Management Mistakes & Why High Energy People Win (with Former EVP of Disney World Resorts Lee Cockerell)
Audio Transcription
You must have high energy to be successful in the world of business. During this podcast, the former Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World Resorts explains the importance of hiring high energy people and the biggest mistake people make when it comes to managing people.
The Biggest Mistake Managers and Leaders Often Make
- You either decide to be great or not
- Excellence is a state of mind
High Energy People Win
- The consequences of hiring low energy people
- The importance of looking the part
Great Service Follows Gravity
- Training
- Be available
- Inspire people
- Success without a degree
- What would you do if mom was watching?
Today, you are in for a treat a blasty business coaching blast. If you will still be a magical interview with a good business coaching friend of mine, lee cockerell, we had a recent opportunity to sit down with lee cockerell, the former executive vice president of walt disney world resorts, a man who used to manage over 40,000 people at a time and do with a million customers a week out there in orlando florida at walt, disney, world resorts, and he tells us exclusive interview, the biggest mistake. The managers and leaders often makes the biggest mistake that managers and leaders often make this is not a occasional. He says that you’re he gets asked its to speak over the world. People pay the man thousand and thousands of dollars to speak all over the world. He speaks to major corporations, teaching them to disney wax disney’s car like the envy of the world, as relates to management, and he says this is a massive mistake that most leaders make most leaders and managers. If you want to vaccinate yourself against poor management, maybe things you’re doing that are hurting your business and you think they’re helping your business. Maybe if you, if you struggle to manage a team-and maybe if you have management issues on a daily basis, this this interview is going to absolutely be a game-changer, for you have any further news about the biggest mistake, managers and leaders, I think mainly they’re, not with her customers, and they don’t know what the customers are thinking and that’s why you going to disney. We finally required are managers to be out with the customer during the time, though, business is open and to do their administrative work before you open and a few clothes and slide sales people. If it’s you’re saying that, if I have you out in front of customers, leaders and managers need to be out with the customers during the absolute. So what time would you have to get to work? If you’re going to do your paperwork or administrative work before what time would you have to get to work? If I ask what time you open is, what time you start taking phone calls from customers books that I own a hair salon in my i, see customers from 10 to 7.
What time should I get there, later today or whatever the workload is? You might have to get there at 7? If you have a lower business coaching work like when I get there at 8, are you saying do you prefer to do it in the evening instead of the morning cuz, you have children that have to get off school or you may have to work saturday and sunday. If you’re not to printer I mean there’s times you’re saying like 7 in the morning, get your ministrator work done and then from 9 to 7 beer on the floor, walking around making notes in your little a book about maybe some administrative improvements or system enhancements, but you really want to be with the customer. Yes and I would even say for an entrepreneur. You may not be everyday every hour of the day, but that you’re spending a fair amount of time out there. You know maybe monday or spending four or five hours on the floor, maybe tuesday or back, had to go. Do some meetings I get a loan or something wednesday or there for 3 or 4 hours on the a lot of your time is spent knowing what’s going on with the customers and watching your hair cutters? Do they do in time, and you will decide, is what how much time makes it work better when you’re out there, because when the boss is out there, so instead of greeting the customers, it works better at least half the time. Maybe you would say:10% college wants doing it and you can see the skill level. Lakes, cricket, stuff, i, forget stuff. I was reading a book years ago and it talked about the penalty of ambition. So if I’m, ambitious okay, this is the guy who started espn. I can’t remember his name, but he was the personal assistant for jay paul getty for a while, and he said was that you have to get up early or you have to do it after the kids go to bed. But you can’t you just happy you’re, not so you’re. What would you say? I would like to spend time on the floor with my customers. Are all my people but I just i, just don’t have the time. What would you say that first one I say you’re deciding your success level when you do that mean you’re going to decide if you can live with that the incomes right you take a chance on somebody beat you out a new store opening up and taking new customers, and that’s a personal decision you make is how the state of mind it’s a state of mind. This was brought up to me and I was meant for me years ago. I told him well I’m, not an early person. He goes well. You didn’t either going to be a divorced person or four person cuz. He can’t be great and not being early, I mean so you use encounter drive and you have to get there early enough to get i. Think you need to rethink your. Why what’s? The problem with me is when, when in a grown-up, how I grew up a great family, great great mom and dad, but it wasn’t around a lot of montreal’s. Entrepreneurs have been successful and I just thought. It was like an ungodly idea like it would be unhealthy to wake up at 6 a.M. Everyday cuz. I need my sleep.
You can’t wake up at 6 every day. What he not apart of things you have to live in life, is to make sure you forget about half the stuff. You know because half the stuff you thank is not even true but I’m sure. That’s what I tell people when you going to bed since you got to forget about half the stuff. Your parents even talk to her about those people all right now, thrive nation get ready to put on a helmet because lee cockrell wages war on the low energy people. This is an interesting concept, one that I used to struggle with I used to think that people that were low energy and chose to yawn a lot and meetings and chose to just always be lethargic and the way they communicated shut. The kind of people that in business coaching meetings are not mentally present I thought you could fix those people. You can inspire those people and leaks planes as they managed to 40,000 people at walt, disney, world resorts. They looked for high-energy people because high-energy people get the job done and low energy people don’t i, see all the time with with clients. You’ll see the high-energy owner. That’s driving the success that night that woman who’s leading the the shipper or steering the ship you’ll see the entrepreneur, the man making it happen, the woman making it happen. You’ll see these you’ll see the oprah’s you’ll, see the steve jobs you’ll, see the jeff bezo she’ll, see people syrup, spanx, you’ll, see people are enthusiastic, go see, president, obama, enthusiastic, go, see, president, trump enthusiastic and then you see low energy people, not winning, not leading companies not having success. Quiet people like tony dungy, the former coach of the indianapolis colts, also former nfl player. He had a quiet resolve, he wasn’t allowed person, but he was intense and determined, and so, if you ever struggle to manage low energy people wear, maybe you are a low-energy person. You can change that and you should because I thought you’re going to make significantly less money if any further ado lee cockrell the former executive vice president of walt disney world resorts breaks down, high-energy people versus low energy, p, yeah, actually wii u screen for low energy and high-energy. Now, when we hire people are going to face the guest, not so much in the back there just kind of, but if they’re going to wait, they got to have a big personality. You look for it because energy is about. Can you help? Can you hold it all day? If you and I sit here and talk for 12 hours can I keep it up at the 12th hour crisis? I’m? Tired?
Why you gave me so many questions? I didn’t expect this right. That’s when you lose the last shot it disney. Did you work with a lot of energy people? Not many people, i, don’t know. If you noticed yesterday, he has lady. She didn’t want us to be there. Barry allen, the ask him if they loved and thought they were going to leave ever there. They are so excited to say they work for disney, there’s a high energy because there’s a high pride and they’re being respected, and they know they have a future and they probably move up and get in the managed by then, because I missed one of these I’ve discovered is in a lot of small businesses. I see it all the time where you have a call center or you have a restaurant in the owner has decided to hire a bunch of low energy, pay it with a high or low energy people. It where’s the where’s, the customer out having to deal with someone, that’s low energy, and so on your mind that messes with the ecosystem, animals-and you know what I tell people that call someplace and they answer the phone and then they find out it’s john travolta. They change because of who it is. Instead of always good morning. Hope you have a magical day today. Don’t even answer your phone hi. This is judy, can I take care of you today so having a high energy happen. If you also are mindful of the attitudes of the team absolutely looking around as far as managing this overall ecosystem, one of the things you wrote in your book, which I think is phenomenal, but he will need a lot more clarity from you today on what this means look sharp. What does it mean to look sharp, maybe articulate what it would look just go for it. What what does it mean to not look sharp? What does it mean to look sure? This is the one where I really abused. A lot of people know what is mad. The room after I apologize to business coaching parents for making talking about the children, and you got to look like the part, and you know I tell people if you want to know how to look professionally. Look on the annual report of a company and look at the board of directors how they are dressed, how they look now their hair looked how there and you will see this is what successful people look like. People said that I want to be my own person if you’re too weird, because america is the conservative business place did you’re too weird and a business and become successful. You say to dress the part hair. How does the hair need to be depends if you’re, an artist and you’re in hollywood it can be anyway, you want it. It’s going to be shortness, going to be clear about how long is clarity if your I can tell it I guarantee you chick-fil-a has an appearance, standard, all look alike. If your photographer out there-and it doesn’t matter-made it’s okay, it just depends what you’re doing for a living and what you want to do for a living and start looking like what you want to beat you address the park, look like what you want to be look like what you go to work for marietta, i, look and see how much the marry it looks.
Muddy waters! If you want to look, do you want to look the part you want to look like the part. You want not the role you currently have bright black eyed people that everybody would come in and feel good about. The way I love, you drive nation. What is lee cockrell talking about he’s talking about the importance of having high energy people in your workplace, so many people that attend our workshops will tell if they say your people, everybody there seems to have high energy. You can’t demand your people to be high energy and then you yourself are low energy and took her this next exit. Young on the show jump through this next segment. Lee cockrell explains how great service follows:gravity but basic. It starts from the top explained. If you want to have great service and a high energy atmosphere, you’ve got it. It has to start from the top and dr. Z eye. Doctors are my partner in the ceo of the drive time show he is a high-energy person. I can dance I choose to be a high-energy person he’s a high-energy person is a high-energy person, but it’s a decision that we make every single day until it’s very intentional. When we come back from the break, we’re going to do is go to talk about how it starts at the top. But before we do that shop we were told they have 1 ticket left. So if somebody wants to get that ticket, they want to just buy the ticket. What what are they going to learn the conference and where can I buy the ticket for this friday and saturday’s thrive time show workshops going to thrive time, show.Com and then click the conference, but you can buy ticket right there and we’re going to get into everything from hiring and training to sales to what you need to do to create a search engine optimization just literally everything you need to know to run a business, so good people that it is actually life-changing. They’ve been struggling, they’re having a hard time in their business, they don’t know, should I keep going on. I can’t seem to get ahead and we can literally help change your life. We what you got to come out. Get that last business coaching ticket. Let’s see you next weekend by the ticket, its ridetime show.Com get the info at thrive time show.Com. It’s just $99:it’s going to change your life fire. Take it today, drivetime show.Com get ready to enter the thrive time, show 3 2 1 the conversation. We have an exclusive interview for you today that we conducted recently with lee cockrell, the former executive vice president of walt disney world resorts in during this interview. Lee does not hold back.
He explains to you specifically how great customer service starts at the top and how people who own a business we’ve got to hold ourselves accountable to a super high standard. If we want our employees are teammates to deliver a great service experience, I’ve ever been did walt disney world resorts. What are they were? The things that’s so amazing is that that there seems to be no trash anywhere where the bathrooms are clean. Employees engaged well, there’s a system for it and without any further due lee cockrell, former executive vice president of walt disney world resorts breaks down for you and i. How great sir follows:gravity? What you talking about great service follows the law of gravity and all starts at the top. Your company’s going to be as good as he wanted to be. Is there going to be as good as you want them to be, and it goes downhill. Your children are going to be good, cuz, the parents. It goes down. You don’t blame these people down here. Have you got for service in a restaurant? It started up here. It doesn’t start down there. So it’s up here close down baby buck stops here. Is it when I would get on the phone and tell the customer I apologize? It’s my fault and I accept responsibility, for you have an issue. It’s obviously my fault. What could I have done? What, with your mind, what could I have done? Better I found a lot of times it made one employees respect the situation more to it by the customer so yeah. If you people would get it together, we would be fine and he start realizing. My wife was like honey I think you are allowing you. People, like you, check your fault. We are them, yeah I know, but it’s not getting bored with the basics and having a daily routine. What do you mean by that safe for me, the basics in life, if I had to just spot him out front? When is clamming us kindness, empathy being available for people telling people the truth, training nothing to do with business coaching technology? These are just basic principles which you will never change. Technology may change in the next hundred years have a good relationships with people. Trusting people, people trust in you, because you never had a real basics honesty. Ethics I guarantee you every day as a parent. What’s your if you teach your kids, the basics? That’s what’s going to make him successful, not where they go to college yeah, i! Don’t care! If I go to the right, my kids didn’t graduate from college. But if you can learn these principles, you can have success. Even if you don’t graduate and you grab my family, you better not be lying. You better, be honest. You baby! This is oklahoma to and I learn those things for. My grandmother tell the truth and we see it everyday people get in trouble not for what they did, because they lie what kind of leads in here to the next question I had here for you, you said you ask yourself:what would mom do? What does that mean? I always think about you know.
I was always a good one, because I would you like who? Would it be? Okay, if your mother to know everything you did and everything you said everyday, how you spoke to somebody something inappropriate, your dad. Would you, like your mama know that? Would she be proud of you for that and I thought about that? A lot when I was back there in that manager was scared. Cuz, we talked was coming to town. Wouldn’t we should have a talk with you. Don’t do that way? If that’s not the way you treat people and I always just think if your mom would be okay with it is probably okay. I like that, because I know how much as a christian you I have a certain perspective and some people wear this brace it to say what would jesus do and I did. But everybody, regardless of your face, could agree. We could understand the idea. What would mom do you know and the uk my brokenness? What would mom do instead of trash it’s rubbish by the way mothers are different than fathers. You ever see a professional player. What he says:hi mom on the tv mother’s day millions more people go out to dinner mother’s days until father’s. What is that mean? I decided that it wasn’t worried about security of transportation experts. Doing that I told people I was the chief environmentalist I was the ecologist I said. What’s up man I said I woke up every morning. About? How I can use my my my position, my authority to create an environment and and a culture where everybody wakes up the morning and knows they matter they want to come to work. They feel proud to come check this out and there’s 5 people working in this restaurant and dizzy. There’s a lot of different themed, restaurant and there’s one guy that just has a bad attitude, so he’s kind of ruins your ecosystem located. And how are you doing with that? Guy walking out of the tailpipe or else by the way? I am sure you got a lot of problems, but when you come to work, you got to be a professional and and I think people don’t understand that we all contribute to every environment. We walk into whether it’s a hotel, if I walk into starbucks i, can make the environment better by me.
Babe trump this concept that he talked about about great service, falling gravity, there’s kind of a story behind that story that I’d like to tell I like to get into before we go to the break, there’s a massive pressure that you feel you go to company and I own a company, and if you don’t submit to that pressure and show up on time and do what you say, you’re going to do and pay your people on time and just overall be a high expectations are high character person. Nobody will follow. You know, and unfortunately, I would say out of bring me one out of the four business owners that will reach out to us for help. They themselves. Don’t do anything they’re supposed to do and they don’t show up on time for anything and they set an unbelievably terrible example for their team, but yet they’re mad that their team isn’t stepping up happens all the time yeah. That was all the time from ownership to management, to all levels of anybody in leadership right, if you’re not doing what you need to be doing. Your team is not going to follow you and if they do follow you, there only going to follow you until they find their best exit ramp they’re not going to follow you through the trenches they’re just going to take advantage of you and then they’ll leave you high and dry soon as I can,, those first two or three years. I was very good at sales, very motivated to grow the company very bad as a manager just didn’t I didn’t even know how bad I was, and by having people like leacock roller, david robinson or dr. Zoellner. My life I’ve really learned about how I could have done it. A much better I think is somebody listening to the show today that you’re you’re, just struggling with management and just overwhelming to you you’re not trying to be a bad manager. You just don’t know how to fix it, and if that’s you, we want to help. You got one ticket left and i. You can buy that ticket today for $99 by going to thrive time. Show.Com our conference is this friday from 7 a.M. The 3 p.M. And business coaching saturday from 7 a.M. To 3 p.M. You can get your tickets today and learn everything you need to know about the conference by sibley going to thrive time, show.Com and clicking the conferences button
