Episode 63: Dee Ann Turner Talks About Corporate Culture and Finding Our Calling
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In this episode of Beyond the Business Suit, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dee Ann Turner, author of It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture and VP of Corporate Talent for Chick-fil-A, where she began her career more than 30 years ago.
Mentioned in this episode:
- What has kept Dee Ann Turner at Chick-fil-A for over 30 years
- Her early days as a child entrepreneur
- How Chick-fil-A determined what the company would stand for and how that impacted its sales, turnover and retention rate
- How Chick-fil-A has been able to maintain its corporate culture and core values
- Some of the biggest mistakes Dee Ann has seen people make in job interviews
- What advice Dee Ann has about how we can all find our calling
Listen to the full episode to hear all of the wisdom Dee Ann has to share.
Dee Ann's Bio:
Dee Ann Turner is Vice President, Corporate Talent, for Chick-fil-A, where she began her career more than 30 years ago. Her first book, It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture, reveals never-before-shared secrets behind building and maintaining Chick-fil-A’s revolutionary business model. Dee Ann believes people are the most powerful commodity in any organization, and companies that recognize the value of individuals can succeed not just ethically, but financially as well. In addition to serving on the boards of the Kenya Project and Proverbs 31 ministry, the married mother of three is also active with a variety of family-focused missions that support women and children.
Quotables:
“He did what he said he would do even when it was hard, which I think is the definition of integrity.”
“People would ask Truett, ‘Truett did you ever calculate how much money you would have made had you opened on Sundays?' and Truett would respond…'I was far more concerned about how much money I would have lost had I opened on Sundays.'”
“It just excites me to help somebody else realize some of their dreams.”
“When I feel God's pleasure, that's when I feel that calling.”
“I like to say that a job is written on your resume, but a calling echoes in your epitaph.”
The Final Five:
- Some of Dee Ann's personal “secret weapons of success”: even when she may not be the smartest person in the room, she always tries to be the hardest worker in the room. She also thinks that it's important to be coachable, teachable, and to meet and read. Some of her favorite books include: Integrity by Henry Cloud, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, Start with ‘Why' by Simon Sinek, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Quarter-Life Calling by Paul Sohn, Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington and Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy.
- If I asked 10 people who know Dee Ann to describe her using 3 words or phrases, they would say: determined, generous and loyal.
- Dee Ann's morning or night time routine: she gets up long before everyone else, has quiet time, exercises, has a cup of coffee, and reads something inspirational. She has her best thinking time in the morning. She even wrote her book on vacation in the morning.
- How Dee Ann manages her life, family and career: she was blessed to marry the right person. She received some advice that her kids don't care who does the laundry or shops for groceries, but they do who is there at their football game or who tucks them in at night. She stopped worrying about the things they don't care about (and outsourced them) and instead focused on the things that they do. The second piece of advice she's received is realizing that you did the best you could.
- Dee Ann's favorite “power outfit”: especially if she's speaking in front of an audience, she'll have on a black jacket and skirt with a little trim of leather (for her rebellious side) with some pointed-toed heels to make her feel like she's in charge.
How you can connect with Dee Ann online/social media:
Website: www.deeannturner.com
Facebook: /DeeAnnTurnerAuthor
Twitter: @deeannturner
Instagram: @itsmy.pleasure
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