Dan Dowdy is the General Manager of S & D Plumbing in Taylor, Texas. This family-owned, second-generation business is known for their outstanding customer experience and high-quality service in residential plumbing.

Growing up in the business, Dan says plumbing was practically in his blood. His father always encouraged him to go to trade school or college, with the reminder that if he did go into the trade business, he would have a job for life. After attending college for a while, Dan returned to work for the family business. He ran a service truck for several years before his father gave him a push to take on a leadership position.

While Dan shares that transitioning from a service role to leadership was challenging at times, his key to success was cultivating a mindset that was focused and committed. He knew he didn’t have much experience in leadership, so he set out to learn and find guidance from mentors and best practice groups.

Learn From Others

“If I can bring somebody in smarter than me in business to teach me how to run a business, then that’s what I did. So I got plugged in, got some coaching, and I’ve never looked back.”

With his focus and commitment to learning and leadership, Dan has seen the company grow. He shares how he learned from his competition and larger companies about the importance of presenting a strong, confident brand impression, from the cleanliness of your service trucks and the quality of your customer service, to the rates you charge.

Lead with Innovation

“Really what leads my innovation, what leads my vision... is really my quiet time I spend in the mornings reading my Bible or praying. I give God all the credit for my ideas.”

Dan says that this perspective sets the tone for the culture he creates in the business. While it can be tempting to focus on money when you are chasing success, he emphasizes the importance of staying rooted in your values. When this happens, innovation and quality thrive.

**Create an Accountable Culture **

At S & D Plumbing, Dan has invested seriously in the culture and training of his employees. They work hard, have fun, and hold one another accountable to the core values of the company.

However, at one point he saw that as much as he was investing in his employees, they were never satisfied and there was a growing sense of entitlement. To quell this, he successfully refocused his team by increasing accountability and appreciation for the opportunity to provide high-quality service.

While some may point to Millennials as the reason for this entitlement challenge that Dan faced, he offers a different perspective. He thinks that in many ways, Millennials are focused on the right things. They care less about the money, and more about the family atmosphere, how much you invest in them, the fulfillment they experience in the work they are doing, and the overall experience. When recruiting the right team, Dan says he looks for people who fit the values of their company, and then invests in them.

Invest in Yourself and Your Team

Dan’s faith, competitiveness, and books/audio books have been important drivers in his leadership journey, giving him the courage to step out of his comfort zone and shake up the industry.

“What I’ve found my secret weapon is, is effort. Is stepping out in faith and saying, ‘Hmm, maybe today I’m going to get out of my comfort zone and come shoot a podcast or go turn on my iPhone and shoot a live Facebook video.’ I’ve been doing it for years and I get nervous every time. And that nervousness is what drives me, and excites me. It’s what keeps me ticking.”

Dan also credits his good friend who passed away three years ago, for teaching him how to perfect his craft outside of work, like listening to audiobooks and always putting in the effort to be your best self in order to serve your team.

“Great leadership comes from servant leadership.”

This concept of servant leadership informs how Dan trains his team to be strong and successful. To Dan, this training is not an expense, but rather an investment that you will see a huge return on. A team that works well together, shows empathy in each interaction, and truly listens and communicates with customers, is S & D’s recipe for creating a service experience that is truly life changing for customers.

“The biggest takeaway is just that competitive edge in your team. It is your team. You got to stop saying it’s too expensive to train. You’ve got to stop saying I can’t hire people. You have to build a company with great core values, with a great service system, and really just start investing the time in your team, knowing that it’s not going to be instant gratification for you. It’s going to be a long-term investment.”