Our History
“Doing good is the best path to doing well.”
For a century, Luck Companies has been investing in people, guided by the belief that making a positive difference to people’s lives is integral to sustained business growth and success.
Our commitment to creating a better world through Values Based Leadership stems from our founder, Charles S. Luck, IV, who recognized the power of people and the impact organizations can have on the lives of their employees, customers, and communities. Luck Companies has forged a company culture that prioritizes purpose beyond profit and promotes enterprise-wide alignment to a set of timeless core values.
In the early aughts, Luck Companies embarked on its Values Based Leadership (VBL) journey, inspired by Charlie’s belief that improving the alignment and collaboration of senior management would unlock greater potential throughout the business. Charlie, his family and their employees embraced Values Based Leadership and, as a result, Luck Companies is the largest family-held and family-run aggregate business in the country, ranks as one of the most engaged places to work in the U.S., and is a thriving organization built for the future.
A story from our founder about
how our leadership journey began
— Charlie Luck,
Founder & Board Chair of InnerWill and CEO of Luck Companies
“My journey started with feedback.
We were going through an 18-month development program, and the facilitator, Guy Clumpner, told me my leadership team was going to give me feedback, and my job was to only say “Thank you” and ask “What else?” I was looking forward to it—I knew I had to grow and I might get emotionally hijacked in the process.
The next morning, the team started giving me feedback. Guy wrote all the feedback on flip chart paper and taped it to the wall. Each time someone gave me feedback, I would say, “Thank you,” and ask, “What else?” By lunchtime, we had filled up the walls with flip charts and feedback.
At first, I was really mad about it. I went to my dad, who was CEO at the time, and I complained. “They don’t know me. They don’t understand what it’s like. They aren’t perfect either.” He looked at me and asked, “Have you heard this feedback before?” I told him I had. “I’ve been telling you the same things. Am I wrong too?”
After that, I went home, feeling a little more humble. Then I asked my kids, “What can I do to be a better dad?” My youngest, Margaret, told me, “Whenever you get home, you are either working or are on the tractor. I want you to throw sticks in the creek with me and watch them float downstream.” That’s the hardest thing to hear, that your kids don’t feel like you are spending enough time with them.
I made a commitment then to work on myself. To listen to the feedback I’ve been given and try to get better each day, both at work and at home. When it’s all said and done, it’s my work as a dad I’m most proud of. When Margaret’s grown, she won’t remember the things we bought her, but she’ll remember all the times I played with her in the creek.”
The support and enthusiasm for Values Based Leadership led to the founding of InnerWill in 2015. Since then, we have worked with more than 400 organizations and the incredible people behind them to overcome business challenges and drive success through VBL.
ABOUT OUR NAME: INNERWILL
Leadership is a choice, not a title. It is a conscious decision to work, first on yourself and then, in turn, to positively impact the lives of those around you. Developing self-awareness takes tenacity and grit and standing up for your core values takes courage. Having reflected on our definition of leadership and the strength needed to achieve it, we chose the name InnerWill.
There is tremendous value in being a nonprofit established by a successful company that is living proof that leading starts from within and then transforms others. While we are keenly focused on expanding and implementing our best practices around the country, we continue to look for answers in our own backyard. InnerWill is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, home of Luck Companies. The tools, models, and content we use are first tested at Luck. We collaborate with experts and thought leaders from around the country to learn, innovate, and build our effective programs — thereby setting the standard for VBL development.
We believe in empowering people to effect positive change at work, at home, and in the wider community to amplify impact. We’re ready to help you do the same.