Every day the people we get to work with at Dwyer Group inspire me. I especially love hearing the stories of how our commitment to our Code of Values is changing the way other people approach life and conduct their business.

Not long ago, the Co-chairman of our board, Tom Anderson, was in Waco for meetings and the launch of Neighborly. He came enthusiastically into my office to see if I had a few minutes for him to show me something. With a big smile, he handed me a few pieces of paper and proceeded to share with me a story of BeckWay Group, in which he is a board director.

To my excitement, he described how Dwyer Group's commitment to our values inspired him to set the first agenda item of the first leadership meeting at BeckWay Group... on getting their values right!

With his permission, I would like to share with you what Tom shared with me...

Core Value Definition: Core values for a company represent their fundamental beliefs; it’s what the company stands for, who they are, how they act. Core values serve as a steadfast barometer, consistently guiding behavior, actions and decisions for the entire team. They help people to know right from wrong, and help companies determine if the path they are on is the right one for them.

Values Are: Engrained, consistent, perceptible.

Values Are Not: Generic, check-the-box, on-or-off.

Purposeful:

We commit ourselves to specific, meaningful outcomes, embracing ownership & accountability; We’re intentional in our actions, eagerly targeting, tracking and triaging progress; Our determination is not only evident but also contagious.

Practical:

We sort through complexity quickly, focusing on the materiality and needle-movers; We have no need to be the smartest in the room, in fact we relish enabling others that distinction; We’re proud to be the objective brokers of great ideas, realistic plans and hard-to-find resources.

Principled:

We believe integrity is paramount, and strive to choose what’s right in all situations; We embrace authenticity, and are proud to be ourselves – real people working to get good stuff done quickly; We’re at our best as the understated heroic achiever, while serving others with compassion.

Just a day or two after my visit with Tom, Desirae Franco, our Director of Communications and PR, shared a wonderful story with me. She was recently interviewing a Baylor University student applying for an internship at Dwyer. As always, Desirae asks, "Why Dwyer? What makes us stand out?" This particular intern candidate said that she wants to work for a company with strong core values and she knew Dwyer was one of those companies because one of her professors makes Values, Inc., our latest book, required reading. She was so inspired to learn of a values guided company right here in Waco that she set a goal to work for us as she prepares to enter her career.

When you know your values and keep them front and center in your life, something wonderful happens.

Thanks to all of you for being creators of Something Wonderful!