Lobsiger: The True Meaning of a Champion

It’s interesting to reflect on pivotal moments of our learning process. Those could have been from a great mentor, a speaker, a book, etc. Several years back, I had the privilege of listening to Ray Evernham speak. He was Jeff Gordon’s crew chief for their multiple NASCAR championships in the late 1990s.  

Even though I do not follow NASCAR, I walked away from Ray’s speech with some VERY important truths about what it takes to be a true champion. Being a body shop owner isn’t easy and is NOT for the faint of heart, IF we want to grow year after year, have a high net profit, and pay our employees better than anyone else in our markets.  

Even though the #24 car’s superiority was over 25 years ago, Ray presented 12 good definitions of the true meaning of being a CHAMPION. These definitions are more up-to-date than even tomorrow’s news. Hopefully, you will be inspired like I was to push harder than ever going forward.  

1. “True CHAMPIONS are not born. CHAMPIONS are made in adversity. Bad days, problems, heartaches, and losses are all necessary elements in molding CHAMPIONS.”  We all have those days in our shops, whether that be a nightmare insurance company, a difficult customer, an employee issue, or a repair that is not going well. We MUST look at the big picture, push through, and not become discouraged!
2. “A CHAMPION is not an individual star, necessarily, but a team player who knows how to function with others.”  As owners, we must have proper pay plans, systems, and lead in a way that promotes teamwork. Yes, occasionally we need to "kick someone off the bus" who doesn’t like working on a team. Ray said they went through 64 people to finally end up with the 12 folks needed for their winning NASCAR crew. One of the final crew members was previously a plumber, but boy, what a team player he was!!
3. “CHAMPIONS inspire their teammates to play harder, more intensely, by their example. They walk their talk.” As owners, are we the first to arrive and the last one to leave? Or do we show up mid-morning in our new BMW with fancy shoes, then three or four hours later leave with the bank deposit for the rest of the day?  
4. “CHAMPIONS are interested in learning all they can, mastering all their skills and responsibilities, acquiring every characteristic that helps them gain the edge.” We must constantly read, listen to smart people, and choose the correct friends to hang out with. It comes down to making good choices and avoiding bad ones.
5. “A CHAMPION lives above pressure and thrives on it.” Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination. — Fitzhugh Dodson 
6. “CHAMPIONS love competition - the challenge of becoming more disciplined, more intense, more prepared. They realize that the harder the battle, the greater the adversity, the stronger they’ll become, the quicker they’ll achieve their goals. They relish battles. CHAMPIONS are driven to excel.” Ray told us a story I will never forget about how sick Jeff was during a race. Ray had radioed Jeff and asked him how he was feeling. Jeff’s response was golden: “I just threw up big time and feel so much better!” Yes, you guessed it, Jeff won the race!
7. “CHAMPIONS are never satisfied with their performance but are always content with the fact that they are continually striving to get better.” Did you get the keywords, ‘Never Satisfied!’?
8. “CHAMPIONS are uncomfortable with imperfection, always striving for perfection, knowing it can never fully be reached but loving the battle of trying to reach it, the FIGHT for Excellence!”
9. “CHAMPIONS are committed to excellence…always, only.”  What we tolerate becomes the standard.
10. “The difference between CHAMPIONS and everyone else is very simple. CHAMPIONS are always willing to do the little things – that’s the simple difference.” Ray spoke about how tight their machine shop tolerances had to become to win. Are we checking our tolerances daily in our blueprinting, estimating and mirror-matching processes? 
11. “The mark of a CHAMPION is how hard they work when no one is watching!” Sleep is WAY overrated. If you have never worked all night because you wanted to finish a task or project, you don’t know what you’re missing, trust me. People without passion cannot become champions; passionate people are the ones truly living. We are just wired differently than the average Joe. 
12. “CHAMPIONS realize that some days, even most days, they don’t “feel” like working, striving, paying the price to be a CHAMPION. But then they remember, or another CHAMPION reminds them, being a CHAMPION is a choice they make over and over each day!... and so they make that choice again.”