Creating Disney Magic

Latest Episodes:

Three Leadership Qualities You Can't Learn in School Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

When I am looking to hire someone, I don't care where you went to school or what your grades were. To some degree, I don't care about your technical knowledge.

I am more concerned about who you are. Have you experienced a hardship? Did you overcome it? Experience and exposure you get from adversity can be worth more than getting a degree or improving your technical skills.

Who you are is what I, and other leaders, are looking at. Do you keep promises? Can you let your ego go? Can you work with and for others? Are you curious? Do you read?

Persistence will get my attention. Have you found yourself in a hole and managed to dig yourself out?

The three most important leadership qualities can't be learned in school.

Curiosity

Humility

A Drive to Improve

Don't underestimate curiosity. Curiosity causes you to think differently. When you think differently, you act differently.

Ask more questions. Read more books. Get more experience and exposure. And then do something with it.

Knowing stuff is easy. Doing stuff is hard. Be curious and then had the discipline to create action from your curiosity.

A good book to understand the mindset shift needed to embrace these qualities, check out Motivation-Based Interviewing.

Do you have the Morning Magic Planner yet? Click Here to get it for free.

Do you need a vacation planned? Magical Vacation Planners is here to help. 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/

How Hard Should You Pursue Your Dream Job? Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Many people have a job they would consider a dream job, but they never go for it.

And if they do, they wonder how hard they should pursue it.

There can be more than one way to get your dream job. Sometimes you need to take a job just to get in the door.

Are you willing to take a gamble on yourself? Take a lower job so you can show them how good you are.

Or, know specifically what you are going after and find out what you need to do.

Most hard things take time. You have to invest in yourself to figure out where you need to improve and work on it. Stick with it.

And be willing to take a risk. It won't fall in your lap. You have to be willing to take a risk.

People underestimate what they can achieve. Too often, I hear people reference their background, education, parents, the city they live in, or a number of other reasons they can't pursue their dream job. None of that matters. Don't sell yourself short. You can accomplish it if you set your mind to it and become deliberate.

Focus on what you want and figure out how you can get it. It may take you a year or it may take five years. You have to be relentless. Get up every morning and go for it. Be relentless. Wear people down until you get what you are after.

As you pursue your dream job, don't let up on your standards for the current job you have. You are a professional. People are counting on you. Yes, go after your dream. But never let your performance slip when you are being paid to do a job.

Building a Magic Culture in Your Organization Oct 04, 2018

Show notes

After 27 years with Disney, including becoming the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom, my son Daniel retired to pursue his own speaking and consulting career.

At Disney, Dan had a wonderful career and a job most people would love to have. Yet, he left to pursue his dream and to be able to help more organizations. Many people would say Dan took a big risk.

As Dan says, "The future is not going to be clear, but you have to move forward with confidence that it is going to work out." He knew his experience from Disney would allow him to help more people if he struck out on his own.

Now, Dan focuses on helping companies develop a culture that is a positive experience for employees. Culture is like the weather in the way it impacts people. But you have the ability to influence the weather in your kingdom. Come rain or shine, you have to show up as a leader and create the right environment for other people.

Dan has just launched his own podcast, Come Rain or Shine. You can find it on iTunes, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or visit dancockerell.com. Below you listen to the episode where Dan interviews me for his podcast. You will enjoy it. Dan asks some great questions.

The Secrets of a Great Resume Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

The secrets to creating a good resume may not be what you think.

It is not design that matters. Or keywords. Getting people to know you, the person is what matters.

Too often, people consider a complete resume to be a chronological list of the jobs you have had. If you do this, you are going about it all wrong.

Want to find out if your resume stands out from the crowd?

Show your resume to people you know and ask for their feedback. Also, show your resume to companies. Don't apply for a job, just ask if they would consider giving you feedback on your resume and insights into what they look for.

If you don't have enough experience or the right experience, you need to include a letter to show a potential employer what they will not see on a resume. Are you persistent? Give examples to show how you stick to it, keep your promises, and you do what you say you are going to do. Find a way to show what makes you different and how you can benefit the organization.

Use the letter as an opportunity to convince an organization to hire based on things that are not even job-related. Convince them you are the right person.

People want to know what you can do for them, not where you have worked and for how long.

But here is the biggest secret about a resume...it is not about the resume at all. If you want to get a job, it is about the relationship. If you rely on your resume, you won't get very far. Spend your time building relationships. The relationships you build are what gives credibility to your resume.

We have a seminar coming up that is open to the public. Join us to talk about leadership, management, and customer service. We will be recording a live episode of Creating Disney Magic, too. Get more information HERE.

Ask Employees How You Can Do Better Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

The secret to understanding how you can operate your business better, serve customers better, and better support your staff is right in front of you.

All you have to do is ask.

Asking employees how you can do better is a powerful way to infuse new ideas into your organization.

When I was with Disney, I would do this often.

I would meet 10 or 12 front line cast members to find out what is going on with them. Meeting with employees will uncover information you can get no other way. They know something you don't know. They know a lot more than you about the jobs they do. Listen to them and help them do their jobs better.

Everybody is an expert in something.

Ask employees to look out for things they should tell you.

Once you get everyone involved in helping you run the business, it is amazing.

We all like to give our opinion about the work we do. Give people the chance to offer their opinion and insight.

Here are 3 questions to ask employees:

What should we stop doing?

What should we start doing?

What should we continue doing?

Take the time to sit and listen. Let them talk.

How to Promote Yourself Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

Did you know people used to call me Low-Key Lee?

Don't make the mistake of thinking your work will stand for itself. People have to know you did the great work.

I made this mistake when I interviewed with Marriott. When I assumed the great work I had done at Hilton would speak for itself. It doesn't work that way. You have to promote yourself. At the time, I didn't know how to promote myself

Low-Key Lee was not the person Marriott wanted to hire. Fortunately for me, someone I worked with at Hilton was now at Marriott and he knew I was the right guy for the job. But had the hiring decision had been made based on my interview, I would have never been hired by Marriott.

The feedback from the interview taught me a lesson. During the rest of career, I did a better job at promoting myself and the work I have done.

Make sure you know what you believe about management and leadership. When you are around your boss, give your opinion based on what you believe. It is a way to promote yourself, show what you can do, and improve the company. Over time, if you do this and plan how you can send a message about how valuable you are, you will prepare your boss to think of you when the time comes for a promotion.

Create Opportunities by Meeting New People Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

One of the most effective ways to create new opportunities is to meet new people.

Meet people and keep in touch because you never know what could pop up later.

If you don't know people they can't help you.

If you don't know people you can't help them.

I meet as many people as I can. It doesn't matter who they are or where they are from.

Don't expect anything from the people you meet. Just enjoy meeting them and enjoying the diversity of conversation. But, sometimes opportunities arise that wouldn't have been available unless you had met the right person.

Sometimes an opportunity arises right away. Sometimes it is ten years later.

As an example, Lee Sheldon from the United Kingdom makes a brief appearance on this episode of Creating Disney Magic. Lee explains how him reaching out to me led to us teaming up to do a live event in London.

I first met Jody Maberry when he asked me to be a guest on his Park Leaders podcast. Back then, I didn't even know what a podcast was. And now we have published more than 200 episodes of Creating Disney Magic. Who knew that would happen? You never know what opportunities arise when you meet new people.

Our partnership with Magical Vacation Planner came about because two things happened. First, I met Jamie Eubanks, the founder of the company. Second, we kept in touch.

One of the ways I meet new people, is I make myself available. I'm not shy about telling people I am at Starbucks every morning. People often show up there to meet me. My phone number was in one of my books. I encouraged people to call me.

Creating Magic With the Guest Experience Cycle Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

On the 200th episode of Creating Disney Magic, we examine the Guest Experience Cycle.

Disney implements the Guest Experience Cycle to make sure guest have the best vacation of their lives.

Anticipation - Anticipate what your guests will expect so you can work on those items before the guest arrives.

Arrival - What will the experience be like when your guest arrives? Whether a guest arrives in person, on the internet, or by phone what will the experience be like for them?

Experience - Think through what the entire experience of the guest will be like. A guest will have many experiences during their time with you, not just a single experience. Each one of these experiences should be thought out by you in advance and planned.

Departure - You have one more opportunity to make a guest feel good. What will you do with it? Don't let a guest leave without doing one more thing to make them feel special.

Savor - If you have anticipated and planned an excellent experience for a guest, they will savor the visit. Your goal should be to create an experience so delightful the guest savors the moments they had with you.

If you adopt the Guest Experience Cycle, you will begin seeing a difference in your business in a week.

Don't underestimate the impact this simple plan can have on your business. You will have guests and customers return because you made their experience so delightful. Never forget, the customer you have is a whole lot more valuable than the customer you might get. Rather than spend money on promotion and trying to get new customers, invest your time and dollars into the Guest Experience Cycle and take care of the customers you already have.

It doesn't matter what business you are in, and how big or small your business is in, the Guest Experience Cycle will have an impact.

Remember, you can create magic, too.

Career Magic is available as an Audiobook. You can get it Here.

Lead by Example Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

If you want to make a difference in your organization, you will have the most impact if you lead by example.

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we talk about 3 different situations, including leading by example. Here are the first two:

How to handle meeting a celebrity at work.

Be polite and courteous. Say hello and go away. At Disney, you can't bother a celebrity or ask for an autograph. They are there for a private event or to spend time with their family. If you are at work, remember you represent the organization.

How to equip staff members to give bad news to customers

You have to give staff members not only the training, but the authority to be able to deal with difficult situations. If you are not going to equip them to serve the customer when something goes wrong, then it is best to have a supervisor talk with the customer.

Now, let's talk about leading by example.

The real story of this episode, though, is a discussion about Phil Gaines. The recently retired Director of South Carolina State Parks. On the final day of his 37-year career with the park system, Phil returned to the park when he first began his ranger career. He spent the day picking up trash, cleaning bathrooms, and doing other tasks that so many people feel are beneath someone with a big title.

Phil Gaines is leading by example. Any of us can take this same mentality and have an impact on our organization. This same attitude and passion are what got Phil the job of Director. Professionals do what they do. Hard work and leadership led to Phil Gaines becoming Director. It doesn't change because he has a big position. It doesn't change because it is his last day.

At Disney, everyone sets the example for cleanliness. It doesn't matter what your position is. When you become a big deal, don't. Don't be a big deal. No one wants to be around someone who thinks they are a big deal. But if you lead by example, you will set the tone for everyone else. People will know what to do when they see you perform.

If you are going to take a vacation to a Disney property, get in touch with my friends at Magical Vacation Planner. They will make sure you have a great vacation.

You can get my Morning Magic Planner here for free.

Use 15 Minutes Every Morning to Create Magic Aug 24, 2018

Show notes

Often, people ask me about my morning planning time.

I like that question because morning planning has helped me create magic.

So many questions about morning planning time led me to create the Morning Magic Planning Course, which you can find here.

My career at Disney has been well documented on the Creating Disney Magic podcast, but you have to rewind nearly 40 years to discover one of the biggest secrets to my success.

Before I discovered the secret, I was disciplined, but not organized. At work, I kept putting off hard items. I would avoid certain projects and then dread the day when my boss would ask me about it. Then in 1980, I went to a time management seminar.

At this seminar, I learned about time management and morning planning. Since that day, I have spent 15 minutes planning every morning. Morning planning made me a new man. Since that day in 1980, I have been organized, I have kept my promises, I do what I say I am going to do, and people know I am reliable.

Here are the two things that will impact your career; a good attitude and being reliable.

A good attitude is up to you. But I can help you become more reliable.

Reliability comes back to planning. Fifteen minutes of planning is all it takes to remove distress.

Distress is when things feel out of control. When you spend your days dealing with whatever is thrown at you, it feels out of control.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

You can remove distress. You can remove regrets (if you don't have regrets now you will later if you don't take action to get your days under control).

You can get this under control.

This is why I developed the Morning Magic Planner and the Morning Magic Planning Course.

If you use this planner for 30 days, you will never want to go a day without planning time again.

Life is better when you are the one controlling it.

You know you have responsibilities you are not tending to and projects not getting finished. Subconsciously, this is putting more pressure on you and adding to your distress.

It's never too late to get better. You can change if you want to.

Remember, things are never the way they are. Things are the way you let them be.

How much longer will you let things be this way?

You can get the Morning Magic Planning Course HERE. Or, if you want to use the planner without the course, you can get it here.

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