In this episode of Harder Than It Looks, host Brian Wolff is joined by Dean Ahmad, Vice President of Parking and Transportation at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW).
Dean shares his remarkable journey from entrepreneurial beginnings to leading a team of over 300 employees at one of the busiest airports in the world. Dean offers insights on building organizational culture, driving innovation, and developing employees. His people-first leadership approach has resulted in the highest engagement scores at DFW, despite overseeing some of the lowest-paid frontline workers.
Key Takeaways:
1. Hire for heart first, skills second
2. Build strong cross-functional relationships before you need them
3. Empower employees through voluntary engagement teams and peer recognition
4. Implement one-on-one development conversations at all levels
5. Align innovation with both customer experience and employee focus
Episode Highlights:
[
00:00:00] Introduction and Dean Ahmad's background
[
00:02:49] Dean's entrepreneurial beginnings in antiques and furniture
[
00:08:00] Career transition to airport parking industry
[
00:14:00] Leadership philosophy and importance of relationships
[
00:19:00] Organizational alignment strategies and town halls
[
00:25:00] Hiring philosophy and employee development approach
[
00:28:00] Implementation of frontline development plans
[
00:33:00] Employee engagement programs and Emmy Awards
[
00:39:00] Innovation approach and cashless implementation
[
00:47:00] Dean's vision for improving public perception of parking
[
00:52:00] What Dean is most proud of in his career
About Dean Ahmad:
Dean Ahmad is the Vice President of Parking and Transportation at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW). With over 27 years of experience in customer service and marketing, Dean leads a team of 300+ employees, overseeing strategic direction and customer service efforts within the airport. His accomplishments include implementing the first yield management system in a US airport and creating the world's largest valet parking operation.
What is Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered?
We as parking professionals know that parking is hard. However, we make it look easy to those from the outside looking in. The myriad technologies, processes and people that a parking operator has to wrangle on any given day is mind-numbing, and every parking facility is unique. While certain verticals share similar pain points, we know better than many how nuanced every operation can be.
We created this podcast to facilitate connections and illuminate solutions to common problems within the parking and mobility industry. We aim to do so by highlighting the voices of experts in the space, discussing trends and forward-looking technological innovations, and providing professional food for thought. All in an effort to help one another get better at what we know is harder than it looks…parking a car.