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WHAT ARE THE VISION, MISSION, GOALS & VALUES OF WONDER DOG?
Our Mission
Client-Facing Mission
Wonder Dog helps families enjoy life with their best friend (without all the frustrations).
Industry-Facing Crusade
Wonder Dog aims to change WHERE the mass of dogs are trained in obedience from the riskier board & train business model to the in-home business model by 2050.
Our BIG GOAL!
Goal 1
Train 1 MILLION dogs by the year 2050!
If we can help train 1 million dogs by 2050, then we’ll have restored 1 million homes back to a sense of sanity (if you have ever lived with an untrained animal, then you know EXACTLY what we mean!), which means we’ve helped change the world!
Goal 2
Wonder Dog aims to be THE MOST client centric company in the dog training industry. From the way we train, communicate, do tribe events, teach, etc. Wonder Dog aims to provide THE most client centric experience in the industry.
Our Vision of the Future
Operation: Wonder Dog Nation
We aim to build a lifestyle brand around a game-playing tribe of dog-lovers.
Brad & Corey’s (Mythic) Internal Mission
There is something deep and holy about restoring things back to their original design, like a single man slowly re-planting a forest one tree at a time over several decades after it was devastated by a fire.
Likewise, we believe that restoring the created order of mankind generously ruling over creation, and in this case, helping a family bring their dog under their control, is very meaningful work. It’s like we’re bringing things back to the way they were in the Garden of Eden, one family at a time.
A Message On Values
As you are learning and about to find out, these seven values determine how we do everything. They lead us. They are our core as a company and all decisions are based on them. The values of our company transcend titles and seniority. So if you see someone not following a value of the company it’s up to you to hold that person to the standard set by the value. We do this through open communication as we will discuss in our Cultural Tendencies section later. In short though, if you see someone not upholding a value, call it out. Go a level above them if necessary.
Our 7 Core VALUES
#1 - DELIVER “WOW!"
This is the first and primary core value of Wonder Dog. It means that we want to EXCEED expectations in every situation to the point where everyone involved (including us) is emotionally moved by what we do.
The way we do this as a group will differ from position to position. A Trainer’s Assistant may Deliver Wow through the booking experience, answering questions, etc. An Eval Pro may do this through his knowledge of the service he is selling, etc. A Dog Pro may do this by going above and beyond and staying late at an appointment, cleaning poop up for the client on a walk, etc. There are 1000’s of examples I could give here but as an organization, outwardly focused on the client we Deliver Wow by relentlessly focusing on our client, their dog and the collective experience they have with us. This starts from the moment they fill in a form on our site all the way through the call with the TA, the meeting with the EP and then the training with the DP through graduation. This relentless focus on their experience will be the KEY to Wonder Dog’s success.
This whole thing ties into our Big Goal #2 which is be the most client centric company in the dog training industry.
Example: If our typical client expects a shaggy, part-time dog trainer who does this work as a side hobby, but instead finds a sharply-dressed, full-time expert Dog Pro with branded apparel, they will probably be WOWed by the exceeded expectations.
Example: Most people are completely unaware that being a dog trainer is even a career choice, but when a new team member joins us, we find that they are blown away by the compensation plan, the development program, the positive energy and the company we are trying to build together.
Example: While we don’t want to be suckers, we definitely want our vendors and reps and service providers to make a good profit and like doing business with us, if for no other reason, by knowing them by name, asking about them when we talk, paying our bills on time and doing what we can to help them thrive in their own business.
#2 - THIS ONE MATTERS
In any given repetitive task, it’s tempting to get lost in a sea of numbers and ratios and gigs, where the next one coming down the line is just like the last one - each somehow forgettable as they all start looking the same. This can happen as a server walks up to the next table during rush hour, or a doctor delivers his third baby for the day, or a cop pulls over the tenth person of the day. It’s easy to fall into the trap of, “This is just one more, just like the last several.” But…
Wonder Dog wants to continually push against that temptation by declaring and acting as each and every relationship matters. Each dog matters. Each client matters. Each interaction matters. Each lead matters. Each teammate matters….BECAUSE TO THIS LADY, it doesn’t matter that this is your 5th lesson of the day because to her, it’s the only one she’ll have today and she’s been looking forward to it since that last one ended!
…And so we want to focus on what is right in front of us and act as if it’s our first and last chance at getting this right.
Example: There is a tension between our overall push to train one million dogs and the idea that this dog right here in front of me matters. That is, it could be tempting to just rush through this one because there will be so many more after this one. This is especially true if a trainer has 25-30 dogs to train this week…just as you wouldn’t want your eye doctor to think on the morning of your surgery, “Well, I’ve got 5 of these today so I better rush through them,” likewise, we must focus on each dog as we keep an eye on the larger mission.
Example: After a long day of multiple, back-to-back appointments, a Dog Pro shows up at her last lesson of the day, gathers up her heart, her hair and her smile before walking in that final door - not to fake it - but because this dog actually matters, and this client matters, and they have been eagerly awaiting this lesson all week and they deserve her best, do they not?
Example: People are quirky and burdensome. Everyone has something that irritates the people around them. We all know this, and often feel the temptation to just judge them, dismiss them, ignore them or even kick them out of our lives (or the company), but we aim to accept clients and teammates and vendors right where they are, with patience. Why? Because each one matters so we aim to give them the dignity that they deserve.
#3 - EASE + SIMPLICITY
This is the unspoken, internal agreement that we want everyone to make when we ask them to do anything. That is, because Wonder Dog aims to make positive changes in the world around us, we want to make the pathway to change easy, otherwise, the change we are asking for will be resisted. So we aim for our policies, our training stimuli, our client communications, our compensation plans - everything - to be simple and easy. So simple, in fact, that a 5 year old could understand them.
Example: Our Dog Pro’s do the hard, complex conditioning work with the dogs and working with all the quirkiness and resistance that they dog might be throwing our way, and THEN they ask the dog owner to give it a try with a simple one-word command to help re-enforce the new command and get some repetitions in.
Example: Our same-day appointment cancellation policy is simple. If they cancel same-day for a non-emergency reason, we will text them saying that we will waive the fee the first time, but any other times they will be charged a $49 fee. This reminds the client about our cancellation policy without them getting mad at you. They usually end up thanking you actually! If they cancel again, you will need to let the Trainers Assistant so that they can charge the client. If you need help working through this, you can always contact your LT for a game plan.
Example: Our three training programs are simple. On-leash, on-leash plus a remote collar or total off-leash, with the other options of speeding up the process. That’s it. Simple.
#4 - DO THE RIGHT THING
We want to do the right thing. It’s obvious in most cases. When it’s not, we could probably just ask what we would do if our grandma was behind us when we did or said whatever we were thinking of. If that is still not clear, then we should run it past our supervisor and our teams to get some new perspectives. Overall, however, we want to lean towards grace until the grace we’re giving is hurting others as well.
Example: Since we sell results and not just time or lessons, we guarantee our work and will keep training them until they get the end results that we promised them, even though it will cost us more (and assuming that they are doing their part of the homework lessons).
Example: We rely on our employees to count up their hours, lessons and sales revenue for payroll, trusting them to be honest with us. Yes, we check their numbers because math mistakes are easy for us all, but it’s the right thing to do to be honest with requesting to be paid or reimbursed. This helps us all and keeps a culture of goodness and honesty.
Example: We tell the truth in our sales and marketing. There is no reason to lie. We have a defined set of services we offer and are up-front about what we don’t offer, and everyone will be happier if we merely communicate clearly on the front end to manage expectations. We don’t work with aggressive dogs. We won’t fix your house breaking problems (because we can’t make the dog poop only when we are there). We just do obedience and games.
#5 - TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
At Wonder Dog, we take responsibility for the things that come up. We do not make excuses for when things go wrong, and we don’t point fingers. Instead, we take responsibility for the problems at hand and come up with solutions to the problem. Instead of complaining, we just fix whatever is irritating us (if we can), or make suggestions on how to fix it (if we can’t).
Taking responsibility for mistakes is a huge part of the culture here and always will be. Lots of times though we will have a new team member and taking responsibility is a bit of a newer thing to them. When they make a mistake they are quick to say “My bad, that is my fault.” This is great and is a great start to taking responsibility, but this is NOT enough. After taking responsibility you need to do something about the mistake. Or, resolve to never let it happen again. Or come up with a plan for what you intend to do to make sure this doesn’t occur again.
Example: A team member sees a problem in the system of how we do things and wants to see it fixed, so she decides that instead of complaining, she’ll go to her supervisor with the problem defined, and either what she plans on doing to fix it (if she has the authority to fix it) OR a proposed solution (if she doesn’t have the authority to fix it).
If she doesn’t have a solution, then she will probably find her supervisor asking her, “Well, what do you think we should do about it?” to stimulate her thinking towards this value.
Example: A Dog Pro realizes that she has many open spots in the upcoming week, so instead of complaining to her supervisor, she takes ownership of the situation and starts calling her clients to see if she can do 2 lessons a week as well as circles back to anyone who has canceled on her lately. Tries to move new clients up. Asks the LT what she can do to help with pending projects. That is, she totally owns the problem and looks for solutions. True story.
#6 - Growth Through Doing Hard things Pays off Big Time
We are all in a state of becoming. Life is all about growth and change, constantly emerging desires, sprouting needs, new opportunities, fresh challenges, surprise afflictions - all of which grows us, and thus brings about a whole host of goodies that could not be attained in any other way. And if we are honest, most growth and change is not a pleasant process, nor is it triggered or driven by anything pleasant.
So while growth can and does come through beauty and pleasure, it most often comes through pain, agony, angst, suffering and various kinds of affliction, but there is a profit on the other side of the pain! Just think: birthing a baby gives you a child, studying hard to get that A+ and gets you the scholarship, building a thriving marriage gets you a oneness that is incomparable, learning to dance plunges you into a world of elevated feelings whenever you want, learning to lead people helps you build a better world, and so on. So the culture of Wonder Dog faces off with and embraces doing hard things because we know that it leads to growth, which leads to a better life!
Example: Training a dog to stop jumping on people might involve a knee in its chest, which is not pleasant, but it does lead to self-control which helps the dog fit in with the family for a lifetime.
Example: Reading through this bland orientation manual is probably boring as compared to watching a new movie with your favorite person tonight, but the training and fresh perspectives you get will be invaluable as you adjust yourself to our culture and thrive here.
Example: Paying the money (and the time!) to get a dog trained can hurt, but the handlers will grow in their knowledge of dogs and their role as handlers which will pay off big dividends in the coming decade!
Value #7 - Let’s do this, together.
Everything we do, we do together. Internally, we are a team that can only move forward together. Externally, we sell a dog training experience from evaluation to a trained dog, and we do it as partners with their family.
Example: We don’t really just sell dog training. Sure, it’s the end result that people are buying and if we give them anything else but DON’T train their dogs, then we have failed them, but let’s be sure that we are selling dog training PLUS a partnership. You see, from their first call with our Sales Assistant to the dog evaluation to the 5 or so weeks of in-home training, we are inviting them into a journey of discovery and development that we are taking with them, together. We start together, we go together with them through training, and we graduate together, congratulating each other with high fives and a “We did it!” This is why our tagline is, “Let’s train your dog, together.” The client experience is ultimately a journey for them and their dogs, and us as well…even if you are merely getting texts from the team about their beginning, seeing them at Games in transition, and seeing another pic or review after they graduate. We are offering them connection and TOGETHERNESS, the with-me life, a partner to train their dog with. Everything else they can find on YouTube (this is a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea). We sell a partnership…so slow down and relate to them. It’s literally all that we have to sell.
Example: As owners, Brad & Corey work through everything together. As managers, we strive for a close-knit community where we think together, debate together, plan together & execute together. As a new hire or newly promoted to a new position, you will surely be asked to figure a few things out on your own as we are a growing company with lots to learn, but overall, your trainer and supervisor is committed to getting you started on the right foot and to work WITH you to get your goals accomplished. We may not see each other each day, but the idea of the group chat and the weekly meeting is to keep us all on the same page, as one.
Example: As a larger tribe of dog lovers, we are aiming to be a catalyst that merely BEGINS with our love for dogs, but will quickly lead to discoveries of other things we all have in common, which in turn we hope is a catalyst for even more shared life outside of our events. So, we all have tasks that must be done all day, but be sure to stay open to the people around you because it’s the juice, the nectar, the good stuff that makes this job, this company, yet life itself worth enjoying!
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