Creating Disney Magic

Allowing Employees to Deal with Family Matters

I am live from Coffee for the Soul in Orlando again. Today, we are answering a listener question that hits close to home. Will asks, “How do you allow for individuals in the organization to not neglect family and close relationships, but also not become unreliable or inconsistent? It falls into the responsibility of both the employee or team member and company leadership. As a prospective employee, you need to have that discussion before you join. Make sure you join the "right" organizat...

Now is the Opportunity to Get a Job

This week, I am taking you to my favorite coffee shop, Coffee for the Soul, in Orlando. After a three-night stay in the hospital, I’m glad to be getting out and about and to offer some tips for those who may be looking to land their dream job. Now is the time. As everywhere is opening back up and capacity limits are starting to lift, everywhere is hiring. I often get asked how to get a foot in the door at Disney. If you have dreamed of working for Disney, there is no better time than now. ...

How to Give Clarity in Job Descriptions

Everyone likes to know what they are signing up for. I know I do. It can be easy, as an employer, to leave new hires with unclear expectations on what the day-to-day of their job will entail.   As a leader, it is crucial to be 100% truthful, especially when discussing what they should expect. Let them know your expectations of them. Misunderstandings happen because we aren’t clear with each other. A lack of clarity can leave people feeling duped. Especially when the job gets hard or turn...

Leaders Are Great Communicators

Donald Miller is back with us this week to dive a little deeper into what makes a successful leader. Last week, we looked at how what you bring is more important than the school you attend. Now we are unpacking the importance of character and communication in leadership. Your character is the foundation you build your leadership and your reputation on. The first sentence in Donald’s book, Business Made Simple states, “No core competency can overcome poor character.” Your personal brand w...

Business Made Simple

This week, we are excited to have Donald Miller back on the show. He is sharing all about his newest book: Business Made Simple. For any of you who may not know who Donald Miller is, he is an author and business owner. He is the CEO of Story Brand, a marketing company dedicated to helping you clarify your message so customers engage. In this episode, Donald shares the vision behind his newest book, Business Made Simple, and why it (and the Cockerell Academy) are better than an MBA. We ar...

How to Make Better Decisions

I used to think Time Management was the most important thing, but I have changed my mind. While preparing the course Better Decisions for the Cockerell Academy, I realized that making better decisions is the most important thing we can improve on. Time management means nothing if you are making bad decisions. Making decisions isn't always about what you decide to do. Sometimes, it is what you decide not to do. Most of the time, we make these decisions because of emotions or poor judgment. ...

A Leaders Job is to Make More Leaders

Leadership sets the culture. That is true if we are talking about a country or a company. Sometimes, people put too much stock in non-essentials when determining if someone is ready for leadership. Additionally, people can rely on the wrong things to enforce the culture they are cultivating. In this episode, I'll answer a listener question along these lines. This week’s question comes from India and an anonymous listener; it comes in two parts. What do you do when your responsibility out...

Working with Entrepreneurial Employees

Over the last few years, especially 2020, we have seen the workforce environment change drastically. Whether it is birthed from a dream or by necessity, many young people today aspire to have their own business someday. But how does that impact us as leaders and the decisions we make surrounding hiring and developing our staff?   In this episode, we’re answering a listener question about this very subject.   Bradley from Nashville, TN posed this week's question: How would you develop...

Executive Presence

A while back, my son was at Disney and noticed a gorilla who was making eye contact with the man who was in charge. Based solely on the way people were acting and the way the man presented himself, the gorilla picked up on who the boss was. Executive presence is what made that man stand out. People with executive presence have immediate influence and credibility. However, they don’t let that go to their heads. They treat all people with respect, no matter who they are. They let their p...

Creating Magic in Any Situation

This week, we have Jamie and JJ Eubanks from Magical Vacation Planner on the show. Through this pandemic, this couple has had to put their flexibility to good use. Travel was so up in the air over the past 12 months, causing the Eubanks and their team to have to improvise greatly. However, they have gone above and beyond during this time. As things were taken away from their clients, they saw that as an opportunity. They didn’t want their clients to miss out on anything and filled in the...

Real Leadership

We recently added a great new course to The Cockerell Academy: Real Leadership. It gets into the details of the things that really matter. It teaches what most colleges don’t: how to treat people right, how to train people well, and how to get ahead of the pack. It’s the little things in life that make all the difference. Every little thing you do adds up to who people believe you are. Those are the things that get you recognized by the people you work with and for and get you promoted. ...

Don’t Expect People to Be Like You

For the first half of my marriage, I tried to get my wife to be like me. I always thought I was right. I liked to be in charge and make all of the decisions. I made her think she had to get approval from me to do anything. It was the same way at work. I pushed people around and told them what to do. However, whenever someone told me what to do, I was emotionally affected. Eventually, I realized that my attitude was creating the same problem at work as it was at home. People didn’t like...

Does Your Career Influence Your Children

If you’re an entrepreneur or in any other busy career, you may worry from time to time about building and maintaining a good relationship with your kids. On this episode, we’re discussing a listener question on this topic. This listener admitted he was afraid his kids wouldn’t push themselves after seeing how hard he and his wife work as high-energy business leaders. This was something my wife and I discussed a lot over the years. Because of my career, I missed some things I wish I hadn’...

Navigating Corporate Culture

This week, we’re answering a listener question about navigating corporate culture. This listener, Melissa, used to work for a small company but has now taken a corporate job. She’s worried about the adjustment. She’s used to working in a place where things happened very quickly and doesn’t want to get frustrated with all of the red tape and the speed at which things move in a large organization. It’s very easy to get frustrated in a transition like this. When you’re used to things going ...

Creating Influence Through Performance

A common theme of all the listener questions we receive is bad leadership. Many of you are working under a boss who isn’t interested in your ideas, opinions, and feedback. They don’t want any input from their employees and don’t want to know what’s really going on in the organization. If that’s true, you don’t have a leader at all. You have a manager. There is a big gap between the two. Leadership means being there for your people and trying to understand their points of view. It is al...

Improving One on One Communication

It’s extremely helpful to have an advocate who is willing to be candid with you. Whether you’re like Jimmy who had people in his life willing to tell him he came across as condescending or like our other listener who wonders why he got passed over for a leadership position, an advocate can help. An advocate can give you honest feedback right from the get-go. For example, if you come across too strong, they’ll tell you. Direct communication can be intimidating. So, you just need to let ...

Building Resilience to Deal with Tough Times

In the current climate of the world, we could all use a good story about overcoming tough times. Killiam Hemmy is on the show today to share his own story of resilience. Killian joined the military right before 9/11 and quickly found himself in Afghanistan. He went back time and again, both in the military and working for the FBI. One morning, he went out for a run and suddenly collapsed. He went into cardiac arrest, which he later found out was caused by a rare genetic condition. This d...

Leading an Inclusive Workplace

Jody and I have been recording a new course for the Cockerell Academy called “Everybody Matters: Diversity and Inclusion.” It’s such a relevant topic. Working on the course has brought to mind even more thoughts on how to practice inclusiveness in our personal and work lives. It starts with getting out of your silo. If you only ever interact with people just like you, you will never develop inclusiveness. Exposure and experience are the main problems here. However, when we get out of our...

How to Attract Top Talent to Your Organization

Given the disruption COVID-19 brought on the economy and many companies in 2020, there are a lot of people out looking for work right now. This week, we have a listener question on this topic: what recommendations would I give to organizations that are looking to attract and hire top talent in the current economy? If you’re looking for talented employees, now is the time to find them. Once the world gets back to normal, great people will be scooped up very quickly. Don’t wait to hire the...

Stop Saying Yes So Often

I recently sent out an email where I said, “The more you say yes at work, the more you’ll have to say no to something at home.” In response, a listener asked if I could talk more about the right balance there. When should we say yes and when should we say no while still being a good employee? Start by thinking about the most important, no-exception items in your life. Once you know these, you’ll know what the non-negotiables are that you cannot say no to. These are the things you must br...

Three Ps of Getting a Promotion

Recently, Jody and I were on a training call with an organization. One of the attendees asked what I used to look for when I was thinking of promoting somebody. It comes down to the 3 P’s: persistence, passion, and people. Persistence means being an employee that others can count on. It’s finishing the job no matter what. It’s never leaving anything hanging. When we are persistent, others can’t help but notice. We quickly build trust with others because, every time they work with us, t...

How to Improve Customer Service

You can’t lead from your office with your feet on the desk. One of our listeners works under a boss who is likely leading that way. That listener recently asked how to bring up to their manager that their customer service was poor. Ideally, the owner of an organization would have clear expectations for providing feedback. Bosses should make it clear that they are willing to hearing employees’ ideas for how the business can be better. It is the boss’ job to create an environment and cultu...

Presenting New Ideas to Your Boss

If you’ve worked at a company for any length of time, you’ve probably come up with some ideas for how it could improve. It’s hard when you get excited about something and bring it to your boss, only to have them shut it down. On this episode, we’re answering a listener question about this very subject. This listener explained that when she gives ideas to her boss, he always shoots them down. It’s become such an issue for her that it’s affecting her growth and happiness. She wrote in to a...

Using Habits to Overcome Depression

I’ve been very open about my struggle with depression in the past. Though I am doing great now, I still remember what it was like. A listener recently told us that they were just coming out of their own struggle with depression, but were feeling overwhelmed with building back their healthy habits. This is not something that I want to be an expert in, but the truth is that I am. We can’t expect everything to be fixed immediately. We didn’t fall into depression overnight, so we won’t com...

How to Show You Have Leadership Skills

It’s performance review time for many organizations. Towards the end of a year or the beginning of a new year, many companies will hold these reviews for their employees. They look back on what each one worked on and accomplished over the last year. On this episode, we’re discussing performance reviews from a different perspective than we have before. A listener asked how she, as an individual contributor, could demonstrate and document leadership skills to her supervisors during her perfo...

Make Your Boss the Hero with Ron Logan

This week’s episode is a special one. We’re sharing a clip from our conversation with Ron Logan. Ron is retired now, but he was the Executive Vice President of live entertainment for Disney worldwide.  If you have ever experienced live entertainment at any Disney location, Ron had a part in it. Even though he is retired today, his impact is still felt at every Disney park. Ron is a man of attention to detail and creativity. He wouldn’t send anything out unless it was perfect. He even b...

Are You Helping or Enabling?

Are you helping or enabling? Do you know the difference between the two? Listener Greg Parsons recently asked us what the difference is. On this episode, we’re breaking it down and explaining how you can tell if you’re helping or enabling. Helping is setting clear expectations and sticking to them. It is teaching somebody how to do something and then letting them go off on their own to do it. When you work with someone to make them responsible, you are helping them. Enabling, on the ...

What to do After a Crisis

On this week’s episode, we’re answering a question that came to us from Joe Fernandez. He is a Park Ranger and is wondering how to respond well to a crisis. Joe wants to know how he can continue to lead with a positive attitude during times of uncertainty. At Disney, we were prepared for anything. We thought about crises before they happened. You should do the same. Anticipate what could happen and make sure that you’re ready for all of it. Think about what resources you’ll need and whic...

Don't Be Late - Your Reputation is on the Line

One important key in time management is realizing that being late is a choice.  Too many of us think it’s a phenomenon. In reality, we can make the choice to be on time or we can make the choice to be late.  When we become that person who is always five minutes late, our reputation is damaged. People start to believe they can’t trust you. You appear unprofessional and impolite to the people who are left waiting. Your lateness starts to become a joke. You are no longer seen as reliable or...

How to Communicate as a Leader

People feel they are the only one until you say it out loud. In a recent training session, I gave this advice when someone asked about communication.  I wanted those leaders and I want all of you to understand that by not speaking up when someone says something you don’t agree with, you’re approving it. This all comes down to communicating effectively as a leader. We need to make sure that we are always clear and honest when we speak with our teams. Anything that could or might happen ...

Tip on Becoming a Speaker

Everyone has a story they can tell. If you’re good at anything and have a message that can help people, you can become a speaker. It just takes habit and practice. Listener Steve Ross asked how I knew the time was right to become a keynote speaker. I started by speaking at conventions that came to Disney and eventually started working and traveling with a company for a year. I also did lots of free speaking, which helped me develop the skill more than anything else. Through these experie...

How Being Resilient Can Impact Your Career

Team sports are all about learning to rely on others and taking responsibility for your own actions. No matter what each player looks like or where they come from, they all work together to accomplish the goal. Reggie Williams learned this lesson during his 14 years as an NFL star. He experienced incredible hardships, but through the entire process developed resiliency. Many people don’t overcome difficulties in their lives. They get angry, get in trouble, and give up. However, Reggie ov...

Do You Have to Pay Your Dues to Have Influence?

Are you required to put in enough time on the job to get respect or have influence? Someone who listens to the Creating Disney Magic said they have been given a responsibility that is higher than their experience. However, they’re confident about their knowledge. Sometimes, they feel like their colleagues don’t take them seriously because they’re underage for their role and asked for tips on how to develop tact, influence, and authority in everyday leadership while being welcoming, caring,...

Invest in Training for Employees

Not only does training benefit the employees of a company, but it benefits the company itself, too. As we’ve talked about in previous episodes, when you spend time and money on someone, it shows them that they matter and that you care about them. They understand just how valued they are. Training also builds trust. Your people will say good things about you behind your back when you invest in them. It creates a powerful environment between the two of you, which is contagious. Other employe...

You Can't Separate Work and Home Life

In a past episode of Creating Disney Magic, I said it was a mistake to try to live two separate lives; one at home and one at work.  Since we have never discussed it in a full episode, a listener wrote in asking us to talk more about it. So in this episode, we get right into it.  The truth is, you don’t get to live two lives. You have to get everything done in the one life you are given. The way to do this is through time-management. This isn’t a skill that’s only applicable to work. Y...

Tell the Right Story During a Job Search

Many people are struggling with the job search right now, so on this episode of Creating Disney Magic we and a listener question. She asked, “How do I reenter the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for 17 years?” In this episode, I explain how to sell yourself through your resume, even if you don’t have directly relevant experience for the position for which you’re applying. It’s all about the story you tell with your resume. Take what you’ve done and tell a story with it. Be authe...

Invest in Employee Development

Show your employees that you care and in return, you’ll get commitment. When I was at Disney, we gave housekeepers an hour to attend English lessons. We hired local professors to teach these classes. As a result,  the turnover rate for housekeepers dropped down to almost zero. When you’re investing in people, you’re showing them you care. Leadership is about taking care of people. It’s all about showing people they matter. One way to do that is by helping them with their education or tra...

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

When we don't have much experience in the field we're working in, or get a big promotion, we can have what some people call Imposter Syndrome.  Imposter syndrome is when you feel like you aren't deserving or good enough for the opportunity, even if your track record might suggest otherwise.  These feelings can be especially prevalent we don’t have much experience in the field in This week’s episode features a question from a listener who is struggling with imposter syndrome. On the episo...

Innovation Through Structure

Innovation doesn’t get in the way of structure. Innovation helps create structure. Your organization needs to have policies, procedures, and standards within your organization in order to protect your employees and prevent disaster. Once we figure out the best way to do something, we must do it that way and make sure everyone in the organization knows we do it that way. Structure won’t lead to micromanagement if you’ve hired the right people. If you can rely on your team, they will follo...

Create a Reputation Worth Talking About

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I answer two listener questions. Both about looking for or starting new jobs.  Here are some tips; Applying for jobs online is tough. It is better to know someone. Be recommendable and have someone who can recommend you.  Use a resume as a way for people to find out who you are, not just what you have done.  My career didn't take off until my mid-forties. By the time I had an opportunity with Disney, I was ready. Don't be afraid to start over...

Training Should Be Continuous

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, I want to talk about the importance of continuous training for leaders and employees. When should you redo formal training? The training interval will vary depending on what field you’re in. For example, if you are in the medical field, you would need to stay current on pathogens, policy, and procedures for illness and infections. Where if you are in the food industry, then staying current on food handling, proper cleaning procedures, and food sa...

Should You Get Credit for All Your Ideas?

On this episode of Creating Disney Magic, we have an anonymous listener question that strikes a chord with a lot of people including myself.  “What do you do when someone takes credit for your ideas?”  It is really tough when someone takes an idea you shared, possibly in confidence with them, and presents it as their own idea. What this really indicates is that the person, claiming it as their own idea, is insecure in some way. Insecurity could come from a number of reasons like fear of ...

Introducing the Cockerell Academy

I am excited to announce the launch of The Cockerell Academy. The Cockerell Academy is the best thing I have ever created. It is full of courses on leadership, management, customer service, and culture. When you enroll, you will get instant access to six courses: Time Management Magic Morning Magic Planning Career Magic 30 Career Success for Students Perfect Day for Your Customers World Class Customer Service (based on my book, The Customer Rules) All of my courses will be ...

How to Manage Your Mood

On this episode, I’ll answer two reader questions on  “How to Manage Your Mood”. The first question is from John Sparks.  John asks “How did you grow to control your thoughts and reactions? How do you catch and manage your moods?” Here are my best tips for managing, catching, and controlling moods. -When I am feeling good I can control my behavior, thoughts, and mood much easier. -I always preach “Don’t underestimate the influence you have on people.” This is very applicable to the ...

Take Time to Hire Right

Take Time to Hire the Right Person

When it comes to hiring, always hold out for the right person.  Play the long game. Don't hire someone who is not the right person just so you can fill a position.  If you don't have great people you won't become a great organization. Being excellent is hard. And you need the right people to be excellent.  Sure, it can become frustrating to deal with the extra work that comes from an empty position. But hiring the wrong person will create even more work. 

How's The Culture in Your Kingdom

Dan Cockerell returns to Creating Disney Magic to talk about his new book, How's the Culture in Your Kingdom. Four stages to building a healthy culture; Leading Self, Leading Teams, Leading an Organization, Leading Change. A leader understands they have to take care of themself before they can take care of other people. Taking care of yourself is probably the hardest thing a leader has to do. Dan explains there is more to taking care of yourself than physical fitness. You also need to ...

The Mistakes You Make on Your Website

Most organizations make two big mistakes with their website.  First, we are confusing people about what we sell. People should be able to look at your website for five seconds and be able to know what you sell, how it will make their life better, and what do you need to do to buy it.  When you tell people what you are selling, they tend to buy it.  Some of the confusion we create comes from the curse of knowledge. We know so much about our product, we project our knowledge onto the cus...

Marketing Made Simple

When it comes to marketing, most businesses guess.  Donald Miller wrote Marketing Made Simple to help businesses create marketing that actually works. The book will give you a step by step guide on what to do to connect with customers.  Story is the hidden language we all speak. If you don't use stories in your marketing, you will not connect with people.  You are in business to solved a problem. If you don't solve a problem and transform people, you've got no story and no business.  ...

The Power of Your Voice

The 300th episode of Creating Disney Magic.  After recording 300 episodes over 6 years, here are the biggest things I have learned: The power of hearing your voice. Nothing else can compare to people hearing your voice.  Keeping episodes short have allowed us to deliver content quickly.  Listener questions have allowed me to know what people are thinking and what topics are important.  A Podcast can help you learn more about yourself and polish the way you talk about what you believ...