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Unlocking the Secrets of Disney's Magic with Dan Cockerell - Former Disney VP

Posted on 16th January 2023 at 09:33

Hosts Leon, Paul and Dean are joined by Dan Cockerell - Disney VP

Unlocking The Secrets Of Disney's Magic With Dan Cockerell - Former Vice President The Walt Disney Company

In this Hack episode, Leon, Paul and Dean talk to Dan Cockerell former Vice president of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida, on how to magically lead a team and offers insights into creating a positive culture that encourages creativity, collaboration and innovation and customer success. Dan talks candidly about his lessons and how to generate creative ideas in a team environment and create a magical customer experience.

During his time as VP at Disney, Dan managed a team of 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually. In this role, he oversaw all operations of the world-renowned resort and maintained Disney's impeccable reputation for providing top-notch customer service. He also worked tirelessly to ensure that the guest experience was consistently excellent, leading to record-breaking guest satisfaction scores across all properties in his tenure.

After fulfilling an exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, Dan and his wife Valerie decided to set out on a new venture and start their own consulting and speaking business. His experience in the industry makes him one of the most sought-after advisors in the business world.

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Bringing the Magic into Your Business

Parks and Resorts have been Dan Cockerell's lifelong passion. He remains a leading innovator in the field, pushing the industry standards for customer service and creating memorable guest experiences worldwide. He will always be remembered for his commitment to excellence at Disney Parks and Resorts, which helped make it one of the most beloved travel destinations.

To bring the magic to your business, you need to get the basics right, take time, focus and consistency, and put yourself in your customer's shoes. See what the experience is like from customer'scustomer's point of view-talks to your employees to bring the right approach to your business.

Customer Success

We often forget to ask these fundamental -why will customers keep coming back to us? It has everything you do to make your customers feel good, dazzle them, and make you memorable. Customer success is all about delighting customers.

Dan Cockerell understands that delighted customers are repeated customers and loyal advocates for your business. As an expert in customer relations, he has seen first-hand that companies can create lasting relationships by providing easy access to helpful information, prompt responses to inquiries, and effortless checkouts. He advocates for personalised service that makes customers feel valued and supports utilising technology to automate processes and reduce costs.

Problems V's Dilemmas

Leaders must think differently and ahead of the curve- understanding a problem, dilemma or opportunity. Dan Cockerell believes in recognising when something requires creative solutions - and having the courage to continue to explore options, even if you don't have a clear answer.

You say, "Put yourself in your customer's/clients' shoes and see the experience from their point of view. Go and find the friction points and negative experiences and turn them into positives. It may not be your fault, but it is your problem to solve.

Dan explains that if you can start taking ownership, people will never leave you. They will stay with you forever, tell their friends about your service, and even pay a premium if you can bring value to their experience.

Natural Strengths

Dan believes it is essential for leaders to understand and embrace their natural strengths to succeed. Leveraging these strengths can help individuals become more productive and effective, making them better business owners or managers who can lead confidently and positively impact the people around them. His top 3 favourite books include;

Don Clifton's, Soar with Your Strengths. Steven Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, and Earnest Hemmingway's A movable feast discuss the importance of discovering and leveraging your strengths. Regarding strength, Clifton's book is focused on identifying what you're naturally good at. By exploring the principles outlined in this work, you can find out how to maximize success..

Creating a Magical Culture

For Dan, it comes down to using your time wisely, managing your natural strengths and weaknesses, putting customers in your customers' shoes and seeing what the experience is like from their point of view. He believes you can ensure success and create lasting relationships with customers by talking to your employees, asking questions, understanding their perspectives, and bringing the right approach to your business.

Your current routines and how you live your life will create your future- you create your luck. You make the conditions for success and failure; using your time, resources, focus, passion, and knowledge will determine your ultimate success.

Dan likes to look at business through a holistic lens. He believes in assessing every angle of a venture before embarking on it. He also believes in building a team of experts to help bring your business to life.

No matter what industry you are in, relationships are key. Building solid relationships with customers is essential for long-term success. It's about being proactive and authentic in your communication, creating trust with customers, establishing loyalty and delivering a positive experience that will keep them coming back for more!