Episode 37: Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Vision With Tarran Deane

On this episode, Bella discusses leadership with Tarran Deane, author of the new book,  “The Alphabet Principle: Your A – Z Guide to Being a Compelling Leader”. Tarran Deane Tarran Deane is Australia's Corporate Cinderella a Leadership Development Company. Tarran works with executives, entrepreneurs, experts and emerging leaders to increase their personal effectiveness, capability, communication and commercial savviness. Bringing a maverick edge, and entrepreneurial trends to established businesses and organizations, Tarran boldly challenges, honors and equips people to shift the performance of their organization's people, practice, and profit.  Tarran intentionally cuts through the whispered frustrations of workplaces today, equipping you to lead strategically and tactically in the fast pace of real life @ work, so you and your team can get the job done and love the company you’re in. A sought-after international keynote speaker, Tarran’s warmth, humor and 43,000 hours in leadership have helped more than 26,000 audience members to hit the shift key and lead like they mean it with boldness and humility. Bella and Tarran discuss: How as a woman to be taken seriously in the corporate world Dealing with problem generators in the workplace Why vision and strategic planning matter. Her "Signature 7 Leadership Framework" for planning out your work week. (Infographic can be gotten at https://www.tarrandeane.com/signature7leadershipinfographic/)     You can find out more about Tarran on her website at http://tarrandeane.com. Connect with her on facebook Get her book here Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 37 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I’m Bella Vasta with Jump Consulting, and today I have a treat for you. I can’t even say it—Taryn Dean is with us, and Taryn is the self-proclaimed corporate Cinderella, which I just love that title. She boldly challenges and equips people to shift their performance, organization, practices, and profits. She’s just about to launch her new book, The Alphabet Principle: Your A to Z Guide of Being a Compelling Leader. Taryn’s whole wheelhouse is about leadership, and I had to have her on because my listeners are all pet business owners, and we are all leaders—of our lives, our businesses, and our employees. Bella: Without further ado, welcome to the show.Taryn: Thanks so much for having me, Bella. I’m so excited that we’ve been able to make this happen. I love technology, which we’ll totally talk about a little bit later. To kind of let everyone know how some blonde from Arizona met some blonde from all the way in Australia—it’s currently summer there and winter here. Literally on the opposite sides of the world. You all know I love networking, and when I had an opportunity to get together with some people, I got an invitation like, “Hey, two ladies from Australia are traveling here.” I checked out their website, they looked pretty cool, and I was going to get about twelve people together for happy hour. I said sure, why not? Then I found out that these ladies needed a ride from their hotel, so I volunteered to take them because I thought it would be cool to learn about them one-on-one. Lo and behold, Taryn and I became friends. That’s the short story. I was so enamored with your charisma, brain, and heart for Christ too, which really drew me to you. Bella: I remember when I dropped you off at your hotel that night, we prayed in my car, and that just made me weep because I thought, wow, this woman is the real deal. You made a huge impact on my life in such a short time. So I’m so glad to bring you to my listeners today. Tell us about who you are and how this whole leadership theme came about.Taryn: Firstly, can I also say you made an impression on me too. Your generosity of spirit was amazing. When we seek to serve one another, great things happen. That’s certainly been what I’ve experienced through our friendship. In terms of my work, if we look back across our lives, we see stepping stones leading to the choices we make. I began in retail banking—frontline customer service—then moved into training and education, and later into tourism and hire cars, working in airports. I learned about different industries and customer service, but all of that centered around personal leadership, assessing customer needs, and linking them to strategic direction. I recall an influential managing director of a national bank who visited us often and knew every staff member by name—this was before smartphones or digital systems. He’d ask each of us what our company values were and how we demonstrated them. That stuck with me. Later, as I took on senior leadership roles and moved into the nonprofit sector, I worked for a company transitioning from a volunteer organization supporting people with disabilities into a partially state-funded service. I planned to stay one year but stayed six, with 88% staff retention—people only leaving due to pregnancy, relocation, or retirement. Eventually, I became a senior executive at a national level, but I saw a disconnect between leadership values and rapid organizational change. I wasn’t perfect—I’m still a work in progress—but those experiences shaped me. One rainy Saturday afternoon, I was watching Ever After with Drew Barrymore and having doubts about running my small business. I was six months in, wondering if I should just get a “normal job.” Then I felt God get a little impatient with me—like, “You’re either hot or cold. I’ve given you gifts; what will you do with them?” As I watched Drew Barrymore’s Cinderella, I saw courage, innovation, diligence, negotiation, energy, and relationships—and realized those spelled “Cinderella.” The New Cinderella Laws of Leadership were born, representing strong, feminine leadership. Ten months later, my small business became a company, and I spoke at a 1,600-person lunch on what it takes to be an iron lady in business. Bella: I love that you listened to the Spirit and niched your focus. You’ve redefined what it means to be a strong woman in leadership.Taryn: Exactly. I wanted to shake up the perception of “Cinderella.” I needed people to take me seriously—especially male executives. So, pairing it with “corporate” gave it weight. Later, I discovered the movie Cinderella Man about boxer James Braddock, and I realized it paralleled the idea of transformational leadership—rags to riches, good to great. That’s what I teach: leading people to achieve transformational results. Bella: Tell me about dealing with “problem generators” in the workplace.Taryn: Ah, the “sandpaper ministry,” as I call it. Many organizations have policies and procedures but struggle to manage behaviors. I had a direct report who’d applied for the job I got but wasn’t even interviewed. When I arrived, he was resistant, disengaged, and undermining. It was tough. I learned the importance of clarifying values and expectations. That experience inspired my “Resolve PG-28” program—how to deal with problem generators in 28 days. It’s about addressing issues head-on, offering support, and having honest conversations before things escalate. Bella: That’s so relevant. Especially for small businesses—it’s personal, and conflict is scary.Taryn: Exactly. And it’s about balancing care with boundaries. Commercial break – ProPet Hero CPR ad Bella: We’re back with the wonderful Taryn Dean. Let’s talk about why vision and strategic planning matter, whether you’re corporate or a solopreneur.Taryn: Great question. When we’re young, we dream big. As adults, responsibility creeps in and we lose that vision. We start businesses but often without connecting our vision to our “why.” Without purpose, it’s not sustainable. Vision should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Write it down—make it plain. Think of it like a tree: the values flow through every branch of your business. I use both structured and flexible planning—a 3–5-year strategic plan, broken into 90-day operating goals. Every 90 days, I set 12 goals to move me closer to my big vision. It keeps me focused, aligned, and accountable, even during tough conversations with partners or team members. Bella: That’s powerful. And I love how it applies to life too—when we feel scattered or lost, having that structure gives direction.Taryn: Exactly. It’s a faith-based principle—“Write the vision, make it plain.” My Signature 7 Leadership system helps with that. Each day has a theme: Sunday: Personal Leadership – reflection, rest, values, and creativity. Monday: Technology & Tools – updating systems and productivity apps. Tuesday: Strategic Leadership – finances, taxes, and back-office planning. Wednesday: Cultural Leadership – attracting and engaging the right people. Thursday: Speaking Leadership – preparing talks, videos, and content. Friday: Online Leadership – managing digital presence and analytics. Saturday: Family Leadership – rest, connection, and recreation. These daily themes create rhythm and balance. They help me stay grounded and purposeful. Bella: I love that so much. It’s clear, practical, and rooted in your faith. You’re living proof that structure brings freedom. Taryn: Exactly. And for anyone listening, you can download the Signature 7 Infographic for free on my website, tarrandean.com. Bella: Perfect. Taryn, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and heart. You’ve inspired me again. Taryn: Thank you, Bella. It’s been wonderful. Bella: This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Please like and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher, and remember—always keep jumping. For more information, free articles, and coaching sessions,