Creating Disney Magic: Lessons in Leadership, Management, and Customer Service

Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort, has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business and authored several books on leadership, management and customer service excellence. At Disney, Cockerell 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 their ancillary operations. He also created the Disney Great Leader Strategies, which was used to train and develop the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. His books include Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney and The Customer Rules: The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service.

Part of the 2018-19 Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair Lecture Series, hosted by the Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management