Everybody loves a hero. That’s why I was so humbled to be invited to talk to David Cogan, host of the “Eliances Heroes” radio show. While I don’t consider myself to be a hero, I strongly believe that our Code of Values have helped support and promote a heroic approach to business across all of our service brands at Dwyer Group.

Like I told David, the mission at Dwyer Group is “To teach our principles and systems of personal and business success so that all people we touch live happier, more successful lives.” And that kind of purpose in life is pretty fantastic.

We can all be winners

My father, Don Dwyer, instilled that kind of thinking in me and my brothers and sisters at a very young age. And it was a message he shared with everyone that he worked with when he founded Dwyer Group. So, when I started out working at dad’s car wash at the age of 12, I understood early on that I could achieve anything I wanted to achieve if I was willing to work hard enough. The same was true for all of my brothers and sisters.

And at Dwyer Group, I’ve witnessed an astounding amount of incredible success across our hard working franchise owners over the decades. Here are three secrets that I learned from my father and my mother on my own journey that I also see reinforced by the success of others around me every day:

1. Always be a student of leadership. And re-earn your position everyday. You can learn from the victories of the past and the lessons that came with them. But today, be the best you can be in serving your customers.

2. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. I learned that as a child. I’m only good at a few things. And today, the same is true. The CEO at Dwyer Group, Mike Bidwell, has been with the company for 32 years. And he’s doing an amazing job taking the company to the next level.

3. Always keep your faith. My mother taught me that having that trust and confidence in God really helps me hold it together when times are tough.

You need to live your values

I also shared with David that the written Code of Values for Dwyer Group are a game-changer for our business. And I actually went on “Undercover Boss” so I could see if those values were reaching the front lines of our business across our service brands.

That experience reinforced that our Code of Values are something that make Dwyer Group and our service brands incredibly special. We are not unique in having values for our organization. But the key is having a system that puts those values front and center everyday in your business.

With core values of Respect, Integrity, Customer focus, and Having fun in the process – the idea to Live R.I.C.H. at Dwyer Group continues to grow.

To listen to the full interview, visit here: http://eliancer.com/dina-dwyer-owens-cochair-1b-dwyer-group