From Startup to Customer Service Powerhouse: A Chick-fil-A Story

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Maintaining quality face-to-face service is getting harder and harder these days. Fortunately, many of the traditional principles still apply. Join us today for an interview with Dee Ann Turner. With more than 30 years of experience, including serving as Vice President, Talent and Human Resources for Chick-fil-A, Inc., Dee Ann has discovered the secret sauce of selecting and retaining extraordinary talent, while cultivating a remarkable organizational culture.

In this episode, we cover how to:

• create company loyalty that leads to customer loyalty
• instill servant leadership within your organization
• support fun at work even if it’s natural for you
• respond to negative Glassdoor reviews
• what differentiates Chick-fil-A from other fast food chains

About Today’s Guest

Dee Ann is a 33-year veteran of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Prior to retirement in 2018, she was Vice President, Talent and Vice President, Sustainability. The company’s first female officer, she was instrumental in building and growing Chick-fil-A’s well-known culture and talent systems. During her long career, she worked closely with Chick-fil-A’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, and other key leaders as an architect of their organizational culture. She was responsible for thousands of selections of Chick-fil-A Franchisees and corporate staff members. Additionally, she led Talent Management, Staff Learning and Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Culture and Engagement. Most recently, Dee Ann launched and led the Sustainability function focusing on Chick-fil-A’s strategy to implement sustainable practices at the $11 billion company.

Today, she leads her own organization, Dee Ann Turner, LLC, writing books, speaking to over 50 audiences per year and consulting and coaching leaders globally. She is the author of the best seller, It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture. Her latest book will be released in September 2019.

Resources Mentioned

• Website: https://www.deeannturner.com/
• Book: Bet on Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture That Wins the Hearts of Customers
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeAnnTurnerAuthor
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeAnnTurner
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deeannturner/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeannturner/

About the podcast:

The Lead with Levity podcast is a show for leaders who care deeply about what makes/breaks the employee experience. Our guests are dynamic researchers, practitioners, consultants, and business leaders. We cover foundational elements that are needed to avoid forcing the fun. We also invite lively managers who lead with levity to show us how it's done. Thanks for joining us on this journey.

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