14: Leaders with Heart Don’t Take Their Own Leadership For Granted

Today on the podcast we have Kristi Turner, CMO at Compeat Restaurant Management Software.

In this episode, we talk about company culture, learning from the best and the worst, being honest and authentic with your employees, and a lot more.

As a CMO, my role is to create a brand, a culture, a marketing plan that really inspires employees, customers, partners, prospects to want to engaged with us and be proud to be associated with Compeat. @kturneroa Share on X

Kristi Turner’s Full BIO

Kristi oversees product marketing strategy, competitive positioning, brand awareness, digital presence, customer retention, lead generation, inside sales, and internal and external communications.

With over 27 years of domestic and international strategic business and marketing experience, Kristi has a successful track record for building scalable SaaS revenue growth, empowering employee cultures and customer centric marketing strategies.

Prior to joining Compeat, Kristi served as CEO of Kaizen Consulting, a SaaS marketing consultant firm and previously served as SVP of Marketing for HotSchedules, formerly Red Book Connect. Before HotSchedules, Kristi served as a consultant to wireless global providers and as SVP of Marketing for InComm, a global technology innovator and provider of prepaid and payment solutions.

Kristi holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from University of South Florida. She resides in Atlanta with her husband and two children. Kristi enjoys athletic challenges, outdoor adventures, yoga and meditation, and dedicates much of her time to studying conscious capitalism success and mentoring young men and women in professional and personal growth.

“I Absolutely Love Seeing Growth”

Kristi shares that her desire to lead comes from her desire to see growth. She loves seeing employees grow, personally and professionally. She loves seeing customers, the bottom line, grow because of the product they use from their company.

I literally get giddy when I can see or say that I had a small hand in any of these types of growth, as a leader of a company, or as a manager, or as a parent. It truly is the most thrilling high you can experience, just watching individuals, and companies, or teams, or organizations, grow and succeed.

And I think that’s what keeps the drive in me as a leader.

Make a Difference in the Lives of Your Employees

I can tell you what I strive to be as a leader. There’s a complex blend that I’ve learned from others where I strive to lead with integrity, authenticity, and being transparent.

Humility is a big one. We all make mistakes; we’re all imperfect. It’s showing your team that “Hey, we made a mistake. Now we’re going to correct it.”

Admitting failures, and learning from failures, but doing that with confidence. It’s not so much apologizing; it’s more like, this is our world, none of us are perfect and giving them permission to push and grow and make mistakes and have successes.

I try to be the truth barometer in our organization, or a change agent, or value-driven or servant-driven leadership – there’s so many ways to describe what I strive for – but the ultimate high is more about making a difference in the lives of our employees, or customers, while simultaneously driving a healthy bottom line.

I have a very passionate belief that happy employees = happy customers = happy bottom line. #leadershipwithheart #customerfanatix Share on X

Kristi also believes that employee and customer happiness is driven by personal relationships, trust, and feeling valued. It’s never just about the product, or about the price, or about the salary you’re paying an employee; it’s the way you treat your employees, or the way you treat your customers that really drives the bottom line success, more than anything.

Nine times out of ten it all comes down to, Do I trust this company? Do I trust these people? Do I trust the leadership? Do I want to be part of this community? Share on X

Kristi’s Authentic Leadership Style

“I give my team constructive criticism and feedback; I create sense of urgencies in situations. I have very high expectations of them, but I do it in a more collaborative way.

My goal really is always to create the relationships with my team members, or even other cross-functional teams, so that they would want to go beyond the call of duty, or they’d want to work hard for me or work hard for the company, because their heart’s in it.”

I don’t think we, as leaders, need to put a smile on our face…I don’t think we need to fake that everything’s perfect. I think that can be a real mistake. @kturneroa on #leadershipwithheart Share on X Learn from others, the best and the worst, and come up with your unique combination @kturneroa on #leadershipwithheart Share on X

Mentions

Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn and Twitter

Visit their website at Compeat

kristi.turner@compeat.com

Subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes!

Becoming Unshakeable Podcast

With Heather R. Younger

Becoming Unshakable is the podcast for leaders, creators, and changemakers who know TRUE LEADERSHIP starts from within.

Each episode explores what it takes to lead with resilience, compassion, and purpose while staying human through it all.

Through candid conversations with executives, frontline leaders, coaches, and everyday heroes, Heather uncovers the real stories behind growth, compassion, setbacks, and transformation.

From navigating change to creating emotionally safe cultures, Becoming Unshakable reveals what it really takes to create leaders—and organizations—that can’t be shaken.

Hi, I'm Heather

I've been through every type of
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
you can think of.

Layoffs, reorgs, mergers, acquisitions and major technology shifts. More than 20 years leading teams through high-stakes situations where results mattered, people depended on me, and decisions couldn't wait.

Those years taught me how to lead. But they also showed me the hidden cost of always being the one who holds it all together.

During our second reorg in less than a year, I walked out of a meeting with no say in what was happening, just marching orders. When my team asked how the meeting went, I should have said, “Give me 15 minutes to process this.” But I didn't. Instead, I let them absorb every ounce of my frustration.

Then I saw their faces.

The people who looked to me for stability had just watched me unravel. What was that teaching them about their ability to handle the pressure?

That moment changed how I saw my role as a leader. Leading teams isn't only about grit or resilience. It's about how your presence builds the trust your team needs to function when things get hard.

Today, I help organizations build unshakable leaders, teams, and cultures. Because when leaders become the calm teams can count on, organizations don't just survive change, they come out strong enough to handle what’s next.

Heather Sitting
Heather_Younger_The_Cycle_of_Active_Listening_Guide

The Cycle of Active Listening

Create a listening culture that elevates the workplace experience for everyone.

Through this guide, uncover how to ensure those in your care at work feel heard and valued, resulting in increased loyalty and satisfaction.

  • Understand why listening is the key to improved engagement
  • Learn how the Cycle of Active Listening contributes to strong workplace relationships
  • Get a practical framework for creating a listening culture that is bidirectional, responsive, and supportive

Contact Heather Today!
+1 403-398-8488

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Contact Heather Today!
+1 403-398-8488

Contact
Contact

I'm really interested in...

(select all that apply)*

I can be reached at...

Additional Comments