Creating Disney Magic

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 Cre...

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...

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....

Imagine a basketball team where one player decides to stay in the offensive end of the court because it is easier for him. Running up and down the court is hard work. Would the other players allow it? Would the coach allow it? No way! And it should not be allowed in the workplace either.  Yet, it happens all the time. Specifically, it happens as employees are getting close to retirement. People sh...

If your business is struggling, it may be hard to hear this, but here is the candid truth...Your business is as good as you want it to be.  Most business can turn things around in only 2 to 4 weeks.  In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I use a doctor office as an example of where to begin to turn a business around.  The problem in a doctor's office is the doctor doesn't know what is going on...

When you introduce yourself, or someone asks about you, what do you say? So many people discuss the work they do. This is especially a problem for those of us in the United States.  Be careful about becoming who you work for instead of who you are.  Some people never recover from having a big-ego job. I get it. Those jobs make other people think you matter. Or, that is what you think, anyway. When...

Remote teams are just a fact of business life now. There is no going back. Whether it comes from telecommuting, an organization spread out geographically or working with employees who work from remote locations, most organizations deal with remote workers. Now, leaders have to understand how to communicate better with people they do not see in person. To discuss this topic, we invited  Kevin Eiken...

Sometimes you have to ask Why five times to get to the truth.  What you hear at first is not always the truth. Or not the whole truth, anyway.  At first, people put the best story up front. They hope it will be enough and you won't go deeper.  Ask Why. Go deeper. Get down to the truth and get all the details.  If you want to prevent the problem from happening again, you have to understand what hap...

When you are searching for people to add to your staff, you have to have a wide approach.  Don't just post a job opening and hope the right person applies.  Finding the right person starts long before you have a job opening. Having the right contacts and relationships with a wide variety of people can lead you to the right person, so it is a good idea to meet people across different industries and...

Emergencies are the extreme example of finding out how well you have done in delegating authority.  When you have an emergency you have no time for anyone to wonder what they should do and what responsibility they have. You have to sort it out before you have a problem.  You don't plan what to do in a tornado when you hear the tornado siren.  Think about what could go wrong. Work through the scena...

No matter how big or small your organization is, your customers all have the same expectations;  Make me feel special Treat me as an individual Respect me Have knowledgeable employees Now, go through these four expectations with your team and figure out how you can master them. You will have to be deliberate to master these four areas. Discuss each expectation individually and figure out what it m...

Have you ever been in a situation at work where it seemed like it was Us versus Them? When you find this situation it often comes in the form of field staff vs. office staff.  The problem comes from the top. This happens because the CEO lets it happen. Or, in a public agency, the Director or CEO equivalent.  Al Weiss used to say there would not be any silos at Disney World. And if there were, some...

When you lose a customer, is it possible to win them back? Yes, it is possible, but don't even try to win a customer back unless you are ready to have them back.  They left you for a reason. Fix the issue that caused them to leave in the first place. Only then, should you try to win a customer back.  And when you know you are ready to have them back, treat them like a VIP (very individual person)....

Often, people ask me how to stand out in their job.  Perhaps they want to know a secret. Something no one has told them before. But it is no secret. Most people know what to do, but they don't. If you want to stand out, focus on the basics. If you focus on these five things, you will stand out about anyone else you work with; First impressions are important. Be an expert in something Find a way to...

Want to create a magic environment around you? Start with gratitude.  When you are around someone who is grateful, you can feel it, can't you? I used to think about what I didn't have and complain about it. At some point in my career, I became more grateful for what I do have. You know what, life became more enjoyable.  When you are grateful for what you have, you begin to treat people better. Peo...

Too often, when we have a bad employee, we assume we made a great hire and something then went wrong with the employee. The truth is, you made a bad hire.  It is hard to admit, but it is true.  In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we talk candidly about hiring and firing.  If you want to build a great culture, you have to face the truth about bad hires and put an end to it.  In this episode,...

Getting fired can feel like a big deal. It can feel like a blow to your confidence and your career.  When I was younger, I took a job I shouldn't have and it led to me getting fired.  It felt awful, of course. But it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. One thing you are concerned about after getting fired is if it has ruined your reputation.  After I was fired, I was hired by Marr...

Walt Disney was a dreamer. Some would say he was unrealistic. Some would say he was unreasonable.  But without his dreams, there would be no Mickey Mouse. No Snow White. No Disneyland or Disney World.  If you have big dreams, people are going to tell you that you can't do it or you are being unrealistic.  Remember, when someone tells you something can't be done, they are talking about their limita...

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, a listener asks what I think is the biggest opportunity for the service industry.  We've tried everything else, now let's take care of the customer.  No gimmicks. No marketing campaign. No technology. Just people taking care of people.  To make this happen, you have to stop relying on your business strategy and develop a leadership strategy.  In order to t...

This week I answer two listener questions. Although the details are different, both questions are in the same line of "my boss doesn't listen". Yes, it happens. There are some lousy bosses out there. People are insecure. Insecurity in leadership leads to some bad behavior. If you find yourself in this position it can make your life miserable. And my advice is simple, don't stay where you are not h...

If your organization has not experienced a major disruption in the past couple of years it is coming.  Technology changes so fast, you may not even see the disruption before it hits. Look at what Amazon and Uber did to other businesses in their industry.  The key to being ready for these disruptions is to plan for them. Even if you don't know what the disruption is, you can plan on being disrupted...

In my younger days, I had trouble talking about myself. They even called me "Low Key Lee" because I kept to myself. So you might not be surprised to hear I did not interview well.  But as I became an expert and became more confident, I became better at job interviews.  Looking back on my career, I realize there are three things to help you create magic in a job interview; Talk about what you are p...

Many businesses are missing a big opportunity by not finding the right time to make incremental sales.  Or you could call it situational selling. In the right situation, you offer an additional service or product to the customer.  It is what we do in the hotel and restaurant business. We encouraged it and sometimes would create a friendly competition.  Some people call it upselling, but it is more...

Many people set resolutions to start a new year. Most of those people don't follow through.  Usually, by February, people have already given up on losing weight, reading more books, or whatever resolution they set.  They key is to do things on purpose. Or, said another way, routines.  Routines are systems to help you get done what you need to get done. Can you imagine FedEx or IBM or Disney doing...

Focusing on numbers and neglecting the customer has become too common. When times get tough, companies cut costs, often at the expense of customer service. Is that the right move? Does customer service really hurt the bottom line? Absolutely not. Without the customer, you will not have a bottom line to worry about. Take care of the customer. It takes discipline to offer excellent customer service...