Lee Cockerell's Creating Magic – Book Review
Leadership Book on Walt Disney World Practices Offers 10 Strategies
Oct 20, 2009
Lee Cockerell’s Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney is a quick, easy, and often inspirational read, the type of business book enjoyable as much for its enthusiasm as for its content. In this book – part leadership strategies, part motivational speaking, all folksy charm – Cockerell provides his ideas for building good leadership practices.
Lee Cockerell – From Marriott to Walt Disney World
Based on his "Great Leader Strategies," which Cockerell developed for Walt Disney World cast members, Creating Magic takes as its departure point this claim, “It's not the magic that makes it work; it's the way we work that makes it magic” (1). Cockerell views the strategies he employed at Disney, and throughout his career, as useful to any business and, indeed, to anyone seeking to hone leadership skills.
Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World, uses three elements to convey good leadership practices. First, Cockerell’s personal stories detail his development as a leader. Second, numerous behind-the-scenes examples from Disney cover some of the corporation’s more recent innovations. Third and least successfully, each chapter practical suggestions reinforce its general idea; although cleverly themed, they are too general and cover little new ground.
Creating Magic relies heavily on examples from Cockerell’s career, first with Marriott and then with Disney. He doesn't claim to be a natural leader or take sole credit for his successes. Instead, Cockerell recalls several instances early in his career where he failed to be a good manager let alone a good leader (a distinction he makes repeatedly) to illustrate what he learned from others.
Creating Magic’s “10 Common Sense” Strategies
This approach supports Cockerell’s position, common to the genre, that great leaders aren’t born. They’re made and exist at every level of an organization. After the introductory chapters, Cockerell offers ten “strategies” chapters peppered with anecdotes and examples. Bullet-pointed action steps are included at the end of each.
Creating Magic’s strategies boil down to some simple ideas, repeated in various forms, but worthy of consideration:
- The chapter title of the first strategy sets the tone and is the thesis of Cockerell’s ideas about leadership: “Remember, Everyone is Important.” Treat people like people. Provide them with the support and encouragement they need to feel valued and to become leaders.
- Communicate clearly and often. Reach out to everyone, at every level, offering both praise and constructive criticism. Be aware that one’s words, actions and appearance have an impact.
- Emphasize a culture that makes work enjoyable and encourages personal commitment to and pride in one’s job. Work environments should be characterized by openness, trust and respect.
- Seek balance in one’s professional and personal life, and help others do the same. Be willing to reveals one’s strengths and weaknesses and have a sense of humor.
- Be curious and always willing to learn. Embrace and implement change, seeking input from everyone. Help others learn by providing them with training, information, and opportunities for personal growth.
Creating Magic Reflects Cockerell’s Motivational-Speaking Skills
The book’s genesis as motivational rhetoric is reflected in its skilled use of vivid anecdotes. Several times, Cockerell refers to the input of front-line Disney employees, such as those working in Textile Services, whose innovations improved working conditions and benefited the company financially.
Cockerell provides examples of his own contributions, including a restructuring of restaurant operations at Disneyland Paris. These stories are told with obvious pride in the accomplishments during his tenure. But because he often shares credit or gives its to others, Cockerell’s claims seem less aggrandizing than they might otherwise.
Also memorable are Creating Magic’s mnemonic devices. Cockerell uses RAVE (Respect And Value Everyone) and ARE (Appreciation, Recognition, Encouragement) to underscore a great leader is focused on people, not product. These seem designed for oral presentations such as those Cockerell now gives for the Disney Institute, promoted in the book’s appendix in a distracting bit of self-promotion. A bibliography of recommended readings would have been a useful substitute.
Creating Magic – A Light, Inspirational Book
Cockerell’s ideas apply across many fields and aren’t particularly new. Their familiarity, rather than being derivative, most likely reflects Cockerell’s long career. Although the book isn’t as innovative as it promotes itself to be, Cockerell’s charm and direct language make Creative Magic a welcome addition to any personal collection of inspirational leadership books.
Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies From a Life at Disney by Lee Cockerell. New York: Doubleday, 2008. 288 pages. ISBN: 978-0-385-52386-8
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