The Culture Gap

Join Daniel for a new podcast: Imagine What's Next. IWN launches on March 30th, and you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

IWN explores the mindsets, methods, and skills that leaders and product managers must employ to think long-term--also known as vision and strategic foresight. Ignoring the future and the confluence of trends, risks, opportunities, technologies, and systemic challenges coming at your organization produces blind spots that force reactive thinking and strategies. Join host Daniel Forrester, an author, entrepreneur, trusted advisor to CEOs, and massive open online course instructor through the University of Maryland, as he interviews leading strategists, futurists, CEOs, foresight experts, economists, psychologists, and authors from around the world. Daniel takes listeners far away from the tyranny of innovation-stifling “short-termism” as he unveils the art and science behind discovering the “big ideas” that inspire employees and stakeholders.

Daniel Coyle is a contributing editor for Outside magazine and the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller, Lance Armstrong’s War. His book, The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, has defined for many what the world of high-performing cultures and teams looks like. His new book, The Culture Playbook, is his next chapter in helping organizations and leaders to think through how to effectively drive a high-performance culture into your organization.

 

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Daniel talks about the intersection of high-performing companies and healthy culture, whether companies can overcome the negative impact of poor leaders, and the value of working through the difficulties within a company to create a stronger culture. Daniel also offers insights into the cultural differences between the Midwest and Alaska, where he splits his time. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:44] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Daniel Coyle.

[2:39] How did Daniel Coyle become Daniel Coyle?

[5:53] Uncovering the energy that drives culture.

[6:26] What is Daniel’s working definition of the word “culture”?

[9:10] What is the connection between a high-performing, healthy culture and the performance of a firm?

[15:06] Key takeaways from examples of toxic company culture.

[20:20] The role of “we” versus “I” — and pausing — in a healthy company culture.

[24:29] Does the company culture have the potential to outperform the positive or negative performance of its leadership team?

[28:57] Should companies hire for culture fits or culture adds?

[32:51] Daniel’s advice for the challenges of culture activation.

[38:14] Daniel explains Tip #23, Kill the Happy, Smoothness Fallacy.

[42:22] How to approach ESG in a healthy work environment.

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Daniel Coyle

Daniel Coyle on LinkedIn

Daniel Coyle on Twitter

 

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 second part of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Dee Ann sheds light on how she helped Chick-fil-A to design an intentional culture in which every single customer experience went above and beyond expectations, and how principles rather than rules helped make this possible. She also shares her wisdom about accountability, scaling for growth, and the intersection of customer and employee experience. Find out more about some of the many lessons she has reflected on in writing her three books. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

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

[1:26] People don’t get behind rules, they get behind principles. What are Dee Ann’s beliefs about rules and principles and how to balance them?

[6:38] Dee Ann shares an anecdote about Chick-fil-A where putting rules over principles almost ended really badly.

[10:54] What advice does Dee Ann have about knowing when to invest more effort into growing an employee vs. just calling it quits?

[15:40] What distinguishes a customer experience from employee experience? What should CEOs know about the intersection of experience for customers and employees?

[18:21] Dee Ann shares some anecdotes of how customer experience and employee experience were intertwined at Chick-fil-A.

[23:25] What is Dee Ann’s next book going to be about?

[25:40] What are some common questions Dee Ann gets asked about corporate culture?

[29:18] What wisdom would Dee Ann impart to her younger self?

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

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

The Culture Gap Podcast Episode: “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?

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

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

The Culture Gap Podcast Episode: “Ginger Hardage, Former Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines (Part 1 of 2)”

The Culture Gap Podcast Episode: “Ginger Hardage, Former Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines (Part 2 of 2)”

Susan Bratton is the Founder and CEO of Savor Health, a start-up that harnesses the power of data and algorithms to provide an unprecedented service of personalization of nutrition for those dealing with multiple types of cancer. By leveraging data science, expert knowledge, and scientific literature, Savor Health delivers prescriptive nutrition interventions to cancer patients, helping them on their road to recovery.

 

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Susan talks about her upbringing and past life in Corporate America that led her down the path of starting Savor Health. She shares more about the challenges she faced in getting funding for her enterprise, the team she has built to make this company a reality and the critical role of artificial intelligence in her business model. Susan has some insightful takeaways from her time as CEO of a startup, and how industry trends are shaping the future of her business. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:44] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Susan Bratton.

[1:21] Who is Susan?

[2:14] What are some of the values that shaped how Susan sees the world?

[5:35] How did Susan decide to start Savor Health?

[10:38] How did Susan get the funding to kickstart her idea?

[15:25] What does Susan’s team look like now?

[18:25] How is Savor Health using AI in the business?

[23:17] What is the business model for Savor Health?

[29:24] There are a lot of moving parts to Susan’s business. She explains some of the trends in the industry that are having an impact on it.

[34:08] What is Susan’s advice to other CEOs who want to have the type of thinking, culture, and strategy that she has synthesized in her company?

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Susan Bratton on LinkedIn

Susan Bratton on Twitter

Savor Health

Tracey Brown is the CEO of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and a dynamic and transformative leader. As the sixth CEO in five years for the ADA, Tracey had to deal with an organization in decline and one that had endured a lot of disruption caused by the frequent changes in leadership. She has risen to the challenge in an incredible way and is changing lives and impacting others with her work at the ADA.

 

In the second of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Tracey gives us an inside look into the transformation of this organization. She shares how focusing on the customer experience is taking a center stage at the ADA, and how she is reshaping her organization’s culture to reflect this. Tracey also shares more about her experience with collaboratively designing strategy, communicating with stakeholders, and building out a team that will tackle the challenges of the future. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:43] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Tracey Brown.

[1:22] How did Tracey frame the case for change at the ADA in the first few months of her leadership?

[9:05] The customer experience is taking center stage in a lot of organizations, including at the ADA. What are Tracey's thoughts on how this will play out in the future of the organization?

[13:21] Tracey talks about how she started creating the values for the organization, why those values were chosen, and how they have shaped the activities of the ADA.

[19:48] Quantifying the impact of different activities is important to determine which activities take priority.

[23:58] Getting the right team together to lead a transformation can be tricky. Tracey shares her experience with getting the right people in the right roles.

[27:57] Tracey explains why it is so important to maintain clear communication of the facts and data during a period of transformation.

[32:00] Tracey breaks down her four-year blueprint for change for the ADA.

[38:24] What would Tracey tell her younger self?

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Tracey Brown

American Diabetes Association

The Culture Gap Podcast Episode: “Tracey Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association (Part 1 of 2)”

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek

Tracey Brown is the CEO of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and a dynamic and transformative leader. Prior to her current role at the ADA, Tracey was working with Sam’s Club and Walmart and made some significant strides during her tenure there. Today, she is changing lives and impacting others with her work at the ADA.

In the first of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Tracey shares a little about her childhood and how her parents shaped her value system from a young age, including her thoughts around what it means to be a leader. She also shares insights about what it takes to grow a membership model business like Sam’s Club and highlights some of the key principles of Walmart that are often overlooked but that influenced her decision-making process to join the ADA. Purpose, passion, and position have aligned for Tracey who continues to shine her light in the world and change the lives of others. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:41] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Tracey Brown.

[1:33] Who is Tracey Brown?

[2:53] What are some core values that shaped Tracey as a child?

[6:34] Who is the first person Tracey thinks of when she thinks of a leader, and why?

[9:23] What was Tracey’s time working at Walmart like? Tracey explains more about the concept of membership and how it played out at Sam’s Club.

[17:39] Tracey shares how she moved from working with Walmart to joining the American Diabetes Association.

[24:28] Tracey and Daniel discuss some of the social good that is done by Walmart and its subsidiaries, and how that influenced Tracey’s decision-making process.

[26:42] Purpose, passion, and position have aligned for Tracey to do great work in the American Diabetes Association.

[27:19] Tracey relates a life-changing moment with her daughter and how she turned her life around from that point.

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Tracey Brown

American Diabetes Association

Walmart

Sam’s Club

Doug McMillon

John Ferner

Heather McGowan is an extraordinary leader, thinker, and future-of-work strategist. She is an author and speaker who has a lot of insight about the future of work, the future of our relationships with one another, and the skills it will take to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution. Heather is not one to tout a dystopian future but believes that humans need to think differently about how we prepare for work and how we work in order to thrive in the future of it.

 

In the second of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Heather shares more about the culture needed to survive and thrive in this modern context, as well as the role of technology and machines in influencing corporate culture. She shares some insights about her new book coming out in spring, The Adaptation Advantage, and some advice for the leaders and the youth of today. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:43] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Heather McGowan.

[1:28] What kind of culture should a new company adopt in order to survive and thrive in this new global context?

[3:26] What would be one value or behavior that would be the linchpin to achieve the goals and vision Heather has for her hypothetical company?

[6:17] What are the relationships between the workforce and machines, and how does that play out in the company's culture?

[9:05] What is Heather's advice to help them and their workforce move past the fear that technology will take over your job one day?

[13:43] Heather's new book, The Adaptation Advantage, comes out in spring. Why did Heather write it and what is the biggest reason CEOs should read it?

[16:55] What would Heather's advice be to her younger self?

[17:29] What are some things Heather would advise a future president to say at her inaugural address?

[19:09] What advice does Heather have for a young girl?

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Heather McGowan

Parasite [Movie]

Start with Why, by Simon Sinek

“The Top 20 Business Transformations of the Last Decade,” HBR

The Adaptation Advantage, by Chris Shipley and Heather McGowan

In the second of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Heather shares more about the culture needed to survive and thrive in this modern context, as well as the role of technology and machines in influencing corporate culture. She shares some insights about her new book coming out in spring, The Adaptation Advantage, and some advice for the leaders and the youth of today. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Heather McGowan is an extraordinary leader, thinker, and future-of-work strategist. She is an author and speaker who has a lot of insight about the future of work, the future of our relationships with one another, and the skills it will take to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution. Heather is not one to tout a dystopian future but believes that humans need to think differently about how we prepare for work and how we work in order to thrive in the future of it.

 

In the first of this two-part episode of The Culture Gap, Heather shares how her own upbringing shaped her as a thinker and leader, as well as some of her key observations about the changes that are taking place at an individual, organizational, and societal level. Heather explains why our current structures do not support our human needs for connection and community, how social media might provide a solution, as well as how leaders should be approaching strategy in their organizations to adapt to the future of work. Welcome to Culture Gap.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:44] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Heather McGowan.

[1:38] Who is Heather?

[2:25] What are some of the values that have shaped Heather as a person and a leader?

[5:58] What is the moment of change that individuals, organizations, and institutions are living through?

[8:27] What happens to the psyche of the worker when the structures we have do not support our needs for membership, belonging, and a sense of community?

[12:48] What is Heather optimistic about in relation to what is possible in building up authentic human connections?

[15:09] What are Heather’s thoughts on how leaders should be approaching strategy and strategic planning?

[20:35] Cognitive diversity and psychological safety are two essential elements to a competitive and successful organization. What is Heather’s advice to leaders to cultivate these in their organizations?

[24:26] Knowing vs. learning mindset — Heather breaks down the differences and explains why it is so important for us to adopt a learning mindset to move into the future of work.

 

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

 

Learn more about:

Heather McGowan

Articles by Thomas Friedman (NY Times)

Between Two Ages: The 21st Century and the Crisis of Meaning, by William Van Dusen Wishard

Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle

Brené Brown

The Two Traits of the Best Problem-Solving Teams, by Alison Reynolds and David Lewis (HBR)

Peter Senge