Disney Secrets Revealed: How to Deliver a Magical Guest Experience With Lee Cockerell

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Disney Secrets Revealed: How to Deliver a Magical Guest Experience With Lee Cockerell

Walt Disney World is known for captivating the hearts of guests and giving them a magical, first-class experience. But it turns out that creating a memorable experience isn’t solely in the hands of Disney. No matter what industry you’ve built your business in, you can create a remarkable experience for your clients.

Former Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World® Resort, Lee Cockerell, is here to share all of the secrets that make people fall in love with Disney. He breaks it down into three simple categories: hire right, train right, and treat them right.

Seems simple, doesn’t it? According to Lee, many leaders don’t put enough time and effort into these specific areas, and that’s where things can go wrong. Whether you’re someone performing on stage at Disney Springs or sitting in an office, you always have to put your best foot forward, have a great attitude, and treat your people right.

Of course, the guest experience should focus on the customer. But where do the leader’s duties come into play?

When making decisions as a leader, you should always think about what will make the customer happy, what will make your employees happy, and what will make the bottom line happy. Additionally, you need to demonstrate that you’re respectful and open to communication as a leader, and you need to get feedback from clients and employees.

Listen to this episode of The Judd Shaw Way Podcast with Judd Shaw featuring Lee Cockerell, Founder of Cockerell Academy and former Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World® Resort. Together, they talk about how to create a magical guest experience, the qualities of a great leader, and why attitude is everything.

In this episode:

• [1:01] Judd Shaw introduces his guest, Lee Cockerell, and the topic of the day: developing a first-class guest experience
• [3:14] How does Disney give each guest a memorable experience?
• [6:19] Why intentionality is key in business and in life
• [8:03] The principles of building a client service culture — and why they’re the same across industries
• [10:19] How a great attitude helped Lee and Judd succeed in their careers
• [13:57] What are the qualities of an outstanding leader?
• [17:59] The key ingredients to providing consistent, efficient, creative, and honest customer service
• [22:35] How to identify future leaders and foster their growth
• [26:45] Lee details his books and how they help leaders (and businesses) develop
• [31:57] Why cross-industry companies aren’t so different
• [33:52] What the Cockerell Academy is all about
• [36:40] The Main Street Diary and the one-of-a-kind retirement gift Lee received

🎙️ Featured Guest 🎙️

Name: Lee Cockerell

Short Bio: Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World® Resort. One of his lasting legacies is the Disney Great Leader Strategies, which was used to train and develop the 7,000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee is now dedicated to public speaking, leading workshops, and consulting for organizations around the world. He runs the Cockerell Academy and has authored books on leadership, management, and service excellence.

Company: Cockerell Academy

Connect: Website

🔑 Relevant Resources 🔑

• Walt Disney World® Resort
• Lee Cockerell’s Books
• What is the Main Street Diary?

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