Values
Vision and mission grow out of values, so this episode goes to the bedrock. Dale and Eric are joined by 45-year DaleNation veteran Bill Van Ness to unpack the three core values — family, integrity, and proactivity.
Show notes
Episode 2 turns to the bedrock of the Collaborative Operating System: the values that vision and mission grow out of. Dale recalls the realization from Episode 1 that the whole organization already shared the same values, they just assumed others didn't, and that those values distilled to three words in order — family, integrity, and proactivity. Joined by 45-year DaleNation veteran Bill Van Ness, Dale and Eric unpack what each value means in practice: family as the long view that treats people as who they are rather than as commodities and never abandons them, integrity as what carries the company through downturns, and proactivity as the forward-looking energy that ties the other two into one. Bill's own story — hired by Dale Sr. after a three-hour first-day conversation — becomes a living example of all three values at once. Tip: tap any timestamp to jump the player there.
Timestamps & Segments
- Welcome back to DaleNation (Blue). Part two of the series on the DaleNation operating system, introducing special guest Bill Van Ness and the day's topic: the why behind values, vision, and mission.
- The three values, in order (Dale). Coming out of Episode 1, the whole organization turned out to share the same values; they were easily defined as three words — family, integrity, and proactivity — with family first. Section 2 · Three Core Values
- Integrity and proactivity belong to family (Bill). After 45 years, integrity is inseparable from family, and being part of a family means being proactive for one another. Section 2 · Three Core Values
- Family first means you're part of something bigger (Eric). Putting family first isn't about yourself; you treat people inside and outside DaleNation with care and lift them, because the future relies on being cohesive, and that mindset drives every other decision. Section 2 · Family
- Family is the long run (Bill). Because you're with people for the long run, you treat them well, and that naturally brings out honesty and integrity. Section 2 · Family
- People are not commodities (Dale). Someone who doesn't fit one role may fit a better one. The company meets people as who and where they are; there's a place for anyone willing to be part of something greater than themselves. Section 2 · Family
- You never abandon family (Dale). The truest sense of family is that you don't discard people, even when they leave. Companies have spun out of this place and remain family, still supported internally and externally. Section 2 · Family
- What family does not mean (Eric). Family here isn't a hierarchy of father, mother, and brother. As Dale puts it, it's all siblings — brothers and sisters in the organization. Section 2 · Family
- How Bill came to DaleNation (Bill). A school teacher in a recession found Dale Sr. in the yellow pages, came in to become a carpenter, and started a conversation that would last decades. Section 2 · Three Core Values
- The three-hour interview (Bill). A 9 a.m. interview turned into lunch and a conversation about books. Dale Sr. hired him — but for the office rather than as a carpenter — having seen the person, not just the résumé. Section 2 · Family
- Integrity is how we survive and thrive (Dale). Integrity carried the company through challenges and downturns, from Glory Day Farms in the late 80s and early 90s onward, binding people together by pulling good people in. Section 2 · Integrity
- Patience and good people (Eric). Built on a foundation of good people, the work is to stay patient, understand where someone is coming from, and align together as a family. Section 2 · Integrity
- Grace over the fundamental attribution error (Dale). Borrowing from Patrick Lencioni's Working Genius: when someone cuts you off in traffic you call them a jerk, but you give yourself grace. Family and integrity make it easier to extend that same benefit of the doubt instead of writing people off. Section 4 · Creating an Environment of Trust
- Question my judgment, not my motives (Eric). These podcasts speak to the principles that bind a company, not the technical skills. The team is "radically obsessed with team members' success"; judgment may falter, but motives are always well-intentioned for the family. Section 3 · We Focus on the Receiver
- Three styles, one set of principles (Eric). Reaching people is an ongoing journey, not an end. The three leaders use different styles — written word, spoken word, and time spent living it — to reach the same principles, joining together in a complementary way. Section 3 · We Focus on the Receiver
- Bill's story as a microcosm of all three values (Blue). Choosing this family, sticking with it through integrity, and the proactivity of seeking it out and learning over someone's shoulder — all three values in one path. Section 2 · Three Core Values
- Proactivity ties the three into one (Dale). Much of the organization's skill is still untapped. Communicating more smoothly and clearly, without letting differing styles get in the way, is how the family looks into the future proactively. Section 2 · Proactivity
- The power is still untapped (Eric). All three agree they've barely begun to harness the power of the organization, and that once it takes hold it will be exciting. Section 2 · The Energetic Undercurrent
- Wrap-up (Blue). That's Episode 2 on DaleNation values. Next time: the DaleNation vision. Be safe out there and do great work.
Notable Quotes
"It's all siblings. We are brothers and sisters in this organization." – Dale
"The truest sense of family is that you never just abandon somebody, even when they leave." – Dale
"We are radically obsessed with our team members' success… you can question my judgment, but don't question my motives." – Eric
"We haven't even begun to harness the power of this organization, and once it takes hold, that's exciting." – Eric