Workplace culture is going down a messy path, with diversity and inclusion being downplayed or canceled. Visionary leader Tammy Tecklenburg is leading the movement to keep the conversation alive in ways people can relate to and value. She joins Darrin Tulley in this insightful conversation about helping organizations build high-performing and diverse teams through her company dott.®. Tammy shares the moments in her life that shaped her and how she lives with a purpose she first recognized at five years old when she learned about caring for others with her first doll, Dina. Tammy also underlines the power of connecting people, tapping into your emotional intelligence, being an ally, and making positive impacts wherever possible.
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Driven To Elevate Workplace Optimization With Tammy Tecklenburg
How To Integrate DEI At Work
Our guest is a visionary leader and a tireless advocate of DEI. Don’t let these letters or what you think the meaning of these are scare you away. Tammy Tecklenburg shows us what human interconnectedness and love can do to unlock one’s potential, including her own. I love her light-up moments, starting at age five with a gift she received from her dad.
Later in life, she welcomed her purpose and founded an award-winning consultancy practice called dott.®. Tammy guides organizations on how to drive team optimization and build resilient, innovative people-first cultures where talent thrives and business results follow, too. She’s creating a ripple effect for the greater good of humankind, communities, and workplaces all around the world. Tune in to know what this can mean for you. The future is in your control. Enjoy the show, and live your possible.
Tammy, welcome to the show. How are you doing?
I’m doing great. Thank you for having me.
Introducing Tammy Tecklenburg
I’m so excited. I am beaming with energy. I’m so curious about so many things. You’re an amazing person. You light up a room, every single one that you enter. I got to ask you as we get going here, what are you bringing into the conversation? What’s on the top of your mind?
It’s interesting because we had to reschedule this. March is always such a big month for me being an advocate for women in our industry. We were trying to schedule this earlier and be able to release it for International Women’s Day, and here we are. It’s late March. This happens to be a special day for me. A couple of years ago, I broke free or was released from my corporate role and ended up being led down a new path to be on my own in this consulting world that you’re living in. There was this sign that was on my office wall, and it said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I stood on the steps of this big corporation and had my husband take a photo because I knew I was heading off for a greater purpose.
That’s amazing. I can only imagine how you felt. Where did that take you from there?
It took a while to let the PTSD and the fog clear. It was when George Floyd was murdered and the social unrest of that summer that there was a calling within my industry. There was a call to action for me to step into the space and try to drive diversity and inclusion across the traditionally male-dominated industry.
Which industry is that?
We’re in the automotive aftermarket. It’s a $400-plus billion industry. Think of it as all the parts in service.
That’s awesome. You founded a company. What’s that called? Tell us a little bit about that.
My company is called dott.®, and it stands for Diversity Of Thought. That’s something that has resonated for me. I am celebrating 30 years in my industry. Being in boardrooms where there wasn’t a lot of diversity, I always called myself the elephant in the room. I would come up with ideas that were out of left field and my peers would say, “How did you get there?” We start having a conversation around it. It’s a diversity of thought when you’re bringing different people and different backgrounds. It could be cultural backgrounds. It could be regional backgrounds. It certainly could be gender, race, and all those good things. It’s bringing a difference together. In your book, you said be different to be the difference. I love that.
Were you one of many females in this industry over the years? How was that?
There were 2% women when I started many years ago. I was part of a movement, an organization I helped be a catalyst for and a spark for called Women in Auto Care to connect, empower, and mentor women in the industry around professional development and elevating their voices. We’ve been able to take it to about 27% of women in the aftermarket. The workforce is roughly 50% women in the US, so we certainly have a long way to go, but there is much more representation and value. These women are driving incredible innovation across the industry. It’s great to see.
I know you’re a big part of that change. What are some of the things that have happened over the years to help get to that larger percentage and get more engagement and more acceptance of women in the auto aftermarket?
I always say that when we focus on inclusion, diversity is an output of that. Representation matters for women coming out of school and seeing that these are viable career opportunities. Marketing to more women, changing the way that we recruit and retain talent, focusing on mentoring, focusing on allyship, doing all those things that should come fairly naturally, being more aware, and having conversations about it to make these spaces that we live in more accessible and welcoming.
That’s great. You’re shining a light on these different avenues that would welcome all kinds of diversity. I’d love to know a little bit more about dott.®. You said Diversity Of Thought. I’ve always said, “What’s up with the second T? There are two Ts there.”
The Department of Transportation is a big thing in our industry. I headed out to trademark DOT, Diversity Of Thought, and it got super complicated. We came up with this concept of adding another T. It plays nicely because thought starts with T and ends with T. I’m Tammy Tecklenburg. My husband is Tom Tecklenburg. There are lots of Ts in my life. It certainly could stand for Transformation as well.
That’s great. I’ve always wondered that. I did think about thought and the two Ts, and then your initials. That’s pretty funny.
At the core of who I am, I have such a passion for connecting people, and even in business, connecting processes, connecting systems and all that kind of stuff, and building businesses and putting them together. Connecting people is my happy spark. It fuels me. Connecting dots is something that all came together nicely, and it’s resonating.
I know that DEI has been canceled. Certainly, the work behind it has not. We’re staying true to that work. Think about optimization, inclusive excellence, and all of the examples that I gave earlier. Like most industries, there’s a huge talent gap. We need to attract and retain the best talent and invest in the future. When you look at the metrics of the United States over time, we are a very diverse country. We are getting more diverse by the year.
There is a huge talent gap in most industries. We need to attract and retain the best talent and invest in the future. Share on XIt’s quite interesting as you talk about that distinction with DEI in this day and age. We’re recording this in April 2025, and it seems like DEI is upside down. I see that as an opportunity. You’ve been thinking about that in certain ways. I’d love to learn a little bit more. I like what you said about workforce optimization. What are the extremes of that going in the opposite direction? Talk about that.
I made a couple of notes on this because I saw this and I loved it so much. If Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about belonging, opportunity, and representation, what happens when we move in the opposite direction? It looks like sameness over difference, favoritism over fairness, and exclusion over empathy. It’s a culture where voices are silenced, potential is stifled, and innovation is stalled.
When you think about it in that way and you’re truly doing the work that brings the entire organization and brings all people forward, that’s where you are winning. For so long, companies have been doing it wrong. The mission of dott.® has been, since the beginning, to help course correct and make sure that they’re creating scalable, sustainable, and systemic programming that will win for everyone. It develops all of us. That’s the message. It doesn’t matter what we call it. I’m riding this wave, and I’m watching companies in my industry keep their heads down and continue to do the right thing for their people.
We were talking about this and how important it is. We don’t get caught up in the words and how we’re using them as weapons as a way to impact each other and get people to react to get into these fights. I love your approach. You’re saying this is a slight shift. We have an end game here. We need to keep that in mind.
It’s about humans. It’s about the people that we live with and work with. It’s about the communities that we share. We can’t give up on that because that would be such a shame. Some of the things you shared there, like sameness and difference, to me, that’s a paradox. Where’s that ability to have an and or understand the power of and in that example instead of going, “We’re going to go with what we know and be comfortable with sameness rather than expand and be thoughtful about what is different and what could be more expansive or more beautiful while connecting sameness and difference together.” What do you think about that?
This was last May 204, so we’re a little bit ahead of the curve. We are trying to normalize these words that are very political and polarizing, and trying to show people the way in a natural way. We launched a campaign called the #aftermarketALLY. It’s an educational campaign about allyship. Every week, there’s an educational post, and it’s something minor. Many people in the industry are saying to me, “That’s what inclusion looks like? That’s what allyship is? That’s how we get more innovation or drive profitability through diverse voices?”
It’s been this little ripple that’s been going along. We honor and recognize a senior leader across the industry. A lot of C-Suite leaders to date have been honored with an #aftermarketALLY designation once a month. There’s a vetting process that we go through. We receive nominations. There’s been this fear of missing out. You’ll have another CEO say, “I noticed that so-and-so got this recognition. Am I next?” I have to say, “No, because you’re not inclusive,” or, “You’re not living the values.
You’ve got the power to do these things in your organization. They’re big things and small things, and everything in between. Let’s get started on what that could look like, but no. You’re not on our radar at all,” in a kind and respectful way that those conversations go. It’s been eye-opening for leaders who think they’re beating the drum. They’re like, “I’m inclusive,” but frankly, they’re not.
I love how you said living our values and living inclusively. That’s the being part, taking actions, and doing the work. I thought I was a good inclusive leader, and I wasn’t, not to the extent where we’re talking about seeing what’s possible in everybody. I was on a leadership call. We had the opportunity to ask each other, and I’m going to ask you this question in a second, too. It was, “What animates us? What truly lights us up? What is one of those things that maybe ties to a belief?”
Finding Joy In Mentoring Others
One of the things that I recognize that I wasn’t doing is seeing the light in every single person that I would be. That took away all the other noise, the things that maybe I was told to hang with or believe in. I see everybody has that light. I reach in for that. I look for that. I seek it. I ask people to look introspectively with me in such a beautiful way. It’s not getting caught up in words. It’s about looking at what we’re all here for, what we’re meant to be, what we’re meant to do, and how we could be together. It’s so powerful. I’d love to know what animates you.
Your book is spectacular. I feel so blessed to have met you and been connected through Brent. It’s been such an honor to get to know you and learn your story through your book. Reading it, I’m like, “I need to buy this for every leader.”
You’re so kind. Thank you.
It’s so eye-opening because it’s exactly that story that I told. You rolled into a DEI course in your organization. You thought you were living the values, and you had this huge epiphany. Seeing that happen with other people lights me up. At the core, I’m a connector. In business, I’m always connecting and elevating. If I did something all day, every day, it could be mentoring people.
I had to do the math a few years ago. I’ve mentored over 1,000 people through my own organizations, through the volunteer work I’ve done, through Women in Auto Care, or through the greater industry. It brings me so much joy pouring into others and watching them truly fly and thrive. The greatest joy is when they go out and mentor other people. They lift them up. Being a successful leader makes me proud. Watching their careers flourish makes me proud. At the end of the day, that’s what I want to be known for, that I’ve helped lots of people, like you, unlock their potential.
That’s beautiful. I love it.
I’m blessed with a lot of skills and a lot of experience being at Fortune 100 and 500 companies. I had a very different path than many. How do I use those learnings to make it easier for somebody else? Every time I talk about it, I get excited about it. In my personal life, it could be dinner parties. It’s curating amazing people. I love to entertain. I love to bring people together, have those diverse perspectives, and celebrate life.
I’m moved by your words. You answered the question. I asked about animation, and here you are, you’re getting animated. I appreciate you being so authentic and genuine. I appreciate you being you. That’s what this is about. You are living out your life as you, not what someone told you to do or what some policy or some societal elements are telling you how to be. You stepped into what you wanted to bring. You weren’t sure, then you’re like, “This is what I got to do.”
I looked across my career. With the questions you’re asking, I looked at everything. I had been on teams that had purchased companies through private equity. I helped build them and sell them. Lots of multiples and all the things. Even after all that success, at the end of the day, I felt the most proud about the people that I had supported and elevated and the leaders that they had become.
At the intersection of George Floyd, my phone started ringing. Leaders were saying, “We need you to be on the forefront of this. We don’t know where to turn.” I was like, “Why are you calling me?” They were like, “You’re the queen of diversity.” I’ve been on this road for women, certainly, for a long time, for most of my career, but I hadn’t thought of myself more expansively. I hadn’t thought about that diversity piece in a more expansive way. I was pushed. I always say that my story, whether it was God, the universe, or whatever it is you believe in, there were hands on my back pushing me down this path. I was being led, and here I am.
It is hard owning your own business, coming from a big corporate culture. I had some IT issues. There used to be a whole IT team that could help me. There are all these hiccups and opportunities when you have your own business. This work is so hard. You’re trying to steer a massive ship, and sometimes, that ship doesn’t want to move. It’s difficult.
I said out loud one day, “Is this what I should be doing? God or universe, help. Am I heading down the right path?” Within 2 or 3 weeks, my phone started ringing and I won five awards between dott.® and myself. I was like, “I got the message.” You and I always talk about how the signs are everywhere. You have to look for them and you have to ask. I asked and I certainly got another two this 2025, which has helped to keep that going. Making sure that showing up and doing the hard work helps fuel that passion.
It’s good to get that pat in the back or the push. I always love saying these are whispers, like, “This is what we need you to do.” You’re doing God’s work. You’re opening up avenues indoors. Sometimes, you’ve had to endure the pain for the future to get here. Before I ask you the next question related to that, I want to say thank you for everything you’re doing. I know you had that Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 in Women in Auto Care. You’re recognized with so many awards. Thank you for standing up for what you believe in and for standing up for humanity. Let’s call it what it is. The work you’re doing is incredible.
Thank you for saying thank you. It means so much, especially because I know you’re on this journey with me. The work is so important. For me, all of this recognition certainly helps fuel my personal fire and feels like the sign to keep going. Representation is so important. I never had a female mentor, so for me to be able to stand on a stage, knowing that there are women in that audience who have never seen someone like me or someone achieve something like this, and have that inspiration. I do all these scary things because it’s not for me. It’s for somebody else who’s going to see it and hear something that unlocks their potential.
Tapping Into Your Emotional Intelligence
I love that. You’ve lived some of these experiences, good or bad. You’ve been in boardrooms. You’ve been talked to in certain ways. You could speak to this based on your experience. You’re not saying, “I read this in the book. I’m doing this.” You’re like, “This is lived. I’m opening up doors for others to open up their stories and to be vulnerable, too.” I don’t know if there’s anything there you’re willing to share that resonates with you.
What has resonated with my business so deeply with people is that I’ve walked the talk. I’m not Pricewaterhouse, Deloitte, or some consulting company that’s coming into your organization, saying, “This is how you need to fix everything.” I’m a woman who spent 30 years in this industry, and I know exactly what it feels like to be well-received. I’ve been in amazing inclusive environments. I’ve had incredible male mentors and bosses. I’ve had way more good than bad. Our industry is filled with good-hearted, well-intentioned people.
I’ve seen horror stories. I’ve been assaulted. I left my corner office one night with a black eye. I’ve been sexually harassed. I’ve been chased around a boardroom. I could write a book about the bad experiences that I’ve had. Luckily, that was not the majority of my experience. It could be small things, like being talked over in meetings, not being able to share your ideas, not being in safe spaces, and the things that you have to worry about. If you can remove all of those guardrails, you’re allowing people to show up and give you their best. My own personal journey, the good, the bad, and the ugly, has sparked this as well because I’ve been through that fire. I don’t want anyone else to have to endure the things that I have.
You’re bringing a voice to it. You’re vulnerable to it. I have a sense your EQ is pretty strong. You’re pretty aware to be able to make the connections you’re making and to put yourself out there. How could you encourage us to tap into our emotional intelligence with where we are? We all have different variations and levels. How would you encourage us to tap into that, to slow down to maybe start to look at some of these things? From my past, I never saw it until I slowed down to take a look.
Emotional intelligence is one of my favorite topics. Many years ago, I was working for Honeywell, a Fortune 100. They owned some automotive brands that I had been part of since the beginning of my career. It is an incredible organization. They invested a lot in me. I feel like I got so much of my leadership background from there.
Out of 130,000 employees, they would take 1% of people to push them through a program once a year. That was where I unlocked my superpower. I always felt like I was different. I always felt like I was the elephant in the room and I assumed it was because I was a woman, and I was different because I was a woman. What I found through this development program was that it was so much deeper than that.
I was in there with the best and brightest in this incredible company and people from all over the world. We did an EQ test. The next morning, the teacher called me up. I thought she had recognized that I didn’t go to an Ivy League school and that I didn’t belong there like the rest of the people. Instead, she said, “This is what the future of leadership looks like. Tammy rated 98% on this test, and most of you are in the 30% and 40% range. You are the brightest. You are the smartest people in Honeywell.” I was always outgaming everyone and outsmarting smart people. I knew there was something different in the way that I led.
I saw that in my father and his leadership journey. He worked for General Dynamics down in Groton. At his funeral, his CEO or his boss got up and talked about that. If you looked in the dictionary, my dad was the poster child for emotional intelligence. It’s incredible that it’s hereditary. It’s something that I teach at a university. In our industry, we have a university aftermarket. I teach students and go through a short quiz to be able to identify where they fall short and where they’re excelling, and how to be more aware of that when they’re connecting with other people.
The social awareness thing is a blessing and a curse because when you fine-tune it, you can read people’s minds. For me, being the only woman in the room with heightened awareness, I sat on boards where I knew they didn’t want me in there. I know they don’t want my opinion. I know they’re not valuing me. It was so awful because you can read their minds. You have the spidey senses.
To answer your question, I gave a little bit more color, but finding your superpower is such an incredible gift. It’s looking within and understanding who you are, what makes you tick, and how to spread that love for other people. I’ve been out at different conferences or teaching about emotional intelligence. What I found later in life, which is so wild, is that the underpinning of DEI is this whole empathy piece. Inclusive leadership and emotional intelligence are so critical in this work.
Finding your superpower is such an incredible gift. Look within, understand who you are, and learn how to spread the love for other people. Share on XI love everything you shared there. Thanks for the additional color. What I find so interesting is that empathy is one of those words people get nervous about. It’s squishy. It’s soft, and it’s not. It’s about connection. There are some interesting stats out there. O.C. Tanner does a lot of work with recognition and helping organizations value their people in a different manner. One of the stats that they came out in their studies is that 41% of employees who took the survey feel that the empathy of their leadership and their organization is empty.
There’s another study. 80% or 90% of people will stay or leave a company based on that same level of empathy. I’ll do the math. It’s 1/3 of those people that are at risk in your organization if we’re not being serious about how we sit, listen, and create this space where we could allow the emotions to come in, be emotionally intelligent and aware, and figure out what’s present and what’s possible. That’s what we’re talking about.
It’s picking up on those little cues and understanding. Someone might be having a bad day. How do you lift them up? Someone you know might have something going on at home that they’re not comfortable telling the broader group. People tell me everything because they feel that I’m open to it. I generally don’t ask a lot of questions, but I create a safe space. They know that they can trust me if they want to talk. My two bosses that I was with for 90% of my career had high EQ as well. Between my dad and my two bosses, seeing how they operated in the world and how people would follow them anywhere, I learned so much from that. It helped me fine-tune and hone my own skills. It’s such a gift.
How Tammy’s Father Influenced Her
It’s such a gift that you’re also giving out. One of the greatest gifts is listening and being there for other people. You learned that from your dad. How special is that? That’s pretty cool. Are there any other elements when you think about your childhood or your journey that have been impactful for how you got here or where you are?
We talked about the signs and being open to that. I hope this lands well. When I was five years old, my dad used to travel a lot for business. I grew up on the shoreline in Connecticut, to set the stage. He worked for General Dynamics. He was down in Georgia on business. I was five, so my sister was getting ready to be born. My mom was pregnant, and I was going to be a big sister. It was the time in a little girl’s life when you would get your first baby doll.
My dad came home from Atlanta with a Black baby doll, and her name is Dina. Looking back, I think he was bringing diversity into my world. Since I grew up on the shoreline of Connecticut, there was zero diversity. There was one Black family in my community. Everything is incredibly White there. I’ve learned about empathy. I learned about inclusion at such a young age. Unfortunately, I learned about racism because that little doll was such a trigger. People couldn’t understand why I was trotting around with this little doll. To me, it was my doll. I loved her. It made me feisty. I was always fighting for my little doll.
A million years later, I head out to start going down the path and launching my own brand and all of this. My mother called and she said, “I was going through your old toy box and I found Dina. She sits in my office with me.” She’s so cute. It’s such a reminder of how far she has come and how far I have come on this journey. My dad, because of his EQ, was more aware of what my life may have lacked back then.
I used to travel a ton once we got older, and I was exposed to so much. When I got into the workforce, I was leading teams globally, traveling globally, and all that kind of stuff. My life became very colorful over time, but not so much when I was little. I wanted to share that with you because it’s so amazing that she came out of nowhere. I didn’t even know that we still had her. My mom found her right when I was launching dott.®.
That is incredible. It’s one of those things that was out of sight, out of mind. All of a sudden, it’s like, “Wait a minute.” That’s amazing. Did you ever have a chance to talk with your dad about that?
He passed away many years ago.
I’m sorry about that.
Thank you. He retired early and was incredibly successful. He bought a boat and started enjoying his life after working 80 hours a week for forever. He got cancer and died quickly. On his deathbed, I was there with my laptop working. This is something that I always think about. These were my last moments with my dad. I was working because we had bought a company. I was leading the integration, bringing it in, and connecting it all. It was a busy time. He looked at me and said, “A man on his deathbed never wished that he worked more hours.” That always sticks with me. Since then, I have had a much more balanced life being in the consulting realm.
That’s such a good point. Nobody thinks about, “I wish I worked more.” Most people will say, “I wish I had a bigger impact.” It sounds like your dad had a good impact and a good way about him, especially your five-year-old self, which is showing up. You’re taking care of the world. That’s a symbol of what was to come. You needed to go through some of your experiences to get where you are, unfortunately.
To close on that one, at my dad’s funeral, thousands of people showed up. Coming through the line where we had to shake everyone’s hands at the end, they were like, “Your dad changed my life,” or, “Your dad did this for me.” The stories were endless. It was incredible. My husband looked at me and said, “Someday, that’s going to be you,” the impact that I’m trying to make in connecting all those dots and seeing that firsthand. You always think about, “In the last 2 weeks, I’ve lost 4 friends.” We’re way too young, but we’re all here for a short period of time. What is our purpose? What are we going to do with it? How are we going to make the best of it? How are we going to live the fullest life?
Learning From Others And Giving Back
You’re doing that in so many ways. You mentioned mentorship and allyship. I’d love to go back there if there’s more you’d want to share about those. I’d also love to know what you are learning from those. I know you love giving back, and that’s lighting you up. How are you learning from those as well?
For me, I always find it interesting when leaders say, “I don’t have time to mentor,” or, “I’m not interested,” or, “It’s not for me,” because I get so filled up from the experience. I’m giving a ton to elevate, educate, and all of that good stuff. You get so much joy, or at least I get so much joy out of doing it. That’s the key.
When you’re doing it right and you’re doing it for the right reasons, it’s the full circle. You’re lifting them up and they’re pouring into you. Also, when you’re mentoring cross-generationally, you learn so much from them. You have to be open about thinking more openly about the relationship and that it’s a two-way experience. It’s not just that you are the teacher and you’re going to show them the way. Often, they’re showing me the way.
I appreciate you sharing that so much. I hope that one piece of this talk, you share with your community because this one is one of them. I’ll share all of it. Mentorship feels like it’s a one-way street. It’s not. It’s what you’re sharing. It’s completely two-way. I feel like the connotation of the word mentor is like, “I’m the one who has all the answers. I’m the one who’s entitled.” That’s not what this is about. It’s an honor and a privilege to use it in a way that’s going to truly benefit everybody in a situation, which leads me to allyship. What is your take on that?
With mentors, there’s a lot of sameness there. It’s people who are connecting within the same community. Oftentimes, White men are mentoring younger White men. It’s the same with women. For me, the way that we’re looking at allyship is branching out and supporting other people in other communities.
In our industry, we are seeing these White male leaders step up and help people of color, women, and LGBTQ+. Those communities have been impacted by allies and having voices in the room. We’re all in these boardrooms or whatever. Being an advocate for people is something that I’ve always been passionate about.
One of my idols is Diane von Furstenberg. She’s a fashion designer who was made famous in the ‘70s with the wrap dress. She might not be on your radar. She lives down the road from us here in Connecticut. She’s an incredible force and does so much for women around the world. I went to an International Women’s Day event several years ago at her shop down in New York. She starts her day by doing three things for people that they might not know about. Every day, it’s either sending a thank you note or connecting with people on LinkedIn.
You’re so good at this. You do this naturally. You might not be counting how many times you’re doing it a day. It’s been a practice that I’ve been doing for a long time, probably fifteen years. It’s so great because it’s a way of being an ally for people. You’re not taking credit for it. You’re secretly sending their resume off to try to help get them a new job. Sometimes, they are aware because it’s something that they reach out for help with. That’s been a cool way for me to help be an ally. Through this campaign, I am able to teach people what allyship looks like. Every week, there’s a new story to highlight something that would be relevant to a leader or someone living in an organization who is not feeling very included.
It is putting yourself out there again and helping people understand that they matter and they’re seen. One of my favorite things about that is that people aren’t asking you to do that. You’re doing it.
This is a volunteer-type thing within our company. It’s not something that I’m getting paid to do. It’s something that I feel passionate about doing. It’s certainly the right thing. We’re looking for sponsor companies. We launched a sponsor program. We’re anxiously excited about bringing some in. It’s been eye-opening for a lot of people, and it feels worth the effort.
Do you know what this is bringing to mind for me? I was talking with a chief nursing officer down in Florida, someone who helped their CEO change the way they look at their business as a hospital. They’re trying to make patients safe and all these things. They’ve been going about this whole process. They changed the way they believe their focus should be away from the patient. They moved it to the employee, the people.
They’re on this journey because they’re trying to create joy through inclusion. They’re listening to other people’s perspectives. They’re bringing in different voices, like, “How do you solve this? How do we make this better? How do we reduce fall rates? How do we reduce turnover?” They’ve done all this, and the outcomes are unbelievable. For leaders who say all this stuff doesn’t matter, I’ll introduce you to the CNO.
Where I’m going with this is that he was talking to me about a book called The Florence Prescriptions. He talks about the left brain and the right brain. He talked about that in the book and how the left brain is denoted as the one that counts, and then the right brain is the one that matters. I find it fascinating. We’re talking a lot of right-brain stuff. However, the left brain does count, but the right brain matters.
When we’re sitting in these conversations like ours or a mentorship, or an allyship, putting a little bit more focus or having a better understanding of what your right brain is thinking and what matters will allow us to enter into a different level of conversation. The left side is a lot about counting numbers and counting results.
Maybe it’s speeding egos. It’s doing all these things, like, “I want to make sure I keep my job and my title. I want to make sure I’m self-preserving.” The right brain is more about everything you’re doing. You represent that whole side as we’ve talked about EQ and stuff like that. I thought that was an interesting way to portray that and a simple way for us to also think about as we enter into different conversations.
That’s super powerful. I need to read this. My mom had knee surgery in 2024 at a hospital in Connecticut that is living those values. From the minute we pulled up, the experience was concierge. They get trained by the Ritz-Carlton. Their employees are so happy. We felt like we were in a twilight zone. We were like, “What is going on? Why are these people so happy?”
I hope you never get sick, but you need to visit there. Even down to getting a coffee at the cafeteria, everything was delightful. They brought her flowers after her surgery. It was truly incredible. Similar to what you’re saying, they shifted their focus to their employees. When you’re focusing on your employees and your people, then your customers are going to be happy. They’re going to delight your customers.
When you focus on your employees, they will delight your customers. Share on XEvery company that I go into and say, “Let’s look at your mission, vision, and values,” the number one is the customer. I always argue that. I’m like, “I’m looking at your top five goals. Where are your people?” They’re like, “We do that.” I’m like, “Your customers are there but your people aren’t.” That’s such an eye-opening experience for leaders because they don’t see it.
Finding Genuine Joy Through Faith
Often, leaders will say, “People are our number one asset,” yet there’s nothing. Your point is reinforced. Nothing’s focused there. There’s no initiative there. I find it so fascinating. What you’re doing is bringing joy to me. I’m curious. Personally, what brings you joy? I’ve heard some things about how you interact in the world. Are there other things that bring you joy? How do you sustain joy every day?
It’s a mindset for me. Certainly, faith is a big component of my life. I have a grateful heart. This is something that I’ve come to appreciate. I wake up every day. I live on beautiful Lake Waramaug. I open my eyes and see the water. The birds are chirping. I’m out hiking a lot. I appreciate the beauty that surrounds me so much, and that fuels me so much.
I love connecting people, so being able to share the blessings that I have with other people. I find myself naturally entertaining a lot and curating amazing dinner parties. I’m having one soon. I wish you lived closer. Cooking and being able to make people feel special through the little things, the little details, and the little touches that you are thinking of is something that sparks me.
Is this a daily practice that you start your day with? You said mindset. I’m curious. How do you keep that?
For me, it’s my belief. It’s my belief in God and my faith. One day, I woke up and I was saying to my husband, “I’m so happy. Our lives are completely turned upside down right now. There are lots of things going on and lots of opportunities, but I’m genuinely so happy. I feel like I’m in a good place. I have so much joy.” I’m always looking for blessings or signs.
Someone said to me something that was wild. He was telling me that he was an atheist. He didn’t know what it was. He said, “Do you believe in God?” I said, “I do.” He said, “I can see it in your face and the way that you live your life. That’s inspiring.” I thought that was so interesting because he didn’t know me, and he was connecting those dots. I try to look at all that we have and all that we’re able to give to others and the community that I live in and I’m surrounded by. There are so many things that bring me joy.
I feel like something is critical here. You’re openly welcoming that. You’re slowing down enough to accept it. It’s not that you’re actively looking for it.
My heart is open to it.
I love that. Where I was going to go is it feels like you’re welcoming to receive love, the beauty, and what’s here. We’re learning, yet we’re welcome to receive what’s available.
That’s it. You did a beautiful job expressing it. I’m at a point in my life where I’m very aware of all of these things, and I take time to appreciate all of these things. Therefore, I feel so grateful. I was making my husband breakfast. There are probably 40 silver spoons in our drawer. I was thinking how lovely and how blessed I am that I get to cook him breakfast and serve something so beautiful.” I grabbed one of his great-grandmother’s spoons. I didn’t look. I grabbed it out. I felt like that’s maybe a sign. For most people, it’s a spoon, but to me, I was like, “How sweet. His great-grandmother’s probably so thrilled that I take such good care of him.” It was a tiny thing, but that happens all day long.
I usually have flowers in my office. I try to create beautiful spaces and things that I know bring me joy. There was a knock on the door, and a dozen white roses appeared. It’s a monthly delivery that my husband’s daughter and son-in-law send me. It’s beautiful and so generous. It makes me feel loved and special. It showed up as I was thinking, “I could use some flowers.” The universe and the energy flow, when you are open to it, you’re saying it in a positive way. You receive the gifts.
We’re open to it. I love what you’re sharing. I could tell you have a big heart and you love. That’s it. I wish the people who are tuning in and the people who haven’t tuned in to this show would read this episode. When we slow down to receive the love, the beauty, and what’s possible in the world, and stop dealing with all the crap that we’re up against, what could be here? There’s so much that we could do together rather than push against each other.
A friend of mine is a mindfulness coach. It is thinking about being more mindful of what we can control and what we can’t. Mel Robbins talked about focusing on what you can control and thinking about the rest, like the weather. The sun is going to shine when it wants to shine. The clouds are going to come. The rain’s going to pop in when you least expect it. You can’t control everything, but you can control yourself. I choose every day to control the way I look at the world.
A few years ago, I would’ve told you I had a DEI company. At the core of that, it’s emotional intelligence, inclusive excellence, and workforce optimization. The work remains the same. It’s window dressing on how you want to talk about it. Many people are struggling, and I’m trying to find ways to light them back up on, “We can’t do that. We can’t control that, but here’s what we can focus on.” It’s helping. Some of it is way too big for me to tackle 1 ally at a time, 1 person at a time, and 1 leader at a time, being able to open up the way people are looking at things.
That’s the ripple effect you’re having, 1 conversation and 1 person at a time. You’re doing it. You could be connecting with Julie, Jennifer Brown, and other leaders that are in a similar space, myself included. I’m a huge believer. I’m doing the work, too. I admire the work you’re doing. I’m learning from you. I’m learning from so many others.
One of the things that I find very true is that we can have more control over our future than we think. Many people feel like, “The future is hopeless,” or, “The future is out of my control.” What you’re saying, too, the practices that you have, the things that you’re putting out there, and the tentacles that are out there, you’re almost like leaving seeds. It’s almost like Finding Dory. You’re leaving the shells to find our home or find our place.
What I mean by that is if we put ourselves out there, it’s not a full manifestation. We can’t have a direction of where we want to go. We can’t have direction with the impact we want to have. We can have direction on the love we can give and not expect it. You will receive it, I promise you, the way we give out in the world with joy and other things. We have to be able to receive it, and we’re going to want to give more. It’s going to be this ripple effect that you’re doing. You’re a living example of this.
Leaders should understand the power of inclusion and emotional intelligence. These drive innovation and profitability. Share on XI’m certainly trying to connect those dots. Those seeds for me are dots. You’re such a good connector. You’re so generous with your introductions to all of these incredible authors, people, and leaders in this space. I’ve been inspired by you and your book. I’m hoping to bring you into my industry and be able to do the same and create introductions. I’m hoping to try to get you on some of these stages because I think that your personal story will resonate so deeply with so many of the leaders in my industry.
I appreciate that. I appreciate you. I know we’re fans of each other. I’ve been to the dott.® lunch-and-learn venues. You probably call them something different.
Roundtable.
Tammy’s Advice On Living Your Possible
It’s the dott.® roundtables. They’re so powerful, engaging, and interactive. Folks who are able to sign up, you should go sign up for those because they’re worth it. You grow so much, and then you expand so much in that one hour.
The other thing is we host a monthly roundtable called Connecting dott.s once a month. We open it up to a member community across all of the channels within our industry, the automotive aftermarket. It certainly can be modeled in other spaces. It’s educational and inspirational. It’s a community of people who are doing cultural work within their organizations that are tasked with attracting and retaining the best talent. It could be a CHRO, senior leader, communications, marketing, HR, or CEO. It is showing them what other companies are doing and being able to share those best practices. I am on a mission to elevate our industry by helping each other. This work is hard. Being inspired by what the other companies are doing and winning has been exciting.
Your tagline is Driven to Elevate. What you said there is perfect. We could probably talk all day. Here’s the reality. We’re going to talk again, and we’re going to do some great things together. I want you to know that I admire you. I love what you’re doing. I have much love for you. I’m here for you. Whatever we want to do so we can make that impact together, and whatever you need, let me know. I appreciate you. Thank you for being on the show. I wish you the best.
Thank you for being my ally. I’m so honored to know you. I have so much love for what you’re doing as well. I’m proud of you and I want to share you with the world.
Thank you so much.
Important Links
- dott.®
- dott.® on LinkedIn
- dott.® Launches “reimagine aftermarket allyship” Campaign to Foster Inclusive Industry Cultures
- Tammy Tecklenburg on LinkedIn
- Tammy Tecklenburg’s Post on LinkedIn
- #aftermarketALLY
- The Florence Prescriptions
- Diversity & Inclusion Training | White Men as Full Diversity Partners
- White Men: Time to Discover Your Cultural Blind Spots | Michael Welp | TEDxBend
- The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journey from a White Male Executive’s Perspective
- Full Partner Leadership
About Tammy Tecklenburg
Celebrating 30 years in the automotive industry, Tammy Tecklenburg is a visionary leader in the $400B aftermarket sector, known for building winning teams and championing inclusive excellence. Her career spans global Fortune 500 companies, where she consistently drove growth through people-centered transformation.
As a catalyst and President of the Women in Auto Care community, Tammy helped create space for women to connect, lead, and thrive in a field where representation has grown to 27% of the workforce. Her efforts continue to expand access and opportunity across the aftermarket.
She is the Founder & CEO of dott.® – diversity of thought – an award-winning consultancy that helps organizations drive team optimization and build resilient, innovative, people-first cultures where talent thrives, and business results follow.
Throughout her career, Tammy has demonstrated the power of connection and a lasting commitment to shaping a stronger, more inclusive future for all.
Honors and awards include:
2024 Northwood Aftermarket Management Education award
2023 Lifetime Achievement award – Women in Auto Care
2023 Individual DEI award – MEMA
2023 & 2024 Top 20 award (dott.)- Motor Information Systems
2023 Excellence in Education award (dott.)- Auto Care Association
2023 MARCOM award for best logo (dott.) – Women in Auto Care
2021 Women at the Wheel – Babcox Media
2018 All Star award – Ratchet & Wrench
At dott.®,we help organization build resilient, high-performing teams by fostering trust, engagement, and a shared sense of purpose. We believe that diversity of thought fuels innovation, strengthens communities, and profitability. Through consulting, training, and A.I.-powered insights, we deliver science-based behavior metrics, predictive inclusion analytics, and tailored solutions that create real, measurable impact.
