Dean Parker – Chairman of Vita Capital

Dean is a modern-day renaissance man. A serial entrepreneur he has businesses in tech, real estate development, aviation, and security. When he is not working he finds time to be an avid member of YPO and is involved in national politics at the highest level.

Listen to the full podcast at Taking the Leap Podcast with Robert Dickie, Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

• Dean is a graduate of Liberty University & Harvard Business School and a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO).
• “You will meet the same people on the way up that you do on the way down in your career. Treat all people with respect in all situations.”
• “A non-self-examined life is a life not worth living.”
• No amount of success will fill a previous wound or hurt. At some point, you will have to address and deal with the problem.
• “Leadership is about serving the people.”
• “I was running from the pain…it never fixed the issue. I felt devalued and so I was trying to create value for myself with my business and success. I had to discover that I was enough as Dean Parker.”
• We have the power to break muti-generational curses.
• The saddest thing in life is to see a leader that does not have a story arch of change and growth.
• “When one door opens another will open but you have to be looking for it.”
• “I have all my employees take the 5 Love Languages test because I want to know what is most meaningful to them.”
• The key to business is to give more than you receive.
• “Always expect the worst in people and you will not be disappointed.” – Dr. Ben Carson
• Dr. Ben Carson asks Dean Parker to be the national finance chairman of his political campaign.
• “Dean, God is going to do something great through us, I just don’t know what it is.”
• What Dean learned about politics.
  • It is all about the money. You need money to win and have influence.
  • If you provide enough vision and people believe in that vision it’s amazing what you can accomplish.
  • If someone in power with influence validates you, you get positional authority whether you have experience or not.
  • Sadly, many times those who do the wrong thing often time get rewarded because they are owed a favor.
• Many times in politics people in opposite parties want the same thing but have different views on how to get there.
• Advice from Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey – Former YPO member
  • Make sure your family is on board
  • Make sure you have enough money that you don’t have to sell your soul to the devil.
• Donald Trump’s philosophy during the campaign was, “Say what I have to say to own the media and I will win the election.”
• Dean’s opinion is that the national economy will hinge on the mid-term elections. Many places around the country will be resilient…the southeast will continue to grow as the economy thrives and people leave places like Chicago and Illinois.
• The political campaigns changed overnight after the Paris attack. One event can be a hinge point that changes everything.
• Dean talks about the shifts in the country to states that are losing power and states that are gaining economic opportunity and freedom.
• Dean thinks we will have a “V” shaped recovery for a lot of the US but many places like LA will have a longer road to recovery due to bad politics.
• America needs to be able to have messy conversations to get to the heart of issues and find common ground. We have to get rid of polarization and that starts by seeking to understand the other’s point of view.
• Book Recommendations
  • 5 Love Languages – Dr. Gary Chapman
  • Personality Plus – Florence Littauer
  • Think Big – Dr. Ben Carson
  • Gifted Hands – Dr. Ben Carson
  • Networking is not Working – Derek Coburn
  • Game Change – John Meilemann