Lean in to learn from your problems and advance your business with guest expert Lee Cockerell

Lee Cockerell, author of Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney

Bill Ringle and Lee Cockerell discuss how the Disney exec team relied on adaptability to customer feedback.

>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth.

Top 3 Takeaways from this Interview

The highest customer satisfaction levels come from positive employee interactions.Leaders, as well as all employees, must question everything. This does not mean being contrary or argumentative.Be open to relishing and welcoming problems; they are opportunities to improve policies, procedures, and processes.

Interview Insights

Read the Show Notes from this Episode

Lee tells about his inspiration and how she influenced him to connect to his potential. [1:17]He shares his professional journey [03:38]How did he get the adjective for the title "The Commonsense Challenge"? [4:59]Sometimes we got educated people that don't have much commonsense so they make a lot of mistakes, and their critical thinking skills and they don't think things through..Education is one part of being successful [6:01]Can you remember an example when you were in a meeting, Lee, and you heard people heading down a path toward a decision and you just knew you had to speak up because what they were proposing didn't make sense [7:04]Why is it important to convey that "Everyone is Important"? [10:20]Lee shares how he gets someone from a culture of noticing and experiencing a culture where they are constantly told what wrong they were doing and getting them to think about how to do it right? [13:32]How do you help someone overcome that deep feeling of inadequacy or not being empowered to do something? [17:03]How to eliminate a hassle? [19:58]Take focus on what's important. Look at people. They're not healthy. They took better of their car than they do themselves because they don't plan it. [28:13]How do you deal with that resistance to change? [29:26]Lee shares the book he read in the last year that had a positive impact on him [36:17]

Expert Bio

Lee Cockerell retired as the Executive Vice President of Operations for the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, a position he held for ten years. His responsibilities encompassed a diverse mix of operations, which included 20 resort hotels with over 24,000 Guest rooms, four theme parks, two water parks, five golf courses, a shopping village & nighttime entertainment complex, the ESPN Sports Complex, and the ancillary operations support functions.

Lee joined the Disney organization in July 1990 as Director of Food and Beverage and Quality Assurance for the Disneyland Paris hotels. Prior to joining the Walt Disney World Co., he spent seventeen years in various executive positions with the Marriott Corporation and eight years with Hilton Hotels.

Lee is the best-selling author of four books on leadership, management, and world-class customer service; Creating Magic…10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney is now available in 18 languages; The Customer Rules...The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service is currently available in 13 languages; Time Management Magic…How to Get More Done Every Day Career Magic; and  How to Stay on Track to Achieve a Stellar Career.

Lee and his wife Priscilla reside in Orlando, Florida. Lee enjoys teaching leadership, management, and service excellence seminars, traveling, dining out and most of all spending time with his three grandchildren, Jullian, Margot, and Tristan.

Contact Info for Lee Cockerell

Web address: https://www.leecockerell.com/

Travels from: Orlando, Florida

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Books Authored by Lee Cockerell

Resources Mentioned During the Interview

www.leecockerell.com