Auto Repair Shop Owners Be Aware!

Be Aware by Rick White, President 180BIZ

It’s time to see outside of your own issues. Be aware. Let me explain to you what I'm talking about. You're in one of three phases of your business right now.

• You're either ramping it up and working at getting busier.
• You’re getting busier and busier as each week passes.
• Or you're really slammed and you're just trying to get the work out and trying to get to the end of the day. You've got tunnel vision while working on the growth of the business.

This is all admirable, but there have never been times like this. There's never been a time where we've just had issues stacking on top of each other.  We have the pandemic issue, the economy issue, and we have the racial tensions.

As business owners, we must be aware of our people.  We must be aware of where they are emotionally. We must see them and see their emotional stress level. There's so much going on. If they're just getting back to work, there could be financial issues. There could be family issues at home with kids being home all the time. You don't know what's going on. And it is so critically important as the leader of your business, not to spend your whole day looking at your team, but take time every day to connect, reach out, engage, and empathize with where they are. It's about understanding them and giving them some perspective. It’s about being able to influence them enough so that they feel more certain and secure.  That's what this all is all about.

It's about a brighter future. Painting that brighter future every day within enthusiasm and genuine belief in yourself and in the abilities of your team. It’s time to take the blinders off and see your team.  If you don't, their stress level will go up. Take a step back and engage. It's all about getting people to see the other people around us. I think that's one of the gifts of these trying times.

How do you think it would sound to have one of your team members talking to another tech or another advisor from another shop about the amazing place where he/she works? How would it sound if they talked about how you really care about the team, about how you are keeping them safe and helping them get better at their job? How would it feel if you heard a staff member talking about how your business is thriving and never had to lay off staff?  So, I really want you to be aware and engage. That's it. Be aware and engage.

Make it a great week and God, bless.