Thoughts and Quotes from Bet On Talent by Dee Ann Turner
Thoughts and Quotes from Bet On Talent by Dee Ann Turner

Thoughts and Quotes from Bet On Talent by Dee Ann Turner

These are the quotes I noted while reading Bet On Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture that Wins the Heart of Customers by Dee Ann Turner:

  • Corporate culture is about people and the way they behave in the course of doing their work.
  • Remarkable cultures are created and nurtured through the power of stories.
  • Leaders model and reinforce the behaviors they want to be repeated.
  • We are not in the tech business. We are in the people business.
  • The more mistreatment and deceit are present in an organization with a toxic culture, the more rules become necessary to coerce the workers to keep their heads down and remember who is in charge.
  • Giving space to use judgement is one of the practices that can transform a culture and help an organization achieve better results.
  • Compliant cultures are smothered by rules. Committed cultures are cultivated with principles.
  • There may be no greater role or responsibility for the top leader than enduring that the culture remains healthy.
  • Integrity is doing what you say you will do, when you say you will do it, and how you say you will do it.
  • Consistency is a hallmark of integrity.
  • Leading a successful organization requires an intentional focus on culture every single day.
  • Why (Purpose) + What (Mission) + How (Values and Guiding Principles) = the “recipe” for your organizational culture. 
  • Excellence attracts excellence.
  • When selecting talent, I have found it most helpful to focus on the 3 Cs: character, competency, and chemistry, in that order.
  • Our character determines how we act when no one else is looking.
  • Individuals with strong character can lead and inspire teams to achieve what talent alone will not.
  • When clarity of role is absent and feedback is infrequent, the culture suffers.
  • In trying to be nice and say yes, we sometimes fail to be kind just by saying no.
  • When I try to be nice, I care what you think about me. When I am kind, I care about you and your feelings.
  • “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” Richard Branson
  • Before you can create remarkable experiences for customers, you must create amazing experiences for your employees.
  • The word retire comes from the French word retirer, which translates in English as “to withdraw.”
  • 5 Key Principles of Servant Leadership
    • Don’t expect others to do what you are unwilling to do.
    • Acknowledge that every team member is important.
    • If there is a line, be the last one in it.
    • Share opportunities and privileges with those who might otherwise never have the opportunity.
    • Be inclusive.
  • Executive privilege and servant leadership do not mix.
  • Great leaders have an abundance mentality: There is enough for everyone and I have hope there will be more, so I can share.
  • Success for others does not limit their own opportunity, but actually paces the way of success.
  • Organizations grow and the culture is strengthened through the facilitation of opportunities for others.
  • We have the opportunity to engage their hearts by fostering their dreams.
  • “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar
  • Often it is not the failure to deliver that guests remember, but how you react and respond when your products or services have failed to deliver.
  • “Do you have thirty years of experience or one year of experience you have repeated thirty times.”