Creating Disney Magic

This week, we have Jamie and JJ Eubanks from Magical Vacation Planner on the show. Through this pandemic, this couple has had to put their flexibility to good use. Travel was so up in the air over the past 12 months, causing the Eubanks and their team to have to improvise greatly. However, they have gone above and beyond during this time. As things were taken away from their clients, they saw that...

We recently added a great new course to The Cockerell Academy: Real Leadership. It gets into the details of the things that really matter. It teaches what most colleges don't: how to treat people right, how to train people well, and how to get ahead of the pack. It's the little things in life that make all the difference. Every little thing you do adds up to who people believe you are. Those are t...

For the first half of my marriage, I tried to get my wife to be like me. I always thought I was right. I liked to be in charge and make all of the decisions. I made her think she had to get approval from me to do anything. It was the same way at work. I pushed people around and told them what to do. However, whenever someone told me what to do, I was emotionally affected. Eventually, I realized th...

If you're an entrepreneur or in any other busy career, you may worry from time to time about building and maintaining a good relationship with your kids. On this episode, we're discussing a listener question on this topic. This listener admitted he was afraid his kids wouldn't push themselves after seeing how hard he and his wife work as high-energy business leaders. This was something my wife and...

This week, we're answering a listener question about navigating corporate culture. This listener, Melissa, used to work for a small company but has now taken a corporate job. She's worried about the adjustment. She's used to working in a place where things happened very quickly and doesn't want to get frustrated with all of the red tape and the speed at which things move in a large organization. I...

A common theme of all the listener questions we receive is bad leadership. Many of you are working under a boss who isn't interested in your ideas, opinions, and feedback. They don't want any input from their employees and don't want to know what's really going on in the organization. If that's true, you don't have a leader at all. You have a manager. There is a big gap between the two. Leadership...

It's extremely helpful to have an advocate who is willing to be candid with you. Whether you're like Jimmy who had people in his life willing to tell him he came across as condescending or like our other listener who wonders why he got passed over for a leadership position, an advocate can help. An advocate can give you honest feedback right from the get-go. For example, if you come across too str...

In the current climate of the world, we could all use a good story about overcoming tough times. Killiam Hemmy is on the show today to share his own story of resilience. Killian joined the military right before 9/11 and quickly found himself in Afghanistan. He went back time and again, both in the military and working for the FBI. One morning, he went out for a run and suddenly collapsed. He went...

Jody and I have been recording a new course for the Cockerell Academy called "Everybody Matters: Diversity and Inclusion." It's such a relevant topic. Working on the course has brought to mind even more thoughts on how to practice inclusiveness in our personal and work lives. It starts with getting out of your silo. If you only ever interact with people just like you, you will never develop inclus...

Given the disruption COVID-19 brought on the economy and many companies in 2020, there are a lot of people out looking for work right now. This week, we have a listener question on this topic: what recommendations would I give to organizations that are looking to attract and hire top talent in the current economy? If you're looking for talented employees, now is the time to find them. Once the wor...

I recently sent out an email where I said, "The more you say yes at work, the more you'll have to say no to something at home." In response, a listener asked if I could talk more about the right balance there. When should we say yes and when should we say no while still being a good employee? Start by thinking about the most important, no-exception items in your life. Once you know these, you'll k...

Recently, Jody and I were on a training call with an organization. One of the attendees asked what I used to look for when I was thinking of promoting somebody. It comes down to the 3 P's: persistence, passion, and people. Persistence means being an employee that others can count on. It's finishing the job no matter what. It's never leaving anything hanging. When we are persistent, others can't he...

You can't lead from your office with your feet on the desk. One of our listeners works under a boss who is likely leading that way. That listener recently asked how to bring up to their manager that their customer service was poor. Ideally, the owner of an organization would have clear expectations for providing feedback. Bosses should make it clear that they are willing to hearing employees' idea...

If you've worked at a company for any length of time, you've probably come up with some ideas for how it could improve. It's hard when you get excited about something and bring it to your boss, only to have them shut it down. On this episode, we're answering a listener question about this very subject. This listener explained that when she gives ideas to her boss, he always shoots them down. It's...

I've been very open about my struggle with depression in the past. Though I am doing great now, I still remember what it was like. A listener recently told us that they were just coming out of their own struggle with depression, but were feeling overwhelmed with building back their healthy habits. This is not something that I want to be an expert in, but the truth is that I am. We can't expect eve...

It's performance review time for many organizations. Towards the end of a year or the beginning of a new year, many companies will hold these reviews for their employees. They look back on what each one worked on and accomplished over the last year. On this episode, we're discussing performance reviews from a different perspective than we have before. A listener asked how she, as an individual con...

This week's episode is a special one. We're sharing a clip from our conversation with Ron Logan. Ron is retired now, but he was the Executive Vice President of live entertainment for Disney worldwide.  If you have ever experienced live entertainment at any Disney location, Ron had a part in it. Even though he is retired today, his impact is still felt at every Disney park. Ron is a man of attentio...

Are you helping or enabling? Do you know the difference between the two? Listener Greg Parsons recently asked us what the difference is. On this episode, we're breaking it down and explaining how you can tell if you're helping or enabling. Helping is setting clear expectations and sticking to them. It is teaching somebody how to do something and then letting them go off on their own to do it. When...

On this week's episode, we're answering a question that came to us from Joe Fernandez. He is a Park Ranger and is wondering how to respond well to a crisis. Joe wants to know how he can continue to lead with a positive attitude during times of uncertainty. At Disney, we were prepared for anything. We thought about crises before they happened. You should do the same. Anticipate what could happen an...

One important key in time management is realizing that being late is a choice.  Too many of us think it's a phenomenon. In reality, we can make the choice to be on time or we can make the choice to be late.  When we become that person who is always five minutes late, our reputation is damaged. People start to believe they can't trust you. You appear unprofessional and impolite to the people who ar...

People feel they are the only one until you say it out loud. In a recent training session, I gave this advice when someone asked about communication.  I wanted those leaders and I want all of you to understand that by not speaking up when someone says something you don't agree with, you're approving it. This all comes down to communicating effectively as a leader. We need to make sure that we are...

Everyone has a story they can tell. If you're good at anything and have a message that can help people, you can become a speaker. It just takes habit and practice. Listener Steve Ross asked how I knew the time was right to become a keynote speaker. I started by speaking at conventions that came to Disney and eventually started working and traveling with a company for a year. I also did lots of fre...

Team sports are all about learning to rely on others and taking responsibility for your own actions. No matter what each player looks like or where they come from, they all work together to accomplish the goal. Reggie Williams learned this lesson during his 14 years as an NFL star. He experienced incredible hardships, but through the entire process developed resiliency. Many people don't overcome...

Are you required to put in enough time on the job to get respect or have influence? Someone who listens to the Creating Disney Magic said they have been given a responsibility that is higher than their experience. However, they're confident about their knowledge. Sometimes, they feel like their colleagues don't take them seriously because they're underage for their role and asked for tips on how t...

Not only does training benefit the employees of a company, but it benefits the company itself, too. As we've talked about in previous episodes, when you spend time and money on someone, it shows them that they matter and that you care about them. They understand just how valued they are. Training also builds trust. Your people will say good things about you behind your back when you invest in them...