Lee Cockerell, VP of Disney World Resort (Retired),

Talks about Disney Management and Leadership Strategies

“As the Senior Operating Executive for ten years Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping & entertainment village and a sports and recreation complex in addition to the ancillary operations which supported the number one vacation destination in the world.

” One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies which continues on as the primary resource for developing the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee talks to OPM about his strategies and how you can use them in your life and your business.

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Many people ask me how I get my interviews. I usually tell them that I got off the couch and made a phone call.

In the case of Lee, that is all I had to do. Lee answers his own phone and is extremely receptive to sharing his business magic with those that need it.

This interview was done originally on Bob Schecter’s and my radio show on Blogtalk Radio (The Networking Fools) We are still fools and great friends, but no longer do the show. This is a great interview where Bob and I ask all the great questions of a man of Lee’s stature. Thanks Lee – JW

Lee Cockerell

Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for eight years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project.

Lee has served as Chairman of the Board of Heart of Florida United Way. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

In 2005 Governor Bush appointed Lee to the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Public Service for the state of Florida. He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management and service excellence which was published in 2008 and is now available in ten languages.

Lee also performs leadership and service excellence consulting for organizations as well as the Disney Institute.

Lee has received the following awards;

2002 Golden Chain Award for Outstanding leadership and business performance from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operations Association (MUFSO).

2003 Silver Plate Award for Outstanding Operator in the foodservice industry from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA).

2006 Excellence In Production Operations Management and Leadership (POMS) from the Productions and Operations Management Society (POMS).

Listen to Mr. Cockerell talk about:

How do you become VP of Operations for one the the best known and happiest places on earth?
How do you manage without micromanaging?
Can leadership and management techniques used to support over 40,000 scale for small business?
What is R.A.V.E.?
How do you manage managers
How Time Management changed his life.
Leadership for children
How to set up community.
And Much, Much More

The Book Creating Magic

“It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.”

The secret for creating “magic” in our careers, our organizations, and our lives is simple: outstanding leadership—the kind that inspires employees, delights customers, and achieves extraordinary business results.

No one knows more about this kind of leadership than Lee Cockerell, the man who ran Walt Disney World® Resort operations for over a decade.

And in Creating Magic, he shares the leadership principles that not only guided his own journey from a poor farm boy in Oklahoma to the head of operations for a multibillion dollar enterprise, but that also soon came to form the cultural bedrock of the world’s number one vacation destination.

But as Lee demonstrates, great leadership isn’t about mastering impossibly complex management theories. We can all become outstanding leaders by following the ten practical, common sense strategies outlined in this remarkable book. As straightforward as they are profound, these leadership lessons include:

Everyone is important.
Make your people your brand.
Burn the free fuel: appreciation, recognition, and encouragement.
Give people a purpose, not just a job.

Combining surprising business wisdom with insightful and entertaining stories from Lee’s four decades on the front lines of some of the world’s best-run companies, Creating Magic shows all of us – from small business owners to managers at every level – how to become better leaders by infusing quality, character, courage, enthusiasm, and integrity into our workplace and into our lives.