that you are the giving one. Treat people special, even if they are not yet a customer. 

If you can't serve someone, recommend someone else who can help them. Even if you don't make the immediate sale. People will remember how you treat them. Be the giving one. 

Oct 8, 2019

Is it better to get an education or the experience that comes with a promotion?

Education pays off down the road. Take the opportunity to get an education over the chance for a promotion.

Sometimes you have to make decisions that will pay off later. Passing up the temporary rewards of promotion in favor of getting an education is one of those times.

A promotion pays off now, with more money and responsibility. But you can get that and more if you get an education.

Promoting too fast can even take away the opportunity to get experience, exposure, and education to help you later in your career.

Do the hard things now so you can have a better life down the road.

Whether you are working on your education or getting a promotion, it is good to take a break. Magical Vacation Planners can help plan the trip you need. You can reach them at 407-442-2694.

Resources

Have an excellent career by learning from Lee: Career Magic

Lee’s website: https://www.leecockerell.com/

Oct 1, 2019

Early in my career, when I worked at Marriott, I begin working away from my office. A Library was the first place I worked away from the office. 

At Disney, I used to leave my office and work at an unoccupied office or work from the California Grill when it wasn't open. 

Now, I still do work away from my office, which is in my house. 

There are too many distractions at home. My productivity has gone up while working from a local coffee shop.

When you are working outside your usual setting, you get more inspired. For me, I get more energy. 

Put yourself in the right environment to get the work done. 

There are jobs where you can't leave to work in a different environment. But you could still consider doing paperwork, catch up work, or your planning time away from where you work.  

Working in the right environment will help you move items from your ToDo list to your Done list. The more you get done, the better your life will become. 

Sep 24, 2019

Is it better to have experience with a Brand Name company or a bigger role with a small company?

This is something to consider, especially early in your career. 

When you have a brand name like Disney on your resume, people notice. If you have worked at Disney or Marriott, other organizations will know you have received a high level of training and know how to serve customers. 

On the other hand, you may be able to get a better spot at a smaller company to gain experience. Leadership experience with any organization can be valuable. 

Smaller companies can be risky, though. Are you willing to take on more risk? Or, do you want a more comfortable and stable job?

Hilton, Marriott, and Disney provided brand name experience for me. But I was also willing to move for the right opportunity. So I had the best of both worlds; brand name experience with the chance to take new roles for the experience. 

Don't worry too much about the first 5 to 10 years of your career. Get as much experience and exposure as you can. 

No matter what job you take, do a great job. Focus on making yourself better every day. If you do that, it won't matter as much what job you have and which company you work for. 

For more insight into my career, check out my book Career Magic

Sep 17, 2019

People are looking for experts to help them. 

The more you know about your products, the more people will trust you. 

Knowing everything you possibly can about the products you offer will lead to better customer service. 

Product knowledge doesn't happen by accident. You have to be deliberate. Schedule time to get out in your operation and see what is really happening. Use your product in the way customers will use your product. 

If you are going to make it happen, you have to schedule it. Do it on purpose. When you are done, schedule when you will do it again. Never let up on the pressure and pursuit to know more about your product and how a customer does business with you. 

Knowledge will help you control the business. You will know what is going on and people will want to help you. 

If you work with vendors and third parties, it is your responsibility to make your expectations clear and hold them to a standard. 

Don't recommend a product, service, or person unless you have first-hand knowledge. 

Click Here to get my free Morning Magic Planner.

Sep 10, 2019

 The customer is not always right, but they are always the customer. 

Sure, people are going to take advantage of you. But overall, you still shouldn't make your policies too strict because a few people will take advantage of you. 

Treat the customer like they matter to you. 

Mr. Marriott told me, "Always give the customer the benefit of the doubt." Go in favor of the customer. 

If you find a trend or something, in particular, getting abused and it becomes a problem, then you can make a policy dealing with it. 

If a request is unreasonable, it may be time for the manager to get involved. But you will be better off given front line staff the ability to deal with customer requests. 

Customers are more likely to continue to do business with you if you treat them with respect and make it easy to do business with you. 

You will have to continue to find ways to get better faster. And find ways to serve customers in new ways. 

Sep 3, 2019

Your people are your brand. The way staff look represents your company to every customer who walks through the door. 

At Disney, we have appearance guidelines because we are putting on a show. If you want to tell a story people will believe, everyone has to look like the part they are playing in the show. 

Every business should have appearance guidelines. Staff should be dressed to fit the theme of your business. What do customers expect employees to look like when they visit your business? 

Now put guidelines in place to govern clothes, hair, tattoos and other aspects of appearance your customers will see. 

Don't make the mistake of thinking appearance only matters to companies like Disney. Every business is putting on a show. Appearance matters. 

Giving attention to appearance guidelines is one way you can begin to build your reputation. 

When it comes to implementing appearance guidelines, consider what message you want to send to your customers. Appearance guidelines will also give clarity to people upfront which will help people decide if they want to be part of the show you are putting on. 

 

Aug 27, 2019

One of the most difficult things you will have to do as a leader is to handle uncomfortable situations with employees. 

Talking to an employee about their behavior is hard. Terminating people is probably the hardest thing you will have to do. 

All of the hardest things you have to do at work, and in life, involve people. Decisions about products are easy. 

Unfortunately, too many people don't deal with the hard things. By letting it go, you are making your life harder. And you are not doing any favors to the other person either. By not dealing with the situation, you are holding them back from improving their life. 

When difficult situations happen, a tough conversation or even termination, it won't feel good but you shouldn't feel guilty about it. 

Remember, if you don't deal with the situation it will only get worse. These things don't get better on their own. 

Aug 20, 2019

For many people, your reputation will reach them before you have the chance to meet them in person. 

Don't underestimate the impact your phone conversations have on people. 

Your demeanor on the phone will help people know you are respectful, professional, helpful and will show people they can ask you hard questions. Phone conversations will help you build trust with people. 

Don't do phone calls on a whim. Prepare for a call so you know what you want to accomplish while you are on the phone. Look something up about the other person before you talk to them. Don't let a phone call be a blind conversation. 

When you handle phone calls the right way, people will feel like they already know you before they even get to meet you in person. 

When you answer your phone, say your name. Cut out the confusion. "Hello, this is Lee." Right away, people will know who they are talking to. 

Don't be afraid to ask questions and have a short personal conversation when you are on the phone. People want to feel like they matter. If you only stick to business when you call, you can't build a relationship. In a 30 second conversation, you may get an answer to your questions, but you won't learn much about a person. And you won't make them feel special. 

 

Aug 13, 2019

Taking time to celebrate milestones is an important part of any organizations culture. 

With that, we are taking the opportunity to celebrate episode 250 of Creating Disney Magic. 

Over the past 5 years, with each episode approximately 15 minutes long, we have produced more than 62 hours of lessons in leadership, management and customer service. If you have listened to the episodes, with only 15 minutes once per week, you have accumulated a lot of information. Perhaps more information than if you took a university course on leadership. It doesn't take much to make a big difference. 

Another lesson from creating 250 episodes, is if you get started you can create something special. But you have to get started, put in the time to do the work and you can become an expert. When Jody Maberry and I started this podcast we didn't know where it would go or what it would become. 

Here is the most important lesson from this episode, you need to take the time to celebrate milestones. Everyone likes to be recognized and celebrated. Plus, when you celebrate milestones and accomplishments, it shows other people what it takes to get recognized. As people understand what types of situations you celebrate, it helps build culture. 

We all want positive comments and feedback. Take a moment to celebrate yourself and those around you. 

If you want to help me celebrate the 250 episode milestone, would you consider leaving a rating and review for the podcast? Here is a direct link to leave an iTunes review. If you listen in another platform and they allow reviews, please go ahead and leave a review there. 

Thank you for your support. We wouldn't have gotten to 250 episodes without you. 

Aug 6, 2019

Some people don't get the development they need at home. Working with you is the first opportunity they have to learn how to be professional and get ahead in life. 

We all have ability and potential if developed properly. But not everyone gets the development they need to be successful. 

As a leader, your responsibility goes beyond technical training. Upfront, let them know what matters. Be clear. Then teach them how to be great. 

Developing employees helps your customers, but it also flows out into their personal life. 

One of the most satisfying things in your life is the impact you have on other people. 

Be a teacher. Not a boss. 

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. 

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