CREATING MAGIC
10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney
Lee Cockerell
2008
270 Pages
$24.95
I purchased my copy at a local bookstore.
Let’s just say that I wished I had read this book when I first purchased it. If I had done so, I probably would have bought a few copies for people I know and hoped the magic would have worked on them. This is an excellent book for anyone in a leadership role or aspires to be in one. Although it is meant to be a business book, Lee transcends the genre and provides a road map for a productive, balanced work life that measures success by your ability to bring out the best in others.
Lee Cockerell was the Executive Vice President, Operations for Walt Disney World for ten years. Prior to that, he also helped to open Disneyland Paris. His career has taken him through every level of the hospitality business including many years at Marriott. He works with the Disney Institute and developed the Disney Great Leader Strategies program. All Disney leaders subscribe to the principles outlined in that program. This book represents the core teaching of the Institute.
Lee is a storyteller and that is one of the book’s great strengths. In the Disney tradition, there is also ample use of catchy acronyms. For example, a healthy organization is one that is inclusive. To achieve this, the organization must be based on RAVE (respect, appreciate, and value everyone). And lists. There are 13 steps to achieve a successful learning organization based on trust and inclusion. Another useful acronym is for leaders to become a COACH, which means Care, Observe, Act, Communicate, and Help. The book is designed to be very user friendly. Or try ARE, which is Appreciation, Recognition, Encouragement. Great stuff.
Each chapter of the book starts with a strategy and then outlines implementation measures. At the end of each chapter are Action Steps that summarizes what you have learn and provides direction on how to utilize that knowledge. So impressed was I with the ideas, I have copied the book’s core structure in a handy outline. It is easy to do with the way Lee has laid out the information.
I have never been a Cast Member (always had a beard since high school) and through this book, I have learned lots of things that are unsaid to me as a guest. For example, “It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.” Or the 7 guest Service Guidelines that are based on the Seven Dwarfs. They are:
· Be Happy…make eye contact and smile!
· Be like Sneezy…greet and welcome each and every guest. Spread the spirit of Hospitality…It’s contagious!
· Don’t be Bashful…seek out Guest contact!
· Be like Doc…provide immediate Service recovery!
· Don’t be Grumpy…always display appropriate body language at all times!
· Be like Sleepy…create DREAMS and preserve the ‘MAGICAL’ Guest experience!
· Don’t be Dopey…thank each and every guest!
I also learned more about Take 5s? A Take 5 is a spontaneous individualized interaction with a guest that is supposed to blow their minds in less than five minutes. The goal is to create those small moments that are meaningful and memorable.
Walt Disney was all about process and the Company remains true to that tradition. They have distilled success into a formula. It begins with leadership, which leads to Cast Excellence that creates Guest Satisfaction, and positive Business Results.
Lee is a wonderful at finding just the right way to convey a complex point through a story. One that I am certain to take away is his suggestion that good leaders are environmentalist. He said, “Their responsibility is to create a sustainable business environment – calm, clear, crisp, and clean, with no pollution, no toxins, no waste – in which everyone flourishes.”
Lee’s drive for inclusion is based on enhancing the bottom line. It is business after all. As he says, “When everyone matters and everyone know he or she matters, employees are happy to come to work, and they’re eager to give you their energy, creativity, and loyalty.” For the bean counters, he argues, “The result is predictable: more productivity and satisfaction; less absenteeism and turnover.” He really believes in the group working together and uses the slogan “None of us is as smart as all of us” to make his point. It is important to build a positive corporate culture. Much of the book explains how to do that and why.
For theme park buffs, the internal organizational workings of the Walt Disney World Resort are interesting. For example, when the Resort first opened two different divisions operated it. One managed the parks and another managed the resorts. This created unnecessary duplication and was changed to the current structure. Lee says, “Structure is as important to an organization as it is to a building.” Sometimes you need to “break the mold”.
Lee is big on simple, powerful, and memorable statements. Lee is an advocate of the “vision that leaders should serve their subordinates, not the other way around.” Another one is “Be so nice to our guests that they won’t believe it.”
Having written dozens of Vision Statements, I found his take on this subject very interesting. Lee defines three kinds of statements. They are:
· The Vision Statement: What We Want to Be
· The Essence Statement: What We Want Our Guests to Feel
· The Mission Statement: What We Must Do
Lee suggests you constantly look at your procedures and ask stop/start/continue questions. Through this technique, he was able to reduce operating budgets without impacting the guest experience even during very hard times like 9/11.
The study of what Guests like and don’t like is called Guestology. As a Guestologist, you are constantly looking for the “needs, wants, stereotypes, and emotions your customers bring to the their interactions with your organization. It is a great way to look at the best way to provide excellent service.
Lee personal stories show that he has had many disappointments and setbacks in his career. However, through the encouragement of his wife and family, took each experience and learned new lessons. All marked down in his Day-Timer.
He is quick to give credit to others for their innovations. In fact, I sense he takes his greatest pride in seeing others far exceed their expectations. Kind of like how Walt was most proud that he built an organization that would outlive “Disney”. Highly recommended.
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