1. JumpWings:
FROM FRANCHISEE TO FRANCHISOR
Inspiration from Dwyer Group®
COO, Mary Kennedy Thompson
By April Scarlett

2. • 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 ownership
INSIDE:

3. P
erfectionists 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’s
not real; When I see it,
I run away from it.”

4. “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.”

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

6. “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.

7. “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.

8. “For women leaders, it helps to
earn milestones that show that
you know how to do it.”
W
hen 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

9. 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.

10. 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%.

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

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

13. “...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

14. F
rom 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

15. 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