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Join NABR in partnership with Corp! Magazine for our CEO & Executive Thought Leadership Series, where Jennifer Kluge sits down with C-Suite Leaders to get their insight and expertise.
NABR is a service organization igniting greatness in companies and their people.
00;00;00;03 - 00;00;26;29
Jennifer Kluge
All right, everyone, welcome back. Today's guest I am super excited about Jennifer Dean is the founder and president of Dean's Professional Services. She focuses on health care staffing out of the Houston area. You're one of the first people I met in Houston, by the way. Jennifer and I have. I've loved you ever since. You have been the best and brightest coming to work for not only in Houston, but at a national level.
00;00;27;06 - 00;00;49;21
Jennifer Kluge
And you've been a multiple year elite winner, which means that you score at the very top. So it's wonderful to have you today and top with you. I can attest that you're a fantastic speaker, usually have several endeavors outside of your career at your company that we'll talk about as well. And you just told me, today is 30 years for you.
00;00;49;24 - 00;00;52;21
Jennifer Dean
Today, the anniversary. Yes.
00;00;52;23 - 00;01;03;15
Jennifer Kluge
Fantastic. So so let's talk about that. How does it feel to be at 30 years? What did you think you were starting 30 years ago?
00;01;03;18 - 00;01;04;07
Jennifer Dean
Well, you know.
00;01;04;07 - 00;01;08;10
Jennifer Kluge
I think with that journey walk us through the 30 years.
00;01;08;12 - 00;01;39;26
Jennifer Dean
I think if you focus on where you're going to be in 30 years. I was in my 20s, so we probably don't want to do that. You know, I think that my journey had been such that I've been really blessed. I've only focused in medical health care. We provide staffing, staff development and consulting. So mainly we take a project and we look at it, we customize it, and we say, what can we do to save you time, energy, money, you know, to make it easier on you for your staffing needs across the board.
00;01;39;28 - 00;02;02;00
Jennifer Dean
So I would not have I would not thought I'd be in 20 states. I wouldn't think that I had 2000 plus employees today. And I would probably say that that years ago would not have been my thought. I mean, 30 years is a long time. We've changed in technology. We've changed in young people. We changed in a number of things.
00;02;02;00 - 00;02;06;28
Jennifer Dean
So and certainly the entitlement of people working at state. So if you had a little different, it.
00;02;07;03 - 00;02;30;19
Jennifer Kluge
Is possible that we are going to talk about that. You know, one of the things that I noticed is you have some resources in books and what have you, and the theme is being outspoken. So let's talk about those tools and resources. But is that also your thing too? I've known you for a while. I would say that that's really Jennifer Deans, the outspoken.
00;02;30;20 - 00;02;32;23
Jennifer Kluge
So let's let's chat on this a little bit.
00;02;32;25 - 00;02;52;23
Jennifer Dean
Well, you know, most people who know me know that I'm a pretty outspoken person. I don't usually bite my tongue about very many things. So you shouldn't ask me. You don't want to know. My staff knows it. Our orientation was about three weeks. First couple of days is philosophy and president's expectation. So I certainly go through and explain to everyone.
00;02;52;28 - 00;03;10;17
Jennifer Dean
My personality is such that I'm very outspoken and direct, but I would do anything in the world for any mindful issue. And they know that too, because I think consistency is important. But that's where it came from. I was talking in first person, said, you know, I'm thing you're pretty outspoken that I am. And it just stuck with me.
00;03;10;19 - 00;03;14;06
Jennifer Dean
So that's my theme. And then.
00;03;14;07 - 00;03;43;17
Jennifer Kluge
You know, I think sorry to interrupt you, Jennifer, but I think especially for a woman, being outspoken is sometimes viewed as a bad thing. But I think being outspoken is where it's got you today, 30 years later, 20 states, 2000 employees and just killing it in the health care staffing industry. So let's talk about that. How have you leveraged being outspoken for your success?
00;03;43;19 - 00;04;11;17
Jennifer Dean
Well, you know, and in business I can't call myself an IT. I'm very proud, by the way, being a woman because I am woman. Hear me roar. You know, I'm that person. I'm a Carole King fan, so I am that person. But, you know, I believe that if you speak and you speak the truth, people will listen. And that to me is outspoken, not necessarily rude or abrupt or any of those things, but having the ability to know I'm going to stand on what I say and my word is my commitment, my art.
00;04;11;22 - 00;04;35;15
Jennifer Dean
And when I say it, I'm going to do it. That's more of my outspoken. You know, I tell people time my 86,000, you know, 400 seconds in a day allows me to be more outspoken than I may have been when I was in my 20s, because I've learned that I have the ability to speak today. You know, I've gotten a few things behind my belt now, so I probably speak a little bit more because I've become an expert at what I do.
00;04;35;21 - 00;04;53;27
Jennifer Dean
But being outspoken is something that as women, we have a tendency to conform. You know, we are in our place, we stay in our place. And, you know, we don't, as people say, get out of our box. And I don't ever say that. I tell people to expand their box. But however God made you is how you probably should be.
00;04;54;00 - 00;05;10;08
Jennifer Dean
But, you know, I would say that people should speak up and speak out a bit more. The consequences of that are if you don't, what do you get from that other than a huge guilty feeling? I should have said something and be honest, I would have quit. That won't work for me.
00;05;10;15 - 00;05;16;27
Jennifer Kluge
Well, it creates stress. It creates anxiety and stress from not being your genuine self, right?
00;05;16;29 - 00;05;20;21
Jennifer Dean
It does. And you bottle that like you press that down over the.
00;05;20;21 - 00;05;52;06
Jennifer Kluge
Camera as health issues. It comes out as frustration. Yeah. Yeah. So let's speaking of health. Health issues and health care. There's been a talent war. There's been a pandemic. We're facing some very interesting economic conditions right now. A lot of companies are still navigating as we sit here today. You are in one of the hardest hit industries as it relates to talent economy.
00;05;52;09 - 00;06;27;06
Jennifer Kluge
Hospitals are really struggling right now financially. There's a lot of burnout. There's a lot of talent woes. Could you help us understand and how you are getting your clients through that and what you are seeing in the industry right now because your team does a very important job of helping people when they're ill and vulnerable. So, you know, we we need to understand how you're navigating this because other industries are going through similar, similar issues.
00;06;27;07 - 00;06;29;27
Jennifer Kluge
So tell us a little bit more about that.
00;06;30;00 - 00;06;59;14
Jennifer Dean
Well, first understanding the concept of what we do. About 70% of our business is outpatient not inpatient. So I don't struggle with the and I actually I won't ever struggle with the negotiation of pay me more or I'll go over here. You know, we believe that you should be paid on experience and market rate. And if you are nursing, you are 15 years experience and you're a nurse and you are one year, even if you do the same jobs, you should you should be on a on a scale.
00;06;59;16 - 00;07;18;20
Jennifer Dean
But yes, I employ nurses and PA and nurse practice and sometimes physicians. And what I hear in the market and when I talk to people is much I would prefer to be outpatient right now, not on the floor right now. You know, not just burnout, but I think just the psychological effect of seeing that for a couple of years, maybe three now.
00;07;18;22 - 00;07;36;12
Jennifer Dean
I don't think it's gone. I just think we don't talk about it as much, and certainly not at the high it was prior. But it is for me. I think it's more of finding people who have the integrity to work in that capacity. Nowadays people take on a role as a nurse because it pays a great deal.
00;07;36;12 - 00;07;58;03
Jennifer Dean
You can do travel. There's a lot of perks that come with that. My mom, my sister and my brother were nurses, and my mom was a nurse with the white uniform, the white hat and white angels with the white shirt. Everything was white. Even the little clips clip that was white. So, you know, they went into it and I remember her coming home crying because somebody passed away or something happened.
00;07;58;07 - 00;08;23;21
Jennifer Dean
They went into it for a different reason. That nurturing spirit of theirs was there. So I think it's a little different today. However, I've had people who say, can you just find me something that's not clinical right now? So we have transferred those skills over to utilization management. You are anything outside of that? But still reviewing the patient file, but not necessarily patient front facing, not facing the patient.
00;08;23;25 - 00;08;36;22
Jennifer Dean
Or we put them in a clinic where they're able to say you have a cold, and if they say you have a cold, they will send you to the hospital. So then that that stress is not necessarily on them on a regular everyday basis.
00;08;36;24 - 00;08;59;25
Jennifer Kluge
Are there any best practices that have come from this? Jennifer, in the last couple years, being in the health care industry, lot around talent, a lot around culture in especially within your own operations. You don't want your team burnt out either, right? So what what are you seeing now compared to 30 years ago? If you want to go that far?
00;08;59;28 - 00;09;09;10
Jennifer Kluge
More specifically, give us a feel for the challenges that you have running your company right now and how you navigated those well.
00;09;09;13 - 00;09;36;25
Jennifer Dean
Well, first I must say I get about between 700 and 1250 applications a day. So finding the talent may not be my my my biggest issue. Being able to get through and find the best talent takes takes a lot of manpower, so it takes the ability to really work through it. When we were in the Cobit height, you could almost say, can you breathe?
00;09;36;27 - 00;09;56;19
Jennifer Dean
And they say, I think so. And then you say, I got to find you. That's very different than what we are today. On this side of it. It's very different. So now that the the challenge is to take your time and find the, the person who's not going to be the goal today I want to work with tomorrow, I don't would what a lot of medical people do.
00;09;56;19 - 00;10;17;13
Jennifer Dean
They start they start doctor stop. And I don't want to do that. So I have hired I think, the best talent to be able to review those pieces of white paper, which is still white noise sometimes, and to be able to talk to them, work through it and determine who's best qualified. And that's not always on skill. Some of some of this is on service.
00;10;17;13 - 00;10;39;28
Jennifer Dean
I call it patient relations guilt. It's on service. It's on the ability to to be able to commit yourself and work through the process so that that's more of what my clients look for, because some of which we have if you're licensed, you know, you have to have some experience. But most of it is your service skill, your nurturing skills, your ability to take care of a patient is what we're looking for.
00;10;40;01 - 00;10;51;16
Jennifer Dean
And that you you have to you have to get through the process. So you may have to go through a hundred to get to ten. But those you back then and those are the people that you say to your client, I have the best chance.
00;10;51;19 - 00;11;13;23
Jennifer Kluge
So you're what I hear you saying is you're able to now slow down the market, slow down a little bit, and really take your maybe not, but really take your time and go through to find the right talent versus we're in desperate need. Send send us everybody is what I'm hearing. So it hasn't from based on searches and has not slowed down.
00;11;13;23 - 00;11;15;09
Jennifer Kluge
So tell me tell me what's happened.
00;11;15;16 - 00;11;37;26
Jennifer Dean
We're busier than we've ever been, so that is truly a blessing. I've worked hard in the last three years and I've ever worked in my entire life, but we're busier than we've ever been, so I don't think it's I don't think it is slowing down. I think that the physicians offices, the revenue cycle centers, the hospitals, they are still challenged with, you know, now you have to be vaccinated, maybe booster.
00;11;38;01 - 00;11;56;22
Jennifer Dean
Some people still don't want to do that. You know, the hospitals are very strict about their their their policies and the procedures around that. So you have to wait through those that will do it and those that won't. I don't have very many clients in health care that don't require very few. I can name them on one hand.
00;11;56;24 - 00;12;22;22
Jennifer Dean
So, you know, the first thing you have to go through is determine who has it, who doesn't have it. But listen, we're in a business that's called organized chaos. That's it. Okay. And if you're not seeing chaos in our business, I don't I'm not sure how you're in business because that you're always at the the emotional urgency of your client, which typically let us try let it try, let it try.
00;12;22;22 - 00;12;42;21
Jennifer Dean
Oh my goodness. We need it now. Hey let's call let's call Jennifer and see what she can do. You know that's usually where you are. So you're you're at somebody else's emotional one at that point. So your urgency. Yeah. You're moving like that all the time. And remember we're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are just a lot of our clients are.
00;12;42;24 - 00;12;47;05
Jennifer Dean
So we have to be. So it does take a little bit of work.
00;12;47;08 - 00;13;14;11
Jennifer Kluge
Let's talk about there's two issues that I'm hearing that we should probably talk a lot about. You're saying that you're the busiest you've ever been in your in your career, which has been a very successful, long career. The best and brightest companies you work for surveyed the winners, and 84% of that of the talent is working harder than they did before the pandemic.
00;13;14;13 - 00;13;38;22
Jennifer Kluge
And 44%, 43, 44% somewhere in there are working harder than when the pandemic first started. And if we can all remember that that couple months, right, and imagine that intensity for this long, we're at two and a half years later, almost. We're, you know, one more quarter and it's going to be three years of this. There's a lot of CEO burnout.
00;13;38;22 - 00;13;59;23
Jennifer Kluge
There's a lot of supervisor burnout. You're a 27 business. Let's talk about burnout and intensity. How are you handling the intensity of the work with your team? What best practices or advice would you give to other CEOs related to this organized chaos? As you describe it?
00;13;59;26 - 00;14;19;22
Jennifer Dean
Well, so I think any person may get to a point of burnout. I don't necessarily think it's all work. It just really depends on how much of this level of stress you have in your life that would contribute to everything working together for your stage of burnout. But I spend a great deal of time with my boys. I do, I know them well.
00;14;19;25 - 00;14;38;26
Jennifer Dean
Obviously we do a lot for them. We spend a lot of time with them. We do a lot for them, and I want them to take breaks when they can. But in our business, we have a lot of fun too. So I don't know it. You'd probably ask someone out there and they say it's positive stress, and I work well under the positive stress.
00;14;39;03 - 00;15;04;12
Jennifer Dean
I don't do well on the negative stress, so the fish rots from the top down. You won't find me saying anything about stress. I'm not that person. I'm excited, I have opportunity, I have abundance of them and I say that to them. So I, I think it's how you look at the situation that makes your body respond in a, in a more positive manner that doesn't mean I had never had a something that says, are you tired?
00;15;04;12 - 00;15;24;08
Jennifer Dean
I get tired just like everybody else. When I get up though, and I have the opportunity to do something I absolutely love, which is which is what I didn't ask to this, but I certainly love it. I get to do something I absolutely love. I am okay with the ability to work hard. And maybe that just my country girl in me.
00;15;24;12 - 00;15;41;02
Jennifer Dean
I am okay with the ability to work hard. I am okay with the people I hire. I when we go to orientation for our weeks of orientation, our job during that time is to talk them out, but we need to go through this is what you're going to experience. My cell phone's ringing. My phone on my desk is ringing.
00;15;41;02 - 00;15;49;13
Jennifer Dean
Somebody is talking to you. I mean it like that. So if that bothers you, that is not the right industry for you, right?
00;15;49;16 - 00;16;10;06
Jennifer Kluge
Yeah. Some people thrive on that. Some people thrive on that. So you try and find the people that thrive on the intensity of the workload. But we're all human and sometimes we need breaks. So you get breaks and you say you try and make a fun environment for your team. Just define fun. What do you guys do for fun?
00;16;10;08 - 00;16;28;12
Jennifer Dean
Well, let's see, we we certainly have our family and friends day that you want to quarter. We will certainly feed them as many times as they like, but, you'd be surprised at how much that helps for a person not to have to go out, buy something you come back in, which takes time. And they're worried about getting things done within an eight hour period of time.
00;16;28;14 - 00;16;51;13
Jennifer Dean
I push out, I'm here till the last person late and I push. I say, it's time, gotta wrap it up. Can't do any more. Leave it alone or I'll take it and I'll make sure it's done. But I want them to go home and I want them to enjoy the philosophy here is God, family and work. And I won't change my philosophy, which means if you don't like it, you probably shouldn't work here.
00;16;51;15 - 00;16;54;09
Jennifer Dean
You can indulge in that order.
00;16;54;12 - 00;16;57;05
Jennifer Kluge
Yeah. Transparency that oh, that.
00;16;57;07 - 00;17;14;21
Jennifer Dean
I don't whatever your God is, I'm fine with that. The fact is, if you don't have a higher being that you understand is there, and this is not all about you, and then you take care of your family, because if you could do that, that's a lot less stress than you would normally deal with. And then work. Put it in perspective.
00;17;14;24 - 00;17;32;28
Jennifer Dean
You know, work is to do those things that you have to do, but it is really important to keep that perspective in place. If you do that, you feel good. The family and friends. It's really about family. It's about your kids knowing who you work for. It's about having fun and meeting them so they know who I am.
00;17;33;00 - 00;17;49;18
Jennifer Dean
They know who, who, who's my mom. I'm going to work 12 hours a day for. You know what it's for? I don't have a daycare on site. I actually won't let them bring their employees to work unless it's bring in boy thing. You get to work day. We kept it busy, and we're working, but, you know, I.
00;17;49;18 - 00;17;57;27
Jennifer Dean
I care about the kids. We buy school supplies. If they do go to school, they will get special gifts for me, I family is really my core.
00;17;58;00 - 00;18;14;13
Jennifer Kluge
I believe that's what I love about you the most, is that you're not afraid to say, okay. Yes, there's a trend out there, but we're not going to do it here. Let's talk about hybrid work and working from home.
00;18;14;15 - 00;18;16;15
Jennifer Dean
Yeah, I'm not a fan.
00;18;16;17 - 00;18;18;10
Jennifer Kluge
Tell us more about that.
00;18;18;12 - 00;18;41;08
Jennifer Dean
I'm not a fan. I do have some employees that do. Actually. I have an employee that I'm only met once. I mean, she's on zoom, our jeans on our Friday meetings. But, you know, I don't necessarily I don't get to interface like that. But in our business where people business and in our business, it is really important that you are dedicated to being able to see who you're working with.
00;18;41;09 - 00;18;58;23
Jennifer Dean
I come, they interview you, interface with the people you work with on a daily basis. Listen, I'm just going to ask everybody, if you had a great football team and they were all virtual, would they be a good. I just want to know. I mean, you can't run plays, you can't practice, you can't learn the dynamics of the person.
00;18;58;24 - 00;19;24;27
Jennifer Dean
I mean, you see their head about right here and you don't know if they're truly engaged. You don't know what's happening around them. I don't know that there are there are people who probably do that every day. I am not that person. So because the organization is based on my personality, most of it goes that way. I have people who travel a lot on my education side, and they are they are certainly virtual, but I expect to see them every once in a while.
00;19;24;27 - 00;19;45;08
Jennifer Dean
Come walk through this office. That what? I can see who you are. That's important to me. So I don't think that my business does. Well that way, and I am. I have footballs everywhere. I love football, but my analogy is not because they're all cute with the helmet on. It is really because I think it's important that my team is here to run their plays.
00;19;45;15 - 00;20;09;14
Jennifer Dean
I can see who's my first string, second string, I can see my superstars I will be able to do and I will tell you, most of my employees said they worked more at home than they do at work because little literally when you when you close the door and you go home, you're you're away from work. When you're at home and you're at home all day, even if you pass the door and you go, that's my office.
00;20;09;20 - 00;20;24;14
Jennifer Dean
I could pick up a couple of things. The kitchen bad. Let me just go see if I can do a few things, and then you end up working and working, I did I would sit down at seven and at 8:00 when the sun would be going down at you going. I wonder what time it is because, I mean, I'm home, so I'm.
00;20;24;14 - 00;20;25;19
Jennifer Dean
I could go hard.
00;20;25;21 - 00;20;29;04
Jennifer Kluge
Yeah. So what are you hybrid. You were hybrid for a little bit.
00;20;29;12 - 00;20;30;26
Jennifer Dean
Yes we were, we were actually.
00;20;31;00 - 00;20;32;21
Jennifer Kluge
Now you're back in person.
00;20;32;23 - 00;20;39;01
Jennifer Dean
We came we came back January. No July of last year.
00;20;39;04 - 00;20;45;07
Jennifer Kluge
Okay. Because I wasn't at that first. Do it. And you're one of the CEOs and said come back I am.
00;20;45;14 - 00;21;02;10
Jennifer Dean
But, I gave them an option for a while. You know, we could do both for a while. And then we gave a date that these people would have to be here full time. Then we gave another date for the next had people who would have to be be here full time. And then when we had the spike again, I gave them the option of being able to go home.
00;21;02;14 - 00;21;06;28
Jennifer Dean
And when the spike would go down, then we would be okay. So I am what you're.
00;21;06;28 - 00;21;18;24
Jennifer Kluge
The most about. I mean, you're very transparent with your team and said, okay, here's the situation I prefer in person. We work better in person, but you did have to have some flexibility to show that.
00;21;19;01 - 00;21;38;23
Jennifer Dean
I still do, actually. Yeah. If they're baby sick and I go, you know, I just need to watch them, they're okay. Can I work from home? Yeah. And we have a rule. All the rules apply when you sign in. Where's your productivity? All of that. But in general terms, yeah. I never want a mother to choose between work in their child ever.
00;21;38;26 - 00;21;42;01
Jennifer Dean
Now, you will never get fired for doing so nice.
00;21;42;04 - 00;22;06;05
Jennifer Kluge
And they have. Well, let's talk about being a woman. We're both we're both women kept in obvious here. We're both women CEOs. You're certified as a woman business enterprise. You're also a person of color. Tell us about that journey and what experiences have stuck in your memory along the way.
00;22;06;07 - 00;22;28;22
Jennifer Dean
Well, first, my only journey is being black, so I don't have another one. So I don't I don't know any other journey, but and probably being a woman as well, you know, my variance with this is in particularly in the medical field, on the provider side, because we do mostly outpatient and there's a lot of old money in medical.
00;22;28;24 - 00;22;48;03
Jennifer Dean
Yeah. And a lot of old thought process. So I've had a lot of people tell me, don't send me anybody black. You know, we send Spanx in high class. I really prefer not to be the one. And they don't know who I am, you know? And before we had Facebook and LinkedIn and all the things that we used to identify people.
00;22;48;06 - 00;23;11;25
Jennifer Dean
Oh, my goodness, I heard it every single day. But, you know, now I still hear it people a lot smarter about how they do it. You know, they may say, I just want someone bilingual and it's not necessary. It's just to avoid having somebody, you know, that may be black, but I have been turned down more times than I can think about because somebody met me and I was black.
00;23;11;27 - 00;23;25;14
Jennifer Dean
I have been turned down for people to join my organization. Just recently, I was and they they had the opportunity to meet me and I don't interview, but I just happened to be here and they said, you are black, you own the company. I don't want to work for black company.
00;23;25;16 - 00;23;31;07
Jennifer Kluge
And I would term out that I don't. I am I'm struggling with this okay.
00;23;31;10 - 00;23;32;08
Jennifer Dean
But it's true. It happened.
00;23;32;08 - 00;23;55;16
Jennifer Kluge
So I'm angry for you. I'm angry for you. Wow. I'm really upset. Silly. How? How do you handle that? When a client comes to you and says, I don't want you to send me anyone that's Hispanic or black or what have you, what do you say to them?
00;23;55;19 - 00;23;58;27
Jennifer Dean
Well thank you. The most qualified person we have, sometimes.
00;23;59;00 - 00;24;03;03
Jennifer Kluge
You send candidates that are most qualified, that are people of color.
00;24;03;06 - 00;24;04;23
Jennifer Dean
I do.
00;24;04;25 - 00;24;06;08
Jennifer Kluge
High five. Give me a.
00;24;06;11 - 00;24;07;16
Jennifer Dean
Give. You do.
00;24;07;23 - 00;24;07;28
Jennifer Kluge
All.
00;24;07;28 - 00;24;29;13
Jennifer Dean
Kinds of just, you know, educating people that whatever your thought is in your mind, this you're talking about people. Everybody's different. It's not by the color of their skin. All skills are different. All characters are different. Integrity different. How they were raised at different. Everybody's not walking around because you have this thought in your mind. That's not how it works.
00;24;29;18 - 00;24;48;17
Jennifer Dean
So I mean that that's a big that's a big deal for me. I heard a lot. I heard about being a woman as well. I mean, that absolutely won't work for me. They are not taking direction from a woman. But and I'm okay with it because when someone said it, you really don't need to be here. Because my ultimate prayers removed though that should not be.
00;24;48;20 - 00;24;57;06
Jennifer Dean
And bring me those that should. And you know the fact that you said it allows me to know you should not be here. Because you know.
00;24;57;09 - 00;24;59;27
Jennifer Kluge
Yes, someone's a gift that they said it.
00;24;59;29 - 00;25;00;27
Jennifer Dean
But when I see.
00;25;00;29 - 00;25;19;23
Jennifer Kluge
When I'm in those situations, I want to fight. I want to fight. It sounds like you've risen above the the the frustration of that. And you're like, okay, I'm going to put my business. Tiana, do you ever want to get in there and just fight? Tell me more about that?
00;25;19;26 - 00;25;38;08
Jennifer Dean
I don't, because I, you know, this is this is who I am. It would be different, I guess, if you are me, because you've heard it all most of your life. I'm from Arkansas. I mean, very racist kind of place. We grew up, I'm okay there. It's just for me. That's your shadow, your shallow mind, it thought process.
00;25;38;10 - 00;25;59;05
Jennifer Dean
I'm not in the business of trying to change your mind. Especially those who will will not work for me. Most who have worked for me will come back and tell me. I mean, you've changed everything. I thought about. You know, even some clients will come back and say something that way. I to tell you a story though once I was, I went to go give a presentation and I, I it was about a $4 million account.
00;25;59;11 - 00;26;24;03
Jennifer Dean
I was so excited to opportunity to stand before people. And you know, I wouldn't let my salesperson go. I wanted to go. And I walked in this room and it was filled with men of every race. And all of that was filled with men. And I'm only woman in the room. I walked up front, opened my brochure to go through and give this presentation, and the first thing one guy said was, so you're the person who's giving me money for my bet tonight?
00;26;24;09 - 00;26;43;14
Jennifer Dean
And I said, I'm not in that business. Sure. Everybody laughed. They thought it was the funniest thing ever. And somebody else made a comment. Very similar to that one I had for comment before I ever started my presentation. I didn't say a word. I kept thinking, okay, got it. Listen, this is $4 million. Can you just tell them to be client?
00;26;43;14 - 00;26;58;22
Jennifer Dean
I've really figured this out. Couldn't do it. So I looked at. I took my my eye, closed it out. I said, I really thank you for your time, but you're not going to be a good client for me. And I walked out. I couldn't believe I walked away from $4 million. I couldn't believe.
00;26;58;22 - 00;27;29;13
Jennifer Kluge
It. I can, but I can't in and that is teaching people. That is a form of fighting. So I'm I applaud you, thousands of others hopefully listening to this, applaud you. Well, I've been in those situations few I have gone, traveled and made pitches and myself and another woman sat across from the potential client and they they basically said, nice to meet you.
00;27;29;16 - 00;27;37;23
Jennifer Kluge
No thanks. We didn't even say one word and we were done. Very frustrating, very frustrating.
00;27;37;26 - 00;27;57;00
Jennifer Dean
Now that can be because they don't give me an opportunity to present or know I could trade for money, but you don't want that, you know? Yeah, I ride with a hired a CFO that they had or CFO that happened to be female. And I did get the business back. And, you know, I did explain to her what happened.
00;27;57;00 - 00;28;18;15
Jennifer Dean
She apologized profusely, but, you know, I try to put in perspective that every business that comes my way is not good business. And if I close this door for 4 million, six millions waiting, I just need to go find it. I just need to be diligent about the fact that it's coming. And, and, you know, you you kind of leave the past in the past that way and you move on.
00;28;18;19 - 00;28;43;25
Jennifer Dean
So people who are particularly women who are in business, you always feel like, well, I have to do it because I need it the money. I mentor the people at WBA and you know, I always say to them, I want you to get that just because you sit down in front of somebody and it's all working the way you thought, there is something inside of you that says, you know what, I don't know if this is going to be a good match for us.
00;28;43;27 - 00;29;03;08
Jennifer Dean
And you have to have the ability and it is very difficult. I just told somebody about it and it is very difficult, but you have to have the ability to say, I don't think we're a good match today. It's no different than any relationship you get into at some point when you say this is over, or it's when you start, you say, I don't think we're good match.
00;29;03;12 - 00;29;10;09
Jennifer Dean
You have to be able to speak up and say, this is not going to be a good match today. They will.
00;29;10;12 - 00;29;18;16
Jennifer Kluge
Sue you. You said something that you're used to it and so you roll with it.
00;29;18;19 - 00;29;21;09
Jennifer Dean
I don't know, but roll with it. Let, let let me be clear.
00;29;21;12 - 00;29;22;07
Jennifer Kluge
Yeah. Let's talk.
00;29;22;07 - 00;29;45;03
Jennifer Dean
About that. Rolling like that. It's not necessarily what I do, but I'm grateful that I don't have to work with somebody who feels that way and has the ability to just fake it till they make it. I don't want that. So, you know, I, I just want to hire the best. And if you're, you're not the best, if you can't work for me now and so somebody else is waiting and I would tell them that I'm okay with that.
00;29;45;05 - 00;30;01;06
Jennifer Dean
My rule of thumb is, when I'm finished talking to you, I will stand up. And when I'm done, I'm done. When she finished telling me she wouldn't work for anybody that was black or minority, she made it clear I stood up, I think, there, and I let her out my door. But I don't just roll with it.
00;30;01;06 - 00;30;24;27
Jennifer Dean
It can be difficult. Sometimes I think that's more difficult than being in business. I think that's more difficult than the challenges we have with hiring that people today. I think all of that more difficult than that, because it it can make you feel like you're less than. And, you know, oftentimes we just want the first time ever we want number one company staffing company in Houston.
00;30;24;29 - 00;30;42;01
Jennifer Dean
There's a lot of that in companies in Houston. But we want number one first time ever. And you know I, I, I when you see someone picture of their company and you see all the employees and all of that, and you never see any diversity in it, but you know, you look and you go, and that's the first thing I do.
00;30;42;01 - 00;31;08;24
Jennifer Dean
And I must say I do that often is they don't have anybody like that work they have. They accomplish their, you know, you got you've got 6 million people in Houston. How do you pick out all the white people and nobody else? Yeah, but I mean, like that's the one thing that you have discounted everybody else that could have probably done your company a great deal of good simply because of the color of their skin.
00;31;08;27 - 00;31;13;02
Jennifer Dean
That is unacceptable. But I know, like motivated me.
00;31;13;02 - 00;31;33;23
Jennifer Kluge
You're motivating me right now to keep at it as well. We do a lot of education around diversity, equity and inclusion. We do a lot of education for leadership on racial justice and how to handle those delicate situations, and how to be a true leader within your organization. So you motivated me in this moment to keep at it.
00;31;33;26 - 00;31;57;23
Jennifer Kluge
I am sorry that you have had to go through those experiences. But there's power in that. You so let's talk about that. Let's let's talk about the next generation. Let's say there's a young woman, person of color in high school, and she wants to go into business and eventually own and run her own company.
00;31;57;25 - 00;31;59;08
Jennifer Dean
Okay.
00;31;59;10 - 00;32;04;18
Jennifer Kluge
What advice would you give her on her path and journey?
00;32;04;20 - 00;32;22;29
Jennifer Dean
I would tell her she needs to find a purpose. She needs to lean into that for her passion. And if she finds peace, she knows she's there because I would have never chosen this business for me. I thought I'd be an attorney. I'd be honest with you. And yet I would have never chosen it. But it chose me.
00;32;23;01 - 00;32;39;09
Jennifer Dean
And sometimes what you're looking at doing is not what you should be doing, is what you see would make you money. And it may not make you money just because it does everybody else. So what you have to do is you have to find something that lets you lean into your purpose, and it allows you to be passionate about it.
00;32;39;11 - 00;33;09;04
Jennifer Dean
And once you do that, you'll find this calmness about it. That said, I work morning, noon and night because I have a peace about what I'm doing. You know, the other thing is, when you know you are not in your purpose, you can. You have five businesses running at one time. I was I don't know how people do that, but they only have a number of business and then want to go find a job because they are not making enough money in them first, because you have no focus, and second, because you're not really running a business, you're just throwing something out there and seeing that it'll work.
00;33;09;06 - 00;33;26;09
Jennifer Dean
That's actual entrepreneurship. You know, if you're going to do something, do it right or don't do it at all. That means every bit of who you are has to go into it. And when you when you're able to do that and they learn quickly, listen. If you say eliminate and you're passionate about it, you should do that and do it well.
00;33;26;15 - 00;33;43;20
Jennifer Dean
Figure out what work, find out what your audience wants and let's go after it. I mean, let's let's just do it. But you don't have to go out and say, I'm going to. I'm going to do what that person is doing when they they make a lot of money. You know, everybody wants to be a professional athlete because they they make a lot of money.
00;33;43;23 - 00;34;01;29
Jennifer Dean
But we just watch somebody, you know, who was concussed and had to go to the hospital and they make a lot of money. The listen, you know everybody can't do that. That's number one. Only 1 to 3% of all those wonderful athletes. They go to college I forget their well, what you have to do is you have to find what works for you.
00;34;02;02 - 00;34;23;29
Jennifer Dean
And when you can find what works. I want particularly women. Lean into your purpose. When you find your purpose, whether it's something you love or not, that you'll love it, you'll eventually get there. I've never done this. This is. Trust me on that. This would not have been enough. But when you learn how to do something and do it well and you have peace with it, you're in your moment.
00;34;24;05 - 00;34;43;25
Jennifer Dean
You're in. You see the seasons change, but you're in your season. And when you can find your season, you will weather whatever storms come up. You will be right there. And I tell them that all the time, don't go looking at what someone else is doing. Find out what's passionate for you, because in that moment, in that season is your purpose, that that's peace.
00;34;43;28 - 00;35;00;10
Jennifer Kluge
It's fantastic advice and it's okay to struggle. It's okay. This should be the last part is success. Failure is prior to success. I think that's also part of finding your purpose and finding your passion. It is crumbling down a little bit.
00;35;00;12 - 00;35;19;10
Jennifer Dean
Listen, I will I get things and oh, it can be a challenge. Trust me. It can be a challenge. And, you know, in my mind, I think every opportunity is like having a new business. You started again. And if you think about it that way, you do a really good job with most things you do because you put it in perspective and go for it.
00;35;19;10 - 00;35;39;05
Jennifer Dean
New business, new new company. That's a new business for me. And I look at it that way so that I am able to have the same fresh thought process that I did 30 years ago. You know, just being able to get up every day and go to my bedroom and put my pantyhose on and my heel and do the hair, I had done that and put my suit on.
00;35;39;05 - 00;35;59;27
Jennifer Dean
I was at home and I didn't have to. There was not any zooms or or any of that. They weren't going to see me, but I saw me and I saw me. And the one thing I know is everybody knows their weaknesses, their limitations in their strength. And if you're not disciplined, you must learn how to be. Before you say, I'm a great entrepreneur.
00;36;00;02 - 00;36;21;11
Jennifer Dean
Discipline is key. I had to make myself do this to be able to put my mind in the right frame of mind in order to be successful, and it may. I still wear my suits because I prefer them over anything else, but I do think it's really important that you have to fix your mind to be successful. I knew my limitation would be you got to get some discipline.
00;36;21;18 - 00;36;31;22
Jennifer Dean
I was 26, 27 years old, so I had to find some discipline within myself to say, I can get this done. And I think that's the hardest thing as an entrepreneur. I like the discipline about what you're doing.
00;36;31;28 - 00;36;44;13
Jennifer Kluge
Exactly and doing stuff that you don't want to do because you have to do them for the betterment of the business. That's also a key component of being success is doing the things that you don't want to do.
00;36;44;15 - 00;37;00;24
Jennifer Dean
Well and doing that. I just came back from my floor. I've been on my floor for two months. I learned a great deal, by the way, and I told my team I got promoted just to the position that I've been promoted. So I went out to work. I went out to work. I went out to be treated like an employee.
00;37;01;01 - 00;37;13;27
Jennifer Dean
I went out there to be able to interface. I wanted to see the process and how cumbersome that worked. Then I'd yell out about, oh, we're not doing this anymore. This is way too much. But I didn't want to do that.
00;37;13;29 - 00;37;17;00
Jennifer Kluge
It's kind of like Undercover Boss where you went out on the field.
00;37;17;00 - 00;37;39;10
Jennifer Dean
Yeah. Oh, yeah, I was I was really undercover, though, because I was still is out fucking it. By I mean, I think most people we would fired an employee if they did that, but I don't know, it's just like one of those things, you know, you have to do. We were trying to find really great talent to work now versus, you know, ten years ago you could find really great talent.
00;37;39;11 - 00;37;59;23
Jennifer Dean
They were committed, you know, they would come to work on time. They wouldn't do that. I'm barely late. And the five minutes late every day, which I call late, you know, they it's very difficult today because my younger generation has a concept that they work to live, not to make a living. So they do feel that this is just a part of my journey.
00;37;59;23 - 00;38;12;07
Jennifer Dean
I can go next door and do the same thing because my mind says I'm here to live, not to make a living. Now, maybe we could combine that and make it something else, but you need a little bit of you really do.
00;38;12;10 - 00;38;17;28
Jennifer Kluge
Because you went out and went on the floor or into the fields.
00;38;18;01 - 00;38;18;08
Jennifer Dean
Yeah.
00;38;18;11 - 00;38;25;03
Jennifer Kluge
You discovered an issue to solve. And that's your next project, I would imagine.
00;38;25;06 - 00;38;27;26
Jennifer Dean
Yeah, I did, so what?
00;38;28;01 - 00;38;34;00
Jennifer Kluge
Figured that out. Let us know that we'll set up another one of the we are.
00;38;34;00 - 00;38;55;08
Jennifer Dean
You know, I had to go back to my team and talk about what you're trying to bring. You know, sometimes we're looking at this level of education and we're looking at all these things that are accurate. And although I think those things are really great, you know, I don't want anybody who is here for a start. You know, they say that Oklahoma that top down today all day.
00;38;55;09 - 00;39;16;06
Jennifer Dean
They just kind of come in and they're looking to leave. They're always here to look to leave. And maybe you need a person in between that that have skill education, but not at a level where they're always looking to leave. I don't want a person to join me. And the day you join, you're still looking to leave. I'd like for you to learn how to do this job and then elevate yourself.
00;39;16;06 - 00;39;20;13
Jennifer Dean
And if that means waiting to do so, I will write you a letter of recommendation.
00;39;20;15 - 00;39;43;01
Jennifer Kluge
Yeah, well, if you can figure that out, that's an issue across a lot of industries manufacturing, retail. We've been hearing a lot from the CEOs of the of the best and brightest about those issues in particular. So if you can solve that, you have something there. You have another business. Let's let's talk about your book. Let's have the book.
00;39;43;02 - 00;39;44;25
Jennifer Kluge
Now you have a second book. Correct?
00;39;44;25 - 00;40;06;16
Jennifer Dean
I do have I do have one coming out and, you know, the one I have is really old. So I've learned a lot. I could just write a book about the pandemic and how we how we functioned in that, because March, when we all decided that the government said we have to go home. And then I laid off everybody, yet I didn't know where I was going to be or what we were doing.
00;40;06;18 - 00;40;24;22
Jennifer Dean
Less than 30 days later, I had everybody back, and I fired six of them because they could not work from home and we could not find them. And I didn't have time to manage back, and I didn't want to, albeit very, I did not want to manage that. But you, you know, I, I, I said, we're going to you stay where you are.
00;40;24;24 - 00;40;47;23
Jennifer Dean
I'm going to take all my salary away. I won't get paid until we figure out what happened. 30 days. We got this humongous contract. And, you know, it didn't take long for us to be maybe double where we were the year before it and then triple where we were. You know, it worked like that. And, you know, I always feel like you should always lead by example and you should never talk about what you're going to do.
00;40;47;23 - 00;41;16;19
Jennifer Dean
You should simply just do it. And people will recognize your action more than they will your words. Most people who talk a lot never really get anything done. They really don't. They are very good at verbalizing what you should do. But if you ever want to know, you know, I tell people in my workshops all the time, if you send out a memo and you didn't consult the person who inside that memo of the work they have to do now, you you fail that person because you should at least be able to ask them, hey, we're going to change this process.
00;41;16;19 - 00;41;18;28
Jennifer Dean
How would that affect you?
00;41;19;01 - 00;41;39;20
Jennifer Kluge
And I know it's no mystery why you're one of the top scoring companies of the best and brightest just from talking to you. And I'll tell you something. I'd work for you, I'd work with you. I would hire you. And for any of those that have said otherwise, the best and brightest communities putting our arms around.
00;41;39;20 - 00;41;40;20
Jennifer Dean
You.
00;41;40;23 - 00;41;42;28
Jennifer Kluge
Helping you guide work the.
00;41;43;00 - 00;42;01;16
Jennifer Dean
Right. So that's a great thank you. I to you, I know that I you I remember the day you had a black suit on with a white shirt on. I'll never forget it. I remember the day I met you, and you have that same smile you had then. And the one thing you did for me. I didn't understand the concept of black people.
00;42;01;17 - 00;42;24;12
Jennifer Dean
And if I didn't know anything about it at all. But immediately I realized, because you were so dynamic, you think you believe in what you do. Which made me believe in it. I didn't know anything about it. But I said, if she believes in an attitude, what I they could not make a mistake. So it it is really a great great resource.
00;42;24;15 - 00;42;48;16
Jennifer Dean
It I really do enjoy the research and I know when I'm on the calls, I'm probably the loudest person. I'm always thank something contrary to what everybody else to say, but I always want to tell people, you got to change the way you think about business or you won't stay in business. You can't. You taught me that because I've, I don't I probably see many awards before, but this is the one that I tell everybody about.
00;42;48;18 - 00;43;01;27
Jennifer Dean
This one I tell people about when they're hired by us. And I tell them, go out, find another company that that has the accolades and the benefits that I give you. And I'm happy to say they're a great company. And you taught me well.
00;43;01;27 - 00;43;16;27
Jennifer Kluge
Thank you. And and it's because of your hard work. So congratulations. Yet again, thank you for your time today. Let's just leave it with this. How how do you define happiness in a sentence or less? Peace.
00;43;17;04 - 00;43;35;23
Jennifer Dean
Simply knowing I am in my purpose and I. I don't care what anyone says. If I need to clean the bathroom, I will have. I'm at peace. I'm doing exactly what I meant to do at this moment I have peace. That is my happiness.
00;43;35;25 - 00;43;44;12
Jennifer Kluge
And and we wish peace to everyone listening today. And thank you for being part of of my worlds. And congratulations again, Jennifer.
00;43;44;19 - 00;43;47;21
Jennifer Dean
I'm honored. Thank you so much. Keep doing what you're doing. It's great.