Dan Cockerell’s career evolved from parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center to VP of Epcot, VP of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and eventually, VP of the Magic Kingdom. He was ultimately responsible for leading a team of 12,000 cast members and always placed organizational culture at the forefront of his leadership.
On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Dan shares some of the magic he learned and contributed to during his 26 years with Disney, with a particular focus on how to implement and sustain a culture of psychological safety in large organizations.
Leadership tips you won’t want to miss:
🎙️ Disney’s 4 key components to creating a high-performing culture
🎙️ The role of relationship, clear expectations and ongoing support in establishing psychological safety
🎙️ The impact of placing equal importance on performance and relational skills during performance reviews
🎙️ Encouraging diverse perspectives by gathering employee feedback with varied methods
🎙️ Implementing change within your zone of influence for maximum effectiveness
Dan Cockerell, the author of How’s the Culture in Your Kingdom? Dan graduated from Boston University in 1991 with a degree in Political Science. After graduating, he moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center. He went on to join the Disneyland Paris management trainee program and went to France as part of the opening team in 1992. After five years in France, Dan came back to Florida and held a number of management positions at the Disney World Resort, including Vice President of Epcot, Vice President of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and eventually Vice President of the Magic Kingdom, where he led 12,000 cast members, and entertained over 20 million guests annually.
If you’re wanting to better understand why psychological safety is so important and what steps you can take to foster it within your organization, then this episode is for you!
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Dan Cockerell’s contact information:
Website: https://dancockerell.com/
Podcast: https://dancockerell.com/come-rain-or-shine/
Book: https://dancockerell.com/books/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dancockerell/
Lindsay’s contact information:
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