Jump Wings:FROM FRANCHISEE TO FRANCHISOR

Inspiration from Dwyer Group® COO, Mary Kennedy Thompson

By April Scarlett

• How practicing strong leadership can make the difference in your business

• Why systems work, especially in franchising

• How going “all-in” earns respect

• You don’t have to be mean to be strong

• Seeking balance with the right mentors

• Using what you have to make a difference

• How to start your own journey toward business ownershipINSI

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Perfectionists around the world, reading those words, may have just choked on their coffee. What!? How is that possible? How is perfect

not “right?” It may seem a bit surprising to hear from a globally respected leader and business savvy Chief Operating Officer that perfection is not the goal, but Mary Kennedy Thompson, COO of Dwyer Group®, is steadfast in her belief that success and leadership aren’t about being perfect.

THOMPSON LEADS BY EXAMPLE. Her resume is paved with milestones and experiences: student scholar, U.S Marine Corps Captain, wife, mother and grandmother, business owner, brand president,

licensed plumber, internationally recognized and honored expert in franchising, and now Chief Operating Officer of a global franchising company. What she has learned from all of these roles, and what she is passionate about is the importance of the right kind of leadership. Being a strong leader is not about being perfect, it’s about being excellent. She’ll tell you there is a big, BIG difference.

There’s a quote from Aristotle that Thompson speaks of often, “We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” She explains that excellence is not what you believe, it is what your behavior is, what you do every day.

“As leaders, we must be excellent,” Thompson said. “We have to get up in the morning and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do my best, I’m going to practice excellence.’” She says excellence comes in little every day decisions, no matter how big or small. “It’s saying, ‘I’m going to go exercise because when I exercise I’m clearer of mind’. Or saying, ‘I’m going to go check in with my people, or I’m going to review my KPI’s each day to ensure I am measuring what I’m managing, or whatever actions we take each day that moves us or our business forward.’”

On Leadership

“Perfect doesn’t exist, it’snot real; When I see it,I run away from it.”

“Leadership makes things happen.”

Sit down and have a conversation with Mary Kennedy Thompson and in short order you’ll be mapping out your goals, setting benchmarks, finding ways to practice excellence, and creating paths to turn dreams into reality. The woman is inspiring, and that is her reality. She inspires others to be the best versions of themselves, which by her definition, is exactly what strong leaders do.

Thompson has made it her business to be a student of leadership, just as she has in every other aspect of her life. She devours books on the subject and then invites others to read them too and share their ideas. She teaches classes on becoming a strong leader. She is absolutely ablaze about the topic, explaining leadership as a force.

“Leadership makes things happen,” she said. “If I’m starting a business, I can have all of the money in the world, I can have just the right people, and I can have systems in place. If I cannot lead myself and my team toward getting the mission accomplished, those things don’t matter.” She added, “Leadership is like this multiplier, so it takes whatever you have and it multiplies the results. Leadership is action, it’s how you get things done.”

Thompson states she found this kind of leadership in action to be especially true in franchising.

What I love about franchising is, as a franchisee I found I could practice true excellence,” she said. “All I had to do

was keep everyone focused on the system. I didn’t have to create the system all by myself, so I could focus on operational excellence, the execution of the system. There were two things I had to focus on: I had to focus on taking good care of my people and loving them, and focus on operational excellence. When I did those two things, success followed.”

In the beginning, Thompson learned that not following the system had consequences. She owned a Cookies by Design franchise, and although the system dictated she should open at 8am, she decided she wanted to open at 9am. “It was a cookie business, I couldn’t honestly believe anyone would want cookies at eight o’clock in

the morning.” She agreed to test the theory at the behest of the brand president. The result? Almost a 10% bump in her business overnight.

“The system has been created from the collective intelligence of the whole of that brand, over years of practice and understanding,” Thompson said. “Don’t waste your energy working around the system, spend your energy focused on the execution in every excellent manner you can of delivering that service or product.” Thompson went on to own three locations. After she sold her franchises she was recruited to the corporate headquarters eventually serving as its president of the brand. She led the company in sales, earning awards for Top Performer, Outstanding Customer Service, as well as the Masters Award for top market penetration in sales.

On Systems

“If you’re somebody who likes helping others, leading a team toward a mission and keeping people focused on creating results, franchising is for you.”

“Women live with systems all day long,” Thompson said. “There’s the system of keeping your home, there’s the system of managing our kids throughout the school year, and most of us even practice a system of putting on make-up. I’ll bet you every single woman in the morning that puts make-up on does it the same way every morning.” She points out that if you were to take her make-up away (not that she wears a lot) and dictate to her what order to put it on in, it would take twice as long.

“It’s the same thing with running a franchise,” she said. “The reason you can execute the way you can, is because you don’t have to waste your mental energy on creating a system, all you have to do is keep everyone focused on following it.”

For women on the fence about whether or not to pursue franchise ownership, Thompson boils it down. “If you’re somebody who likes helping

others, leading a team toward a mission and keeping people focused on creating results, franchising is for you.”

Thompson joined Dwyer Group® in 2006 as President of Mr. Rooter®, their residential and commercial plumbing service business. With plenty of executive experience built up from her time at Cookies by Design she was well qualified for the new role, but again, was driven to be excellent in the field of plumbing. To do that, she earned her Journeyman’s Plumbing license.

“I’m a big believer in leading by example.”

“I did it because I wanted to show my franchisees I was all in,” she said. “I’m a big believer in leading by example. Respect is earned, it’s not demanded.” Thompson went on to talk about the 11 Marine Corps principles that she practiced in the Marines, one of which is to “be tactically and technically proficient.”

“People at the senior leadership levels sometimes forget that being operationally excellent and understanding the tactical part of it, is equally important. For me, I wanted to understand the business of plumbing more deeply, and the interesting side part is that it gave me a deeper respect for our technicians. I can honestly say it’s the hardest test I’ve ever taken.” Thompson compared passing the test as equivalent to her earning her Jump Wings.

“For women leaders, it helps to earn milestones that show that

you know how to do it.”

When I was in the military I went to Jump School and earned my Jump Wings,” she said. Jump Wings were worn on the

front of her uniform to indicate she had successfully completed Jump School.

With approximately only 1.5% of Journeyman Plumbers license holders in the U.S. as women, Thompson found it did help her in the industry, especially when talking to plumbers or industry professionals. They were more inclined to listen to what she had to say, like wearing Jump Wings. “I’m not smarter than any other woman, I just have a plumber’s license in my arsenal of tools.”

Year after year, the number of women in leading professional roles continues to climb. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women account for about half of the U.S. Labor force (47% in November of 2014 and climbing steady), and are increasing their professional footprint in all areas including business, law, medicine and public service.

On Earning Respect

On Work-Life Balance

“I don’t think you can have it all. If you have it all, something has to give and it’s usually you.”

I f you’re a mom you should know that running a business is like running a family,” Thompson said. “Making sure you’re spending less than you’re

taking in, taking care of your children and making sure you’re feeding them well, creating your family values, and building a strong family. Running a business is the same way, if you follow these same principals you’re going to be just fine, especially with a system behind you.”

The jury is still out on whether or not a woman can be equally successful in both family and career – all at the same time. Thompson doesn’t think so. “Women in my age group are interesting,” she said. “Our Moms did do some working in the workplace, and so we thought, and everyone told us, we can have it all. I don’t believe that’s true. It’s about balance and that requires giving yourself a break when all is not perfect.”

Many women juggle their roles and responsibilities. It’s a sign of the times with so much to do at home while the workplace is so competitive. A woman will have days when she is a rock star at the office, but her house is a mess. Or maybe there is a huge board meeting at work, and she’s home with a sick child.

“You have to accept that those kinds of things are going to happen,” Thompson said. “We have that vision of that perfect woman who is all things– the best wife and the best mom and the best business woman, and never once was I the best at all three at the same time,” she laughed.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the trend for women in the workplace isn’t slowing down. In 1967, 36% of married-couples existed where the husband was the only breadwinner. By 2012, that number lowered to a mere 19%. Since the 1990’s, women have been outnumbering men in both college enrollment and college completion (Pew Research), reversing roles completely since the 1960s. By these measures there is no question women are raising their hands to have it all.

The trick, according to Thompson, is being able to prioritize. She tells a story that she learned from one of her Commanding Officers in the Marines. “There are crystal balls and rubber balls. At any given day I have rubber balls bouncing all around me, I just need to make sure I never drop the crystal balls. I encourage people to fully know what their crystal balls are.”

It’s apparent this strategy works for Thompson, as she now leads from the C-Suite in a way that embraces both strength and kindness. She attributes much of how she leads to a book called The Servant by James C. Hunter, where she learned how to lead with love.

In 1967, 36% of married-couples existed where the husband was the only breadwinner. By 2012, that number lowered to a mere 19%.

“Love is not a soft word. It’s holding people accountable.”

Spend time with Thompson and you will hear words like love, cherish and heart. Those words may not sound like typical board room

banter, but she believes strongly in the idea of being human.

“I believe we must cherish our people,” said Thompson. “They know when we don’t care about them.” She talks about the many women leaders she knows within the International Franchise Association, or women she served with in the military, who lead with love. “I think you can be nice and strong, strong doesn’t mean you have to be mean, and nice doesn’t mean you have to be weak. You can say things with kindness that are very impactful, and be brave enough to have a conversation that matters, while being someone who lifts people up.”

On Leading with Love

“Find your balance. There are things I’ve learned from both sides.”

As much as Thompson is a teacher, she will tell you she more importantly is a student. She gains inspiration from the women

before her, like her mother, to women she currently works with, and from the next generation, like her daughter. “I think part of finding inspiration from other women leaders is not just people who are above your level or older than you, its people who are new or breaking ground in areas you haven’t thought about.”

Mentoring is a best practice that has taken place in the workplace for decades. Today we see mentoring programs in work and life, and are even seeing “reverse-mentoring” as a way for new Millennials in the workplace to teach baby boomers how to use new and innovative technology.

Thompson advises being proactive in finding a mentor, and choosing one that is different than yourself. Adding, the world is made up almost equally half and half of men and women. “Seek balance and find mentorship from both.”

On Mentors

“...I think we owe them the power to prosper.”

T hompson and Dina Dwyer-Owens, also a leader at Dwyer Group® and one Thompson admires, had the opportunity to take their

leadership skills and give back to a community very close to Thompson’s heart: U.S. Veterans. In 2011, while in Washington D.C., the two teamed up to help First Lady Michelle Obama create jobs for veterans returning home. It was called Operation Enduring Opportunity and was a project to employ veterans just out of service. Approximately 250,000 veterans exit the military every year.

“We ask them to leave their homes, leave their country, do dangerous things, and leave their families,” Thompson said, “and I think we owe them the power to prosper.”

Michelle Obama was putting together a program called Hiring Our Heroes with a goal to hire 100,000 service men and women. “We started doing the math,” Thompson said, “and thought well, franchising can hire 75,000 veterans.” At the

time, Thompson was Chairman of the IFA VetFran committee and knew they could make a real difference. VetFran’s mission is to provide access and opportunities in franchising to our nation’s veteran’s and their spouses. It was a perfect fit, and by 2014 the franchising community hired more than 155,000 military veterans. Talk about leaders creating results!

On Giving Back

From her time as a franchisee, to her role as brand president, and now as COO and all-around supporter, mentor, colleague and friend,

Mary Kennedy Thompson continues to make a positive impact on the franchising industry and those within it.

Like Thompson used to say to her employees when she was a franchisee:

“It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love, and I’m looking for someone who can be passionate about what they do. I’m going to hold you accountable and have high standards, but I’m going to care about you and we’re going to grow together.”Dwyer Group® is the proud umbrella company of 13 home service brands across the globe, and continuously strives to help more women and men reach their personal, professional and financial

goals through business ownership. Like Thompson, it’s a company who is looking for those who want to love what they do, have high standards, and want to work together.

As Mary Kennedy Thompson says,

“It’s about being the best of the best.”

On Franchising

If you are looking for a way to find your best self, create the future you’ve always dreamed of, learn from others, give and earn respect, and find your very own “Jump Wings,” then a Dwyer Group business

opportunity may be for you. Please call today.

Dwyer Group 1010 N. University Parks Dr. Waco, TX 76707

866.913.0411 | DwyerGroup.com