It takes strength and courage to admit when you’re wrong, and even more so when you’re in a management position. Daniel Trapp, now the collision manager at Earl Stewart Toyota in Lake Park, Florida, learned that the hard way early in his career — his first management job was anything but smooth sailing.
The lessons he learned through that experience, though, have helped shape his career and that of many others. He’s now a successful, effective manager and walking proof that if you’re willing to admit fault, take responsibility for your actions, and work hard to restore trust, you can come out the other side better for it.
The Problem
“Self-reflection is difficult, and admitting you were the problem is even more difficult,” says Trapp, “but it’s necessary for growth.”
Trapp readily acknowledges that he came into his first management position rather “accidentally”— he was in the right place at the right time when the manager of a small New Jersey collision shop quit, and the owner needed a replacement fast.
“The company had just decided to get into the collision industry and didn’t know what to do when their manager left,” shared Trapp. “The employees were looking for leadership and knowledge and I had neither, frankly, at the beginning of my career. I was very young and hadn’t had much training in management or anything collision related.”
Nevertheless, Trapp took the job, and the hard lessons soon followed.
“You don’t read a lot of stories about what someone was doing wrong and how it affected everyone around them,” he continued, “but that’s exactly what this is.”
Trapp admits that work wasn’t the priority it should have been for him back then; combine that with a lack of leadership and collision experience and you’ve got a recipe for problems.
“The way I was managing the collision shop was hurting the dealership’s reputation and employees, both,” he said. “I think everyone wants to believe they are doing — at the very least — a good job, and they often believe it’s the company’s fault they’re working for, not theirs,” he shared. “But it's eye opening when an employee comes to you and tells you that you’re the problem.”
That was a turning point in Trapp’s career. “I realized they were right — I was the problem. And it was affecting the employees, the customers, and the business…I needed to change, plain and simple.”
The Solution
After that employee came to Trapp with their concerns, he knew he needed to take responsibility for his actions and make things right — and that’s exactly what he did.
“From that day forward, I decided I was going to change,” he reminisced. “What’s been most important to me professionally ever since is making sure I’m doing everything in my power to equip the people I’m leading for success…and I now work every day with that mindset.”
During the last year that he managed the New Jersey shop, Trapp worked hard to learn everything he could about management in the collision industry, going through PPG green belt training and working on lean practices — slowly, he says, sales grew.
Unfortunately, however, the damage had been done.
“It was a difficult situation and I thought I was getting there — my priorities were changing, and we were seeing positive results. But, as with any relationship, the damage was done and perceptions were set. The ultimate solution to the problem was removing myself to give everyone — including me — a fresh start.”
Trapp and the dealership mutually agreed to part ways, and he left having learned important lessons he still carries with him to this day.
The Aftermath
A few months after leaving the shop in New Jersey, Trapp took a position with a much larger shop in Virginia Beach.
“The shop in Virginia Beach had all the same problems I had created at the shop in New Jersey,” says Trapp. “It was a major corporate company that had an image and confidence problem on the customer and employee side. Receivables issues over a half million dollars, customers’ vehicles that were at the shop for months on end, and employees who no longer trusted the company.”
But this time around, Trapp knew exactly what to do.
“I was determined to turn things around, first with the employees and then the reputation.”
It started with group meetings to work on the employee issues. Trapp found the four key employees he thought could help make a difference and empowered them to speak for their peers; together, they worked on every issue in an agreed upon order until the problems were resolved.
“It took a solid year, but in turn the shop’s reputation fixed itself during the process,” says Trapp. “I have always been a person who wants to grow team members and have been a part of many others’ success as they have been a part of mine. At its core, your reputation is based on your team and processes.”
Fix those, he says, and the rest will fall into place.
The Takeaway
A great leader is one who is humble enough to admit fault and do whatever is necessary to fix the problems at hand. Follow through is key; so is open communication. Check in with your employees often to make sure you’re hitting the mark in all areas of your business and listen with an open mind to their concerns.
It’s also incredibly important to work collaboratively to solve problems and implement solutions and processes that maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction. Finally, invest in training for yourself and your team and remain flexible and willing to course correct when needed, to ensure the shop will continue to run smoothly for years to come.
