There are literally hundreds of Disney-related books out there, from guidebooks to biographies and even novels! But which are worthy of a read?

The Page Turn’Ears’ Blog series hopes to help aide your decision by trawling through the Disney library to find featured titles from which we’ll read, review and give and honest opinion on.

The innaugural Page Turn’Ears’ review takes a look at ‘Creating Magic – 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney’ by Disney legend, Lee Cockerell.

The Blurb:-

Lee Cockerell, the man who ran Walt Disney World  Resort Operations for over a decade, shares the ten practical, common sense leadership principles that guided his own journey from a poor farm boy in Oklahoma to the head of operations for a multibillion dollar enterprise. He demonstates that we can all become leaders capable of outstanding leadership: the kind that inspires employees, delights customers and achieves extraordinary buisness results.
Combining surprising buisness wisdom with insightful and entertaining stories from Lee’s four decades on the front lines of some of the world’s best run companies, ‘Creating Magic’ shows all of us – from small buisness owners to managers at every level – how to infuse quality, character, courage, enthusiasm, and integrity into our workplaces and into our lives.

The next time you’re visiting Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, take a close look at some of the first floor windows on Main St. Many of them have names on them, along with a fictional occupation implying them to be the supposed proprietors of said building.  A closer look however and you may well come across the name of Lee Cockerell. “How come?” you may ask.

Well, for the first few chapters of ‘Creating Magic’ at least, we discover the path Lee took which led to him having perhaps the greatest honour a Disney employee (or cast member,  as Disney prefers to call its staff) can have bestowed upon them, which is to be immortalised in hand painted text on Main Street’s first storey glassware. For those unaware of its significance, the windows represent a who’s who of the corporation’s most influential and inspiring people, Walt and his brother Roy being two such examples.

The book is sort of split in two, with the first section being a biographical look at his life and career progression, and the second being the book’s primary focus, which is that of leadership strategies and management principles as taught by those at the Disney Institute, something he played a major role in implementing, and the reasons why these have been so successful in making Disney an organisation all others strive to imitate.

I was unsure what to expect with this book, having only heard about it via an episode of the DisneyBrit podcast in which they talk to the man himself at Walt Disney World. Would it be something relevant to my own occupation, would it grab my attention or would i be lost in pages of buisness jargon and perhaps the biggest question, what’s it all about?

As it happens, the book gives you an almost unique insight into what it is that sets Disney apart from almost all other organisations. Most of us who visit the Disney parks and resorts speak of the ‘magic of Disney’ as the reason we return time after time. The ‘magic’ is simply a feelgood factor driven by efficient service and friendly staff, some of whom go above and beyond to make your visit that bit more special.
It also gives the reader a feel for what working at Disney must be like and what is expected of each and every cast member.

The 10 common sense leadership stategies are each given a brief description and Lee often gives us a practical example or personal experience to help illustrate its importance. These are then analysed in a bit more detail. Topics cover such things as management/employee relationships, interviewing candidates and what to look for in potential leaders, eliminating hassles in the workplace and methods of improving yourself at a personal level. Each one can be translated into pretty much any occupation or industry, and you’ll find yourself picking out the good and bad from your own line of work, wether you’re in management or not.

Ok, so ‘Creating Magic’ does tend to paint Disney as a remarkable and much sought after employer, although I’m sure many of those who’ve worked within the organisation would say otherwise. Nevertheless, following all that Lee teaches would be beneficial to anyone looking to get ahead in employment, and it’s taught me plenty that I hope I can use to good effect in my own career.

Those amongst us who love to discover all about the inner workings of the Disney Parks and resorts will enjoy reading this book regardless of its business angle. If you’d like to discover the thought process behind the creation of Disney’s Magical Express and the reasons why the FastPass ticketing system came to be, then let Mr Cockerell take you through it.

Related posts:

  1. Interview with Lee Cockerell (former Executive VP of Operations at WDW) Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations...

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