Creating Disney Magic

Latest Episodes:

Leading a Discouraged Team May 17, 2016

Show notes

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic Lee answers a listener question about leading a discouraged team.

If you take on a leadership role with a team that has had a tough time with the previous leader or feel discouraged, you have to be deliberate about how you leadership tenure begins.

Spend time listening. Spend time with each member of your team. Discover what the problems are, what has discouraged the team,

People are not going to support you unless they trust you. Be careful of how you react to what people tell you and what you see.

Don't make big decisions quickly. Spend 30 days discovering the problems and how your team is feeling. After 30 days you can begin implementing changes based on the information you received from your team.

Always keep communicating. Keep listening. Keep giving feedback.

To keep up to date on the Time Management Magic Course click here.

Leading People Older Than You May 10, 2016

Show notes

It is not uncommon for someone to leading people who are older than they are.

This situation can cause pushback; people may feel the boss selected the wrong person, you could now be supervising someone who didn't get the job, or people are skeptical about your age.

Address the situation early and directly. Be open and available to answer questions. Help people understand performance is what matters. Always be willing to tell people the truth. Make sure you clarify your expectations.

You can follow Creating Disney Magic on Facebook.

You can get a free month of Thrive 15 by using the code Magic.

Onstage Service vs Backstage Service May 03, 2016

Show notes

At your organization, you are putting on a show every day. Everygreat show has two performances going on simultaneously; onstageand backstage.

Consider seeing a play at the theater. The onstage show isobvious. You watch the actors, see the props, and hear the music.Backstage, though, there is a crew working just as hard to makesure everything goes right with the performance. You may notdirectly witness the backstage performance, but it is just ascrucial to putting on an excellent show.

If backstage performers don't put on a great show, onstageperformers can not put on a great show.

The same is true with your organization.

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Find out more about the Time Management Magic Coursehere.

Maintaning Employee Morale Apr 26, 2016

Show notes

It is common to wonder how to motivate employees and maintain high morale. But the truth is, you don't motivate people. People motivate themselves. Your job is to create a culture where people are excited. When people are excited about the work they do, they inspire themselves.

Your job is to create a culture where people are excited. When people are excited about the work they do, they inspire themselves.

Cast members have to be committed to working at Disney. There is not room in their role in the show to be rude, to not be nice, or to not go out of your way to help somebody.

If you notice an employee is not motivated or having trouble, it is a leader's responsibility to find out why and try to help them. Discipline and empathy are important traits for leaders. Good leaders create a trusting culture.

Customer Service in Government Apr 19, 2016

Show notes

Whether you are in government, a religious organization, or running a corner gas station, customer service issues are all the same.

No team will work unless the group is flexible, professional, and willing to work together.

Be willing to compromise, be patient, and build relationships.

Always keep in mind, your job is to take care of the constituents. Focus on what is best for the citizens.

The lessons from Lee's book, Creating Magic, work in a government organization as well as they do in a large corporation.

Metrics and Measurement Apr 12, 2016

Show notes

At Disney World, metrics and measurement are crucial to the operation. Cast Members are aware of what is being measured and understand how they can contribute to improvement.

If you don't measure, you don't know if you are doing a good job or a bad job. And you won't know how to improve performance or guest satisfaction. Without knowing the numbers, you can not make clear decisions.

Disney measures the important things and works to get a little better every day.

If you enjoy hearing Lee and Jody together, you may want to hear Lee Cockerell as a guest on The Jody Maberry Show.

Empowing Front Line Staff Apr 05, 2016

Show notes

Customers want the person in front of them to have the authority to solve their problem. If front line staff can't solve a customer's problem, it is either a training issue or you have not empowered them to solve problems.

Reputation and customer service are linked together. When front line staff can't solve a problem, it erodes your reputation one customer at a time.

If you want a reputation for outstanding customer service, you can't worry about customers taking advantage of you. Put the proper controls in place and work to delight the customer. Don't make people's life more difficult than it already is.

You can hear a great example of customer service from Moo on this episode of The Jody Maberry Show.

Improving Customer Service Mar 29, 2016

Show notes

The three legs of a successful business are;

Taking Care of the Customer
Taking Care of the Employees
Taking Care of the Profit

In this episode of Creating Disney Magic, Lee Cockerell explains what you can do to create a culture of customer service when your organization currently does not focus on the customer.

Remember, employees are the company. Customers will view your company based on the experience they have with employees.

You can connect with Lee on Twitter - @LeeCockerell

You can connect with Jody on Twitter - @jodymaberry

And you can connect with Lee and Jody on the Creating Disney Magic Facebook Page.

The Difference Between Training and Development Mar 22, 2016

Show notes

Many organizations lump training and development into one category.

You need to understand the difference and the impact each will have on your organization.

Training is basic and unemotional. Development is emotional and helps people correct their mistakes or move from good to great.

You can follow along with Creating Disney Magic podcast on Facebook.

Is there a question you would like to ask on the show? Reach out and let us know and your question could be featured on an episode of Creating Disney Magic.

Can a Leader Be Too Nice? Mar 15, 2016

Show notes

Too many people feel you have to be a fear motivated boss, but it is not true. No one wants to work with that kind of boss.

But is it possible to be too nice?

The main job of a leader is to focus on performance.

At Disney, Lee Cockerell had a reputation for being nice and respectful, but he got results and so did the people who worked for him.

Be professional, treat people respectfully and focus on performance and people will appreciate you.

You can find out more the Lee's Time Management Magic Course here.

Follow the Creating Disney Magic Podcast on Facebook.