Dee Ann Turner, Veteran of Chick-fil-A, Inc. (Part 1 of 2)

Dee Ann Turner is a retired veteran of Chick-fil-A who spent 33 years rising to be one of the first female officers of this iconic company. Dee Ann started in HR before eventually leading the talent and franchisee selection and the sustainability division, in the last part of her career at Chick-fil-A. She also helped to design the talent systems and processes of the culture of Chick-fil-A, and in July 2018, Dee Ann ventured out on her own to start her own company. Today, she is an author, speaker, consultant and coach at helping organizations globally strengthen their organizational culture and talent systems.

In the first of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Dee Ann reveals some of her background and values that shaped her growing up, that she brought with her on her Chick-fil-A journey. She shares more about her 33-year journey through different departments in Chick-fil-A, and how culture played a part in the organization, from early on. Dee Ann also provides insights about finding the right big ideas, what it takes to keep alignment between strategy and culture, and what she learned from the founder of Chick-fil-A himself. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Key Takeaways:

[:43] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Dee Ann Turner.

[1:43] Who is Dee Ann?

[3:02] What are some of the values that were imprinted on Dee Ann that she still carries with her today?

[7:09] How did Dee Ann end up as a part of the Chick-fil-A brand?

[11:39] Culture now is everywhere, but back then, what was Chick-fil-A's approach to culture?

[12:57] What was Dee Ann's experience as a part of Chick-fil-A as the big ideas and culture were starting to take shape? What does it take to get the right big ideas and culture?

[17:26] What was it like to be one-to-one in a room with Truett Cathy and what advice did he give Dee Ann?

[20:44] Alignment is hard. What has Dee Ann learned about keeping alignment between the strategy and the culture at Chick-fil-A through growth?

[26:03] What is the difference between culture and strategy?

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The Culture Gap Podcast

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Podfly Productions

Learn more about:

Dee Ann Turner

Chick-fil-A

Bet on Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture and Win the Hearts of Customers, by Dee Ann Turner

It's My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture, by Dee Ann Turner

S. Truett Cathy, Founder of Chick-Fil-A

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