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Lee Cockerell

  • Former EVP of Operations for the WALT DISNEY WORLD
  • Author of "Creating Magic...10 Common Sense Strategies From a Life at Disney"
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US: Airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and meals. If flight is over 4 hours, it must be business or first class.
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Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. “As the Senior Operating Executive for ten years Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping & entertainment village and the ESPN...

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Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort. “As the Senior Operating Executive for ten years Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping & entertainment village and the ESPN sports and recreation complex in addition to the ancillary operations which supported the number one vacation destination in the world.”

One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies which was used to train and develop the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for 8 years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project.

Lee has served as Chairman of the Board of Heart of Florida United Way, the Board of Trustees for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the board of the Production and Operations Management Society and the board of Reptilia a Canadian attractions and entertainment company. In 2005 Governor Bush appointed Lee to the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Public Service for the state of Florida where he served as Chairman of the Board.

He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management and service excellence titled, Creating Magic…10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney. which is now available in 13 languages and his latest book, The Customer Rules…The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service. Lee also performs leadership and service excellence workshops and consulting for organizations around the world as well as for the Disney Institute. Lee has received the following awards;

  • Golden Chain Award for Outstanding leadership and business performance from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operations Association (MUFSO).
  • Silver Plate Award for Outstanding Operator in the foodservice industry from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA).
  • Excellence In Production Operations Management and Leadership (POMS) from the Productions and Operations.
  • Grandfather of the year from his three grandchildren, Jullian, Margot and Tristan.

Lee and his wife Priscilla live in Orlando Florida.

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Lee Cockerell in Media

Speaker Programs

You Can Create Disney Magic Too!
Disney Magic is created with a simple formula of having better cast members (employees) because they hire and promote more carefully; train, test and enforce their training and simply train their teams better. Better leaders ...more
Disney Magic is created with a simple formula of having better cast members (employees) because they hire and promote more carefully; train, test and enforce their training and simply train their teams better. Better leaders create a great culture and environment for your front line cast, so they take care of guests because they want to and not because they have to! "It is not the Magic that makes Disney World work; It's the way we work that makes it magic!" ...less
Time/Life Management
Learn how to put more control into all parts of your life through this simple system for planning and carrying out your responsibilities. Learn the most important question to ask yourself every morning before you ...more
Learn how to put more control into all parts of your life through this simple system for planning and carrying out your responsibilities. Learn the most important question to ask yourself every morning before you start your day. Learn the four steps in planning each and every day (the fourth one being the key to a happy and successful life). Learn what you can do today to avoid having a long list of regrets later in your life when it is too late. Learn how to maintain strong relationships, prepare yourself for the future, maintain good health and reduce stress in your life. Learn a simple system for doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, in the way it should be done, whether you or those around you like it or not. Lee has taught this seminar to more than 75,000 people over the last 25 years with extraordinary success. ...less
Forget About Diversity (Diversity/ Corporate Culture)
Lee has cracked the code on how to achieve the diversity all organizations desire. Learn the ten things leaders must do to create an inclusive workplace that leads to a diverse workforce. Learn why diversity ...more
Lee has cracked the code on how to achieve the diversity all organizations desire. Learn the ten things leaders must do to create an inclusive workplace that leads to a diverse workforce. Learn why diversity is not the goal, but the outcome for organizations. Learn the difference between being diverse and being inclusive. Learn what all humans want the most. Give it to them and they will reward your organization with excellent results. Lee has taught this seminar all over the world. His message resonates and is appreciated by all. We live in a time when your attitude and the respect you show all people will determine the effectiveness of your results. ...less
YOU Can Create Magic Too! (Business, Customer Service, Leadership)
Learn how "you can create magic too" in your business. Learn exactly what you must do to be perceived as a great leader. Learn why you must understand the big difference between management and leadership. ...more
Learn how "you can create magic too" in your business. Learn exactly what you must do to be perceived as a great leader. Learn why you must understand the big difference between management and leadership. Learn how to practice great leadership that will ensure you leave a legacy. Learn about the free fuel we all have and don't use enough. Learn four simple ways to set your organization apart in the eyes of your customers and your employees. Learn why the customer does not come first. Learn the most important leadership behavior that will ensure success for you in all parts of your life. Lee has delivered this powerful yet simple message to audiences all over the world. His ratings are continually in the 4.5 to 4.75 range on a five-point scale. ...less

Reviews

"Lee Cockerell is one of the most impressive leaders that I have seen in any environment..... And I have seen some really good ones. Simply put, he is absolutely brilliant. Lee is an inspirational leader who demonstrates a gift for building teams. His ability to communicate his philosophy of leadership in a way that is…

- General Lloyd J. Austin III, Vice Chief of Staff, US Army

"Elegant in its simplicity and practicality, Lee has distilled many powerful leadership strategies into the lessons many of us learned as children. They are no less relevant to our working lives. At its core, Creating Magic is a collection of stories that reminds us to demonstrate care and respect for every member of the team…

- George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc and ABC Sports

"Disney is one of the world’s prime exemplars of service having pioneered and implemented much of what is today seen as best practice in service management. Lee Cockerell has played a major role in this. In the US he has been recognised and honoured by various organisations including an award by the Production and Operations…

- Chris Voss, Professor of Operations and Technology Management London Business School

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