Dan Cockerell

It is not the magic that makes it work. It is the way we work that makes the magic.

Profile

Dan Cockerell is the former Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida.

He attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center.

Subsequently, he joined the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program as part of the opening team and moved to France in 1992. After spending 5 years in France, Dan relocated to Florida and held a variety of executive roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels.

His last 9 years with the company, he was successively Vice President of Epcot, Vice president of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and eventually Vice President of the Magic Kingdom where he led 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually.

Expertise

Talking Points

The Method to the Magic

What is the difference between very good and excellent? Your customers expect to get a “very good” experience every time when interacting with your product and your people. “Excellent” is the next level of service that will differentiate your organization and insure that you customers return, and recommend you to others. Intent to Return is the lifeblood of Walt Disney World. Dan will discuss what he has learned about the guest experience, and what it takes to create magic.

Culture is like the Weather

The weather is the environment that Mother Nature influences, and culture is the environment that leaders influence. If you want the best chance for success in your organization, focus on your culture. When your employees feel confident, respected, and valued, great things happen. Dan will talk about how he approached influencing the culture of the Magic Kingdom, and the 12,000 Cast Members that he led.

Lead Yourself First

Before you can lead your people or your organization, you need to learn how to lead yourself. This is counter intuitive, but the reality is that in order to compete at the highest levels, you need to feel good, think clearly, and bring the energy that others will respond to. Dan will share his approach on how he prepared himself to effectively lead his Magic Kingdom team.

Topics

Business

Media

Video

Dan Cockerell | Saxton Speakers

Dan Cockerell highlight keynote video on leadership and customer service.

Feedback

We invited Dan to talk with our organization about the leadership, management, and culture-building insights and strategies from his book, HOW’S THE CULTURE IN YOUR KINGDOM, and it was one o ... keep readingf the best attended and best received sessions we’ve ever had! One of Dan’s great strengths is his ability to explain how to apply real-life examples taken from his various jobs and roles at Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World to other industries and domains. Our business is a far cry from theme park operations - we develop and sell enterprise software to the utilities industry - but Dan was able to show us how we can adapt lessons learned from the examples from the Disney parks that he describes in his book to what we do. Anyone looking for insights in leadership and management, and in building a thriving culture should look to invite Dan to work with their organization. His combination of passion, creativity, and humility make him a great facilitator, teacher, and coach who can bring out the best in you and your team. Oracle Utilities

Dan’s wise words memorized our team from entry level employees to veteran executives. The unparalleled experiences that Dan had to share from his 26-years with The Walt Disney Company was outstandingly received by our team. He is a true leader in every definition and the ingenuity in which he shares his lessons of leadership stays true to the heart and soul of the company he led for so many years.

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