Lee Cockerell
Creating Disney Magic
Lee Cockerell shares his wisdom and experience from his time as the Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World. Along with host Jody Maberry, Lee discusses how you can apply lessons in leadership, management, and customer service to create magic in your organization.
Author
Lee Cockerell
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 7, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
Building a Coaching Business 13.02.2024 17:21
"Maybe it's time to pivot your career and start pouring into other people all the wisdom that you've gotten to save them a heck of a lot of trouble that they could get into." - Donald Miller Key Moments [00:04:45] – The impact of coaching [00:06:44] - The inspiration behind Donald Miller's new book, "Coach Builder." [00:08:54] – Transitioning to coaching and making money as a coach [00:11:42] - Th...
Building Credibility 06.02.2024 12:04
"Make sure you reach and research a subject to understand it. Become an expert, and you'll probably come off as an expert." Key Moments 02:10 Research and collect input from others. 04:54 Organize knowledge and gain confidence to share your ideas. 08:31 Speak up to share your ideas and opinions. 10:09 Companies need experts for informed decision-making. Make sure you reach out to Magical Vacation...
Upselling Your Products 30.01.2024 13:46
"I f you understand how it benefits a customer and you get to know your customers, then you can promote or upsell products that are a good fit for them because you know them." Key Moments 02:21 Employee motivation for cross selling. 04:36 Importance of understanding, rehearsing, and training for product sales. 07:12 Promote products by understanding and educating customers. 12:19 Cockrell Academy...
Follow Through With Training 23.01.2024 11:38
"Most people want to do a good job, but they just fall back into their habits." Key Moments 01:07 Managers need to reinforce good habits in employees. 05:17 Leadership requires empathy and patience. 08:02 Frontline staff are key to customer experience. 10:31 Consider time and effort before making changes. Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee Cockerell Mainstreet Leader Follow Through With T...
Become a World Class Organization 16.01.2024 15:13
"Poor and good are the same because they're not great. And I think if you want to be world class, you have to have that attitude that poor and good are the same." Key Moments 00:08 - What Does it Mean to be World Class? 04:51 - Examples of World Class Businesses 06:30 - Importance of Consistency, Excellence, and Commitment 11:59 - Maintaining a World Class Business 14:40 - Cockerel Academy and...
Let Your Team Know What You've Done For Them 09.01.2024 14:48
"It's natural to complain about what we didn't get in life instead of remembering what we have." Key Moments 00:57 Reminding employees of support and solutions provided. 03:29 Showing appreciation through listening and communication. 07:26 Respectfully communicate, record feedback, and communicate back for trust and improvement. 09:40 Opinions matter. Communication is essential for positive morale...
Make a Big Deal Out of the Little Things 02.01.2024 16:33
"Success came from the way they started, the way they were persistent, the way that when they had a problem, they worked through it." Episode Highlights 00:57 Business success comes from founders' persistence and passion. 04:24 Excellent service and quality product helps business growth. 08:45 The impact of Disney, Hilton, and Marriott success in existing vs. new industries. 14:20 Successful busin...
The Secret to What People Really Want 26.12.2023 14:20
"There's not a personal I wouldn't say they appreciate it when they get some positive feedback and encouragement and, Even the people who got a bad attitude, that's how you turn a bad attitude around is over time." Episode Highlights 00:43 Importance of appreciation, recognition, and encouragement. 05:14 Offering genuine praise and acknowledgment is important and free, and it benefits everyone. 08...
The Peril of Not Keeping in Touch with the Front Line 19.12.2023 15:02
"Our job as a leader or a parent is to keep our people emotionally, psychologically, and physically safe." Episode Highlights 001:07 Importance of leaders building trust and openness 04:45 Open communication crucial for understanding in relationships. 09:00 Confirming, addressing, and neutralizing disrespectful behavior in the workplace. 12:36 Becoming aware of personal responsibility, taking acti...
Solving Problems as a Team 12.12.2023 13:27
"Q uit having meetings and have conversations." Episode Highlights 00:00 Teamwork in escape room teaches effective problem-solving. 05:58 Asking for opinions builds team trust. 09:31 Setting deadlines cultivates success in all areas. 12:19 Cockrell Academy for team problem-solving courses. Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee Cockerell Mainstreet Leader Leaders can bring their team together t...
Planning Organizational Communication 05.12.2023 16:08
"Keep some of the trust within the organization by respecting your team enough to tell them before the whole world knows about something." Episode Highlights 02:50 Timely communication builds trust. 05:15 Keeping secrets can be detrimental to organizational culture 08:43 structured systems help decide what facts to include and what to omit. 12:12 "Frontline Rules" is coming to Cockerell Academy ab...
You Can be Nice and Tough 28.11.2023 16:37
"When you lead, be tough, not hard." Lee Cockerell Episode Highlights 01:04 Gain a reputation of high standards. 05:32 Rules and values must be enforced to be effective. 07:36 Appearance impacts perception of leadership and quality. 10:33 High standards requires consistent education, training, and discipline. 13:16 Train managers to make tough decisions. Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee...
Preparing for the Next Level of Your Career 21.11.2023 16:42
"People don't like a lot of the jobs they have to do, but they look back on them and think, 'wow! Look how much I learned back then'." Episode Highlights 01:30 Competition is increasing; experience and skills are important. 03:16 Exposure to new cities and ways of doing things elevates one's level. 07:30 Exposure, experience, and knowledge lead to growth. 11:57 Time management; schedule the thing...
Take Advantage of Information 14.11.2023 14:38
"If you want to have a better life and start to do better, to be better, and to feel better, you need to start making better decisions." - Lee Cockerell Episode Highlights [00:01:32] The importance of following up [00:04:50] Make time for learning; Manage your time to improve your life. [00:09:30] Analyzing meetings is essential for getting more out of training and meetings [00:12:47] Hiring, trai...
Pay Attention to People 07.11.2023 10:55
"Make things better through your people, not through you." Episode Highlights [00:01:11] Good leaders train, appreciate, recognize, and develop employees. [00:03:59] Impactful communication key for emotional well-being. [00:07:33] Pay attention to signs of anxiety and depression. [00:09:50] Most important things as a leader are details and people. Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee Cockerel...
Be Relentless About Details 31.10.2023 14:50
"Almost every part of your life, day, moment and its details will help you be safer, better, more well thought of, and probably more successful." Episode Highlights [00:02:15] Do better, faster, and keep promises. Hire people who get things done. [00:03:32] Attention to detail is crucial for success. Start early and make time for revisions. [00:07:07] Not taking the time to research can cause miss...
Make a Good First Impression 25.10.2023 11:24
"We don't give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes because that first impression is so strong." Episode Highlights [00:02:41] First impressions matter, be mindful of judging others. [00:03:23] First impressions are important - be prepared and stay ready. [00:08:38] Be conscious of the impression you leave through your words and actions. Resources The Cockerell Academy About Lee Cockerell Mai...
Take Responsibility for Your Own Training 17.10.2023 10:48
"The only person that can control your life is you. And if you don't, don't blame anybody else. It's not your mother's fault. It's, it's your fault." Episode Highlights [00:03:08] Nobody should want you to get training more than you [00:04:44] Learn what you need for promotion, and find opportunities for self-education. [00:07:19] Reading daily is essential for personal growth and success in life....
Manage Like a Mother 10.10.2023 25:13
"Women are natural born leaders. The things that women do at home and they do it in a Very naturally because it's their motherly instinct..." - Valerie Cockerell [00:02:18] Valerie Cockerell's new book about parallell between motherhood and leadership [00:06:30] Learning on the job and adapting to challenges [00:13:06] Men must become advocates for women. [00:17:17] Gaps in women's resumes should...
Find Out What Your Team Needs 03.10.2023 17:40
"it's really up to the leader to set that environment and culture where people are comfortable, bringing up anything because everybody matters in them here." – Lee Cockerell leaders can create a successful team by understanding their needs. Take the time to ask your team members what they need from you to enhance their performance. The "small" things that may seem insignificant to you as a leader...
Enforce Your Training 26.09.2023 19:21
"If you have a good way to do things and everybody in your organization does it, you're going to get more business because people are going to love you because it's very consistent." - Lee Cockerell Training without enforcement is like building a grand castle on a weak foundation—it simply won't hold up. Jody and I have a great conversation on the importance of enforcing your training and creating...
Let's Talk About Introverts 19.09.2023 17:21
"Be self aware enough to realize you are an introvert or extrovert and know how that could be perceived" - Lee Cockerell Introverts and extroverts are wired differently. The differences are often noticeable in both our personal life and in our professional roles. Recently I told Jody that we need to talk about introversion. So we recorded an episode on how it can be perceived in the professional w...
Working Through Anxiety 12.09.2023 35:39
There are some decisions you make in your life that will help you get better and get over [anxiety] quicker. - Lee Cockerell Several years ago Jody and I talked about my struggle with anxiety and depression. It became one of our most listened to episodes. I still get messages about it today. We thought it would be important to revisit this conversation, especially with the prevalence of anxiety in...
Invest in Relationships 05.09.2023 20:33
Don't underestimate the power of a simple phone call or message. Reaching out and staying connected is essential, especially during challenging times. - Lee Cockerell Teens and young adults are experiencing rising levels of anxiety and depression. Sometimes changes come faster than they are able to comprehend. It is important that we take the time to invest in relationships and support those who m...
Create a Vision People Can Rally Around 29.08.2023 17:44
If you don't know where you're going, you're probably not going to get there. - Lee Cockerell Vision comes from a leader that sees the desired future for an organization. It's crucial for leaders to transfer this vision to employees, so they can visualize it and get excited about it. One of the challenges leaders face is translating their enthusiasm and clear image of the future to their team memb...
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