Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dan Cockerell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
This is a great question! Am I happy as a business owner? Yes! But not all the time. We all know the expression, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” In my mind, this phrase is addressing the concept of gratefulness. Am I grateful for what I have, and what I decided to choose? When working in a corporate environment for 26 years, I had many advantages that I took for granted. I got paid every week. I knew that I would have to do a really bad job for a few months if I was to be dismissed. I knew what the next year looked like, since we were so good at planning and forecasting. I had all of the resources I needed all around me (finance, HR, industrial engineering etc). As I got older and progressed in my career I started to wish for something else, freedom and simplicity. Freedom to travel, choose my clients, set my own priorities and decide what path to take. Also, to get rid of the many meetings, emails, and other non-productive time commitments. Now that I have my own business I have a lot of freedom and have created simplicity in my life. However, there are days I wish I had the stability and predictability of my old career. Bottom line, you cannot have it all! So, choose your priorities, go after them, and when you feel regret, remind yourself of everything you have. As Sheryl Crow said in one of her songs, “It’s not about getting what you want, it’s about wanting what you have.”
Dan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I spent most of my adult life working for the Walt Disney Company. As a graduate from Boston University with a Political Science degree, the path to Disney was not predestined. However, through my teenage and early adult years I recognized that I thrived working on teams, and had a natural passion for serving people. Upon graduation from B.U. I drove down to Orlando, Florida and went to Disney’s “Casting” center, where they do their hiring. They decided I as a perfect fit to be a parking attendant at Epcot, my first full time Disney job. That job led to a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of the Disneyland Paris opening team in 1992, doing what I knew, parking cars;) My French girlfriend (now my wife of 30 years) and I knew that my visa was expiring, so we solved the problem and got married after a 5 week engagement. After 5 years in France we moved to Florida and I spent the next 21 years working in 19 different jobs, in theme parks and resort hotels. In 2009, I was named Vice-President of Epcot, the same park that I had parked cars 18 years earlier. I finished my career as Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom Park. It was an incredible and humbling experience to lead 12,000 employees and entertain over 20 million guests a year. Since 2018, Valerie and I have run Cockerell Consulting offering keynote speeches, leadership/customer service masterclasses, and operations consulting services. Between my 26 years of operations experience and Valerie’s expertise in retail and as a former facilitator for The Disney Institute, we bring real life tools and tactics to companies from every industry you can imagine. We have worked throughout the world including Brazil, Peru, Canada, Spain, Australia, Barbados, and Bangkok. I published my first book in 2020, called How’s the Culture in your Kingdom? and Valerie’s book Manage Like a Mother launches in October 2023.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
I receive notes everyday on social media tactics, and support, how to drive more leads through LinkedIn and offers to help me with SEO (search engine optimization) strategies. If I look at my clients over the past 5 years, 99% come from relationships I had previously, referrals from friends and colleagues, or recommendations from former clients. The hardest part of starting a business is getting those first customers/clients. We take the approach that if we are lucky enough for someone to consider hiring us, the most important thing we can do in our business is to exceed every expectation they have and “blow their socks off” with the value we add. Intent to return and intent to recommend are the life blood of every business. I am not saying to stop marketing/advertising activities, but keep track of where your business comes from. I think you will find it is clients who you have satisfied.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
There are 4 areas I focused on throughout my career in terms of managing and leading teams. First, makes sure you have right team members. This my far is the most important leadership trait. Get the right talent around you with the right attitude. Secondly, build relationships with intent. You do not need to be everyone’s best friend, but great leaders see their team members as individuals and understand what makes them tick. Thirdly, clarity. Constantly insure that expectations are clear. Goals and behaviors. Do not make your team guess about what is important and the rules of engagement. Ambiguity and and indirectness create confusion and frustration. Lastly, feedback. Recognition to reinforce the right behaviors, and critical notes to correct behavior. Without these, improvement does not happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: Cockerellconsulting.com
- Instagram: @Dancockerell
- Facebook: Dan Cockerell
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dancockerell
- Twitter: @Dancockerell