#75: Horst Schulze — Building a Ritz-Carlton Culture of Excellence

A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze's teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.

Mr. Schulze's professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server's assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous.

During his tenure at The Ritz Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — twice.

In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management.

Most recently, Mr. Schulze has been honored as a “Leader in Luxury” by Travel Agent magazine and its sister publication Luxury Travel Advisor.

After leaving The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide, and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.

Today, Mr. Schulze serves on various boards and acts as a consultant across industries. In his book, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise, he captures a lifetime of wisdom on life and leadership.

Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise

By Schulze, Horst

On this episode, we discuss:

• his incredible story growing up in a small village in Germany

• what excellence really means and what it doesn’t

• how he built a culture of excellence at the Ritz-Carlton

• how to serve others but also hold them to high standards

• the importance of what he chose to measure at the Ritz-Carlton

• how his life was forever changed by a health scare

You can connect with Mr. Schulze on his website - HorstSchulze.com. His book, Excellence Wins, is available wherever books can be purchased. Additional leadership content can be purchased and viewed at NeedToLead.com where the content can be licensed for a larger audience.

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#65: Dee Ann Turner — The Secret Sauce of Chick-fil-A Culture

This episode is brought to you by HigherEchelon, Inc. HigherEchelon is a leadership development & organizational performance consulting firm providing human capital and technology services to optimize performance. HigherEchelon can help prepare your organization to meet the rapidly changing, complex and often ambiguous requirements of today’s world by developing Resilient and Adaptive leaders, modernizing and enhancing processes, and implementing transformational technology solutions. Visit HigherEchelon.com to connect with the amazing team at Higher Echelon and learn more about how they can help you and your team. Check out this great interview of HigherEchelon’s President, Dr. Joe Ross, on the Beyond the Uniform podcast.

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Dee Ann Turner understands the importance of stewarding talent. 

A 33-year veteran of Chick-fil-A, Inc, she was selected as the company’s first female officer in 2001 and served as the Vice President, Talent and Vice President, Sustainability. 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. Additionally, she led Staff Learning and Development, Diversity and Inclusion, and Culture and Engagement, and Talent Management. More recently, Dee Ann launched and led Chick-fil-A’s sustainability function focusing on a strategy to implement sustainable practices at the then $10.5 billion company.

Dee Ann was instrumental in building and growing Chick-fil-A’s well-known culture and talent systems, responsible for selecting thousands of Chick-fil-A franchisees and corporate staff members. Under her leadership, Chick-fil-A enjoyed industry-leading employee engagement scores and became known for selecting the best talent in the hospitality business, maintaining a 95% retention rate for corporate staff and franchisees. She has also mentored and championed hundreds of people to discover their unique vocational callings and build careers they love.

Today, she leads her own organization, Dee Ann Turner & Associates, LLC, focused on writing books and speaking to audiences both virtually and in-person on how to steward extraordinary talent. She's the author of two best-selling books covering the topics of corporate culture, customer service and career success. It’s My Pleasure and its newer version, Bet on Talent, teaches leaders how to find and keep extraordinary talent. Her latest book, Crush Your Career, teaches talent how to be extraordinary. Additionally, Dee Ann serves as Executive in Residence at High Point University teaching students career development skills and serving in the Access to Innovators Program.

Through her books and keynotes, she leverages her experience to help you steward the extraordinary talent entrusted to you, whether you are responsible for creating a remarkable organizational culture or focused on building your own exceptional career. She is a graduate of Clayton State University with a degree in Management. She also completed executive education courses at Emory University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School.

She is a 2009 alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. Dee Ann has been married to her husband, Ashley for 37 years and they are the parents of three grown sons. She has served numerous non-profit boards in the past including The Kenya Project, Eagle Ranch and Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has also served on the board of advisors for Lubbock Christian University and First Care Clinics. Currently, she serves on the board of advisors for Unconventional Business Network Women and the advisory board for the Pure Hope Foundation. When she is not traveling, she can often be found on her Peloton bike in her home outside of Atlanta or on her stand up paddleboard at Lake Hartwell in northeast Georgia.

Check out Dee Ann’s bestselling books:

Bet on Talent: How to Create a Remarkable Culture That Wins the Hearts of Customers

By Turner, Dee Ann

Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job, and Launch Your Future

By Turner, Dee Ann

On this episode, we cover a lot of ground, including:

• The key ingredients to building an incredible culture like they have at Chick-fil-A

• How to activate the key elements of culture in your organization

• The story behind how Chick-fil-A created their meaningful purpose

• The differences between a rules-based culture and a principles-based culture

• The story behind “My Pleasure” at Chick-fil-A

• How Chick-fil-A keeps such a high level of employee engagement and high retention of talent

• After conducting thousands of interviews, how Dee Ann is able to choose the best talent

• Commonalities between those that make it through the highly competitive process to become a Chick-fil-A franchisee

• The one habit, routine, or ritual that has made the biggest positive difference for Dee Ann

• Her top marriage/relationship advice

• Her top parenting advice

• One leader she really admires

• Her top leadership book: Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, Integrity (link below).

Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality

By Henry Cloud

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#36: Chevy Cook (Co-Founder of Military Mentors) — On Adversity, Self-Belief, and the Power of Mentors

I'm really excited to bring you the inspiring story of Chaveso "Chevy" Cook! On this episode, you will hear Chevy share his powerful story of overcoming adversity as a child and finding mentors that helped him believe in himself and chart the course that led to where he is today.

I’m really excited to bring you the inspiring story of Chaveso “Chevy” Cook!

On this episode, you will hear Chevy share his powerful story of overcoming adversity as a child and finding mentors that helped him believe in himself and chart a course of achievement, purpose, and contribution. Chevy is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Military Mentors, a registered 501(c)(3) with a mission to elevate, educate, and facilitate mentoring for the military and beyond.

Chevy graduated from West Point in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He also has a M.A. in Leadership Development from the University of Texas El Paso, and an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. He currently lives in Boston, MA and is pursuing doctoral studies at Tufts University. He is also a visiting researcher at Harvard Kennedy School.

A long serving member of the special operations community, he started his Army career in the historic 82nd Airborne Division and has served the majority of his career at Fort Bragg, NC. He also served as both a Tactical Officer and a Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership instructor at West Point.

Chevy is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Team Red, White, & Blue, the Council on Foreign Relations, and an Advisory Board Member at the Positivity Project.  Chevy's work has been published in the International Mentoring Association, the Journal of the Adjutant General’s Corp Regimental Association, Armor Magazine, Journal of Character and Leadership Development, Military Review, Association of the United States Army, Infantry Journal, Joint Forces Quarterly, Small Wars Journal, Strategy Bridge, IO Sphere, White House Studies, and has a pending book under review with Texas A&M Press.

His military education includes the Command and General Staff Officer Course, Air Defense Artillery Captain’s Career and Basic Courses, PSYOP Qualification Course, Arabic Special Operations Language Training, SERE-C (High Risk), Basic and Advanced Airborne School, Air Assault School, MC-6/T-11 Jumpmaster Instructor Course, Gryphon Group Mobile Force Protection Course, Anti-Terrorism Basic Officer Course, Military Deception Planners Course, Anti-Terrorism Evasive Driver’s Course, Information Operations Capabilities and Applications Course, Contracting Officers Representative Course, Air Force Combat Airmen Skills Training/Joint Air Functional Course, and Combatives Level I.

Some of his awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4th award), Joint Service Commendation Medal (2nd award), Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (2nd award), German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (Gold), German Parachutist Wings, Egyptian Parachutist Wings, Air Assault Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, the Major General Robert McClure Medal (Bronze), and the 2016 Secretary of the Army Diversity and Leadership Award.

Chevy is married to his high school sweetheart Ashley, and their beautiful daughters are London and Lola.

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On this episode, we discuss:

• Chevy’s story of overcoming childhood adversity [4:40]

  • He and his brother moved houses when his father went to prison [6:00]

• How he coped with all of the transition during his childhood [7:00]

• The powerful relationship he has with his adoptive mother, Mama J [11:00]

  • “She is evidence to me of a higher power because she embodies what I would think an angel would be in human form.”

• Two teachers that mentored Chevy at a pivotal moment in his life [13:00]

  • They asked Chevy where he wanted to be in 5 years.

• How mentors helped him believe in himself in a way he never did before [16:45]

  • “I was a broken little man.”

• The power of questions between a mentor and mentee [18:15]

  • “The answer is somewhere inside of you.”

• The importance of follow-up, consistency, and resourcing in mentoring [19:45]

  • A crucible moment has three components: (1) assess; (2) challenge; and (3) support.

  • “The support piece is super important.”

• How he processed his dad’s incarceration [23:00]

• Processing anger from his childhood [28:00]

  • “These stories are not my stories.”

  • “I’ve come to believe that I’m not here to judge anybody.”

• The biggest things he’s learned about character development during his PhD studies [32:30]

  • Nature vs. nurture in character development

• Practical takeaways for how to develop character [35:00]

• How the leader can reinforce character development in the culture [37:30]

  • “The leader has to become a student in organizational culture and organizational behavior.”

  • The three layers of organizational culture: artifacts, espoused values, and shared basic assumptions.

• The leader working in the organization vs. working on the organization [41:00]

• A discussion about his top two book recommendations [45:00]

Learn more about Military Mentors at MilitaryMentors.org and by following them on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Connect with Chevy on LinkedIn or Facebook.

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During this episode, Chevy recommends the following books:

The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal

By Loehr, Jim, Schwartz, Tony

Expect Nothing: A Zen Guide

By Bryan, Clarice

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#35: Ryan Hawk (The Learning Leader Show) — Leadership Lessons from 350+ Interviews

Today, I'm really excited to bring you an interview with Ryan Hawk! Ryan Hawk is a keynote speaker, author, advisor, and the host of The Learning Leader Show, which Forbes called "the most dynamic leadership podcast out there" and Inc. Magazine recognized on its list of "5 Podcasts to Make You a Smarter Leader."

Today, I’m really excited to bring you an interview with Ryan Hawk! Ryan Hawk is a keynote speaker, author, advisor, and the host of The Learning Leader Show, which Forbes called "the most dynamic leadership podcast out there" and Inc. Magazine recognized on its list of "5 Podcasts to Make You a Smarter Leader." Featuring interviews with hundreds of best-selling authors and world-renowned corporate, athletic, and military leaders, the show has millions of listeners in more than 150 countries.  He is the author of Welcome To Management: How To Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader. 

Welcome to Management has received a lot of praise, and for good reason. #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink called Welcome to Management “the ultimate all-in-one guide to becoming a great leader.” New York Times bestselling author General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal said, “Ryan’s work provides nuanced and articulate insights into the best way to begin developing a plan to bring to light how we should lead—and it starts with reexamining ourselves.” Additionally, New York Times bestselling author Liz Wiseman said, “Ryan has uncovered the secrets of what the best leaders do and how they think.  If you are a new manager transitioning from player to coach, do yourself and your team a favor and read this book.” 

As head of Brixey & Meyer's leadership advisory practice, Ryan speaks regularly at Fortune 500 companies, works with teams and players in the NFL, NBA, and NCAA, and facilitates "Leadership Circles" that offer structured guidance and collaborative feedback to new and experienced leaders.

A lifelong student of leadership, Ryan was a high school, college, and professional quarterback and captain who advanced professionally from award-winning individual contributor to VP of Sales for a multibillion-dollar company.

Ryan draws upon his experiences, empirical evidence, and expert insights to strive for continuous improvement in his own life and to inspire other leaders to achieve and sustain excellence. He is passionate about helping others to become humble servant leaders who build committed organizations, as intentionally and painlessly as possible.

On this episode, we discuss:

• His “why” for teaching [4:30]

  • “When you’ve been given a lot, I feel this responsibility to give a lot.”

  • “I chose to create my own form of a leadership PhD program by going directly to the professors I wanted to speak with, and those are the guests of my show, The Learning Leader Show.”

• How it feels to have his book published [8:30]

• For whom Welcome to Management was written [11:00]

• The story behind the title of his book [13:00]

• After over 350 interviews, what he says are the commonalities between those who sustain excellence over time [15:00]

  • “It is important to define excellence. I think excellence is the gradual pursuit . . . the gradual actions of getting just a bit better everyday. . . that the trajectory is going up . . . as James Clear would say, “the aggregation of marginal gains.”

  • “If there are two behaviors of people that I’ve found . . . when it comes to excellence is first they are very thoughtful individuals. They take time to reflect, to gain a true understanding of what’s real, what’s not, what is happening. . . . The second, and it stems from them being very thoughtful, is that they are intentional. . . . Once they’ve reflected, they go.”

• His 4-part learning framework — learn, test, reflect, and teach [18:00]

• The difference between a mentor and a coach [22:00]

• Seeking and receiving feedback from a coach [24:30]

• If you get feedback, do you have to take it? [28:00]

• Leaders creating compliance vs. commitment [34:00]

• Your “Say-Do Gap” [36:45]

• Creating a positive culture [37:30]

  • “It’s what you do more so than what you say.”

  • “People are looking to you. . . . They are watching you more than you even realize. They are watching everything.”

• Tips from an interview with GEN (ret.) McChrystal on leading in uncertain times and crisis [42:00]

  • Communicate relentlessly

  • Match your internal operating pace with that of your external environment.

  • Continue to reiterate what winning looks like for your organization.

• What Ryan has learned about asking good questions from over 350 interviews on The Learning Leader Show. [45:30]

  • “I’ve learned that the best questions, the ones that really get us somewhere, are the follow up questions.”

• Taking risks and getting started [48:00]

  • “We’re all going to be pretty average or below average the first time we do something. You just can’t worry about that. Keep striving to get better.” 

Find out more about Ryan and his work at LearningLeader.com and connect with him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

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Check out Ryan’s new book, which is receiving rave reviews:

Welcome to Management: How to Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader

By Hawk, Ryan

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