Creating Disney Magic

When it comes to hiring, always hold out for the right person.  Play the long game. Don't hire someone who is not the right person just so you can fill a position.  If you don't have great people you won't become a great organization. Being excellent is hard. And you need the right people to be excellent.  Sure, it can become frustrating to deal with the extra work that comes from an empty positio...

Dan Cockerell returns to Creating Disney Magic to talk about his new book, How's the Culture in Your Kingdom . Four stages to building a healthy culture; Leading Self, Leading Teams, Leading an Organization, Leading Change. A leader understands they have to take care of themself before they can take care of other people. Taking care of yourself is probably the hardest thing a leader has to do. Dan...

Most organizations make two big mistakes with their website.  First, we are confusing people about what we sell. People should be able to look at your website for five seconds and be able to know what you sell, how it will make their life better, and what do you need to do to buy it.  When you tell people what you are selling, they tend to buy it.  Some of the confusion we create comes from the cu...

When it comes to marketing, most businesses guess.  Donald Miller wrote Marketing Made Simple to help businesses create marketing that actually works. The book will give you a step by step guide on what to do to connect with customers.  Story is the hidden language we all speak. If you don't use stories in your marketing, you will not connect with people.  You are in business to solved a problem....

The 300th episode of Creating Disney Magic.  After recording 300 episodes over 6 years, here are the biggest things I have learned: The power of hearing your voice. Nothing else can compare to people hearing your voice.  Keeping episodes short have allowed us to deliver content quickly.  Listener questions have allowed me to know what people are thinking and what topics are important.  A Podcast c...

People who make good choices get ahead in life.  To make good choices, you need to understand your values. Take time to figure out what you stand for and what you stand against.  It is easy to make the wrong decision. It is tough to be brave and step in and help someone who doesn't have the same influence you don't have.  In the long term, it will pay off to stand up for what you believe in and do...

When you learn something new, it is only entertainment if you don't use it.  On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, Chris Jaskiewicz joins us to explain how he used what he learned to improve his organization.  Chris is the President and CEO of Icon Park in Orlando.  Icon Park was the first attraction in Orlando to open as the city began open again after the Covid-19 lockdown. Chris explains ho...

When I was the Executive Vice President at Walt Disney World, I treasured my team coming to me with their opinion. They did not think of me as the big bad boss. They knew I was open to hearing their opinions.  I told them to keep me out of trouble and not let me make stupid decisions.  This attitude flowed up, too. Often, I would tell Al Weiss, my boss, what I needed to get work done.  Part of you...

When I was Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World, Operations and entertainment sometimes had a conflict. The live shows were tremendous, but at times the cost was concerning. There was an entire operation to run, but live entertainment was a big piece of what people enjoy at the parks.  There are times when two department's priorities conflict with each other.  The key is you both have to...

When you make a bad decision, the first thing you can do is apologize.  Don't hope people forget about it. They won't. If you have done something inappropriate, it can be difficult to get over. But if you take action on a decision and it doesn't go well, face it head-on and admit what happened.  When you get feedback from someone about a bad decision or how you are perceived, the first step is to...

When I was at Disney, cast member surveys brought to my attention some perceived me as playing favorites. It was like a gut punch to get the information. But you know what? They were right. When I reflected on the feedback, I realized I did Immediately, I change my behavior. I sat next to different people. I sought out different opinions.  Over the next couple of years, my scores improved.  The ke...

At every business, you are going to disappoint some customers.  On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we answer a listener question about customers getting upset or disappointed.  The question is about how the narrative told at a historical president's home causes disappointment and tension with visitors. Sometimes they don't treat staff well when they get upset.  From this situation, there ar...

When you have a tough day at work, you have to find a way to let it go before you get home.  If you are a pain in the neck at home, your family won't want to see you after a workday.  I have been there myself.  My wife, Priscilla, once asked me if I could try making a little magic at home. When my son was 14, he suggested I sit in the hot tub when I get home because everything was fine before I go...

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, many businesses have had to shut down temporarily. As businesses begin to reopen, we have the opportunity to do it the right way.  Don't just open the doors and expect customers to return.  Approach reopening your business like it an entirely new product. Check everything carefully. Talk to your staff for ideas. Start calling customers and ask what concerns they ha...

Leading a remote team for the first time can be a challenge for many people.  If your leadership style is based on face to face interaction, it can leave you feeling disease about not being able to see your team.  Don't stress over it too much. Leading remotely, for the most part, is no different than leading in person. Be yourself. Pick up the phone. Get on Zoom. Communicate often.  Often, we mag...

What do you do if you have a negative coworker? For the most part, I recommend you stay away from negative coworkers. There really is no upside to you spending time with someone like that. But, if this person is a friend or someone you are willing to help out, then step in and let them know they are damaging their reputation and career. Keep in mind, any negative culture or environment you spend t...

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer a listener question that may seem unique, but it is more common than you may think.  A listener told me she is 28 and people think she is a teenager. It creates a challenge at work because people think she is young and therefore inexperienced.  Although you may not have this problem of looking like a teenager, you do have something in common with...

Documenting HR issues is important for you as a leader and your organization as a whole.  When I was at Marriott, I learned how to coach, counsel, and discipline employees. Documenting HR issues was part of the training that stuck with me the rest of my career.  If you have any issue with an employee, you need to build a record of the history of the behavior in case it becomes a problem. Documenta...

There is one activity every leader should do every day, and it may not be what you think. In my book,  The Customer Rules, Rule #15 is Be Like a Bee. There is a story behind this rule or customer service.  A girl asked Walt Disney if he was involved in making the movies. Walt explained he was like a bee. He buzzed around the company looking for and spreading new ideas. What Walt told the young gir...

When you have free time, what do you do with it? Too many people let it get away without getting any value from it. But you can use free time to gain an advantage.  There are three ways to consider how you use free time; organizationally, at-work, and personally.  With organizational free time, you can take care of some of the small items you always wish you had time for.  You can train employees...

Jeff Noel joins us as a special guest on this episode of Creating Disney Magic.  Jeff is a 30 year Disney veteran. For the last 15 years of his Disney Career, Jeff taught at the Disney Institute.  Now, Jeff is a keynote speaker and helps businesses operate with a little more magic.  Jeff has his own podcast If Disney Ran Your Life. On his podcast, Jeff explains how if Disney ran your life, you wou...

Meeting a new team as a leader is your first chance to let people know what it is going to be like to work with you.  When I became the General Manager of a Marriott Hotel, I used the first 30 days to find out what questions people have.  Every day, I walked the hotel and met with every employee. First, at 6 am, I would walk every area of the hotel. Then again at 11 am. Finally, before I left at 5...

Whether you use a paper planner or a digital planner, you are going to have notes and other items you will need to keep that don't go into your planner.  It can be a challenge to keep all of your notes in order and organized so you have them when you need them.  In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I offer some suggestions and ideas on how you can keep your notes and other vital information m...

On this special episode of Creating Disney Magic, Dan Cockerell, my son and former VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World joins me to talk about how to handle a crisis. Here are four steps to keep in mind while dealing with a crisis: Safety First.  Before anything else, the safety of employees, customers, and yourself comes before anything else. Deal with the Facts.  During a crisis people g...

You don't have to be a supervisor to influence positive change in your organization.  At Disney, there are hourly employees who have influence over decisions from management.  If you want to influence positive change you need to begin by having a spirit of serving.  If people trust you then you will gain some influence. When people want to work with you, you can have more influence on what happens...