Disney World is referred to as “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” The park truly lives up to this taglines because it is the largest tourist destination in the world with around 40 million visitors a year (Cockerell, 2008, p.4). In Lee Cockerell’s book, “Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney”, Cockerell explains that, “It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic (2008, p.1).” Within the pages of Cockerell’s book, he explains the secret for creating “magic” within any business, organization and our own lives is to create outstanding leadership. The kind of leadership that inspires employees to go above and beyond, delights customers and achieves superior business results. …show more content…
In fact it took many years and a lot of determination to learn everything he could about leadership. Cockerell’s credibility is strengthened because of his track record of working hard and his continual motivation and desire to better himself as a leader. One way in which he learned was being reflective when he made mistakes and it was through these mistakes that led to many of the themes that are discussed within the book. The first managerial position Cockerell held was as a beverage controller at a Hilton Hotel. When first taking on this position, he made the mistake of being headstrong and diving right in. He tried to change things without establishing rapport with his co-workers (2008, p. 22). He quickly recognized that business issues are a lot like a marriage and that you cannot resolve a problem if the relationship is not grounded in mutual respect and trust. This becomes Cockerell’s first strategy: remember everyone is important. At Disney Cockerell created the acronym RAVE: respect, appreciate, and value everyone. Cockerell stated, “If you respect, appreciate, and value your employees, the word will get out. As a result, people will line up to work for you, and your current employees will not want to leave (2008, p.