Leadership Lessons from Lee Cockerell, Retired Disney EVP

On this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Lee Cockerell, retired Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. He held that position for more than 10 years, and during that time, his responsibilities encompassed a diverse mix of operations that included 20 resort hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, five golf courses, a shopping village, and much more.Lee Cockerell joined Disney in July 1990, and prior to joining Disney, he spent 17 years in various executive positions with the Marriott Corporation and eight years with Hilton Hotels. During his career, he shifted his leadership style from the classic command-and-control to become a more modern, inclusive leader, leading with empathy and discipline and creating an environment where people wanted to come to work.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Lee Cockerell overcame a turbulent childhood and began his career in hospitality and eventually landed at Disney.Why insecurity propelled him forward and how continuing to move forward transformed him.Experience, education, and exposure were key to creating a new mindset.What Disney did to reinforce diversity, equity, and inclusion and why Lee Cockerell believes it made the destination so popular.What you can learn about leadership from moms and how you can apply it to your leadership skills.His approach to talent development and creating great leaders and why it’s all about the human factor.The three things Lee Cockerell focused on in his role as a Disney EVP and what you can learn from his approach.How Disney maintains its culture of workplace excitement.Why offering opportunity encourages employees to stick around long-term.The types of training Disney offers and how they determine what training is needed.What diversity and inclusiveness are and why these qualities are so important for companies to have.Why you should do the things that make you uncomfortable and how it can change you for the better.Lee Cockerell’s proudest career accomplishment.The biggest mistake he’s made in his career and what he learned from it.The trend in talent development and leadership he’s following right now.Why he recommends reading The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.One piece of career advice he would give to anyone looking to accelerate their career.Connect with Andy Storch here:andystorch.comlinkedin.com/in/andystorchtdtt.us/Connect with Lee Cockerell:leecockerell.comlinkedin.com/in/leecockerellMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/