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