It’s interesting to observe all the articles, interviews, and social media discussions on the collision repair industry. The subjects range from ADAS calibrations, certifications, flat-rate vs hourly, lack of work, billing correctly, or just selling to an MSO.  

It's funny how very little is written on effective leadership. As an owner/manager, sometimes we need to just stop and ask ourselves, ”Am I a leader worth following?” I started working for my two uncles in 1985. They were very different from each other, often giving conflicting direction. I worked as a combo tech for 15 years before becoming the owner in 2000. 

I was full of spice and vinegar out of the gate, but by 2008 I was at my wits' end and near a nervous breakdown. Then a consulting company cold-called me and changed my perspective. What had to change was ME! 

They taught me that leadership starts with understanding the current scene inside our shop and envisioning the ideal scene.  

The definition of the “ideal scene” can look different between shops, but there are some non-negotiables here:

1. Business must be profitable.

2. Have checking points for daily, weekly, monthly targets and growing year after year.

3. The owner can’t be a technician/manager, which equals a bad manager.

4. The business should ultimately become “operational”, therefore not need to be constantly supervised.

5. The owner/manager must have knowledge of how every facet of the business should operate.

6. Have clear goals and a vision for the future. 

I’m not sure if you noticed the six definitions of the “ideal scene,” but I didn’t include that the owner/manager should be liked by the employees. Let’s consider this hypothetical scenario: We are 18 years old with the dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. Let’s say we join the Navy and make it all the way to SEAL training. We’re assigned a platoon commander, “GI Joe.” He makes us meet all the minimum requirements t to become a Seal. Now let’s flip this scenario and instead of “GI Joe” as our commander, we get “GI Jerk,”’ and he is the meanest, most demanding commander in all the Navy SEALs. He pushes his candidates harder than any other SEAL team. Only 10% end up making it through his training, and this guy is just over the top, to say the least.  

Now comes SEAL graduation for those that made it through this grueling experience. GI Joe and GI Jerk’s team members all graduate and then start going on a few missions. They all return safely from several missions. Now comes THE mission. The general speaks to many SEAL teams about the objective and basically tells them, “It’s pretty much ‘kill or be killed.’” GI Joe’s team meets all the requirements. GI Jerk’s team is faster, stronger, and more capable than any other team. So, which team would you like to be on?  

Here’s the deal for owners/managers, granted we shouldn’t strive to be a GI Jerk, but we should also never strive to have our employees like us. The one thing that is a must, they must respect us! This is crucial to leading our employees to the “ideal scene.” This leads to success, a great place to work, good pay, and pride in a job well done. 

Respect — and just as important, integrity — is earned. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy or profitable, but you do it. I will never forget what one of my uncles said decades back about a guy who had no integrity, “He doesn’t know what lie he told who.” Never forget that employees are always watching.  

“Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear since you have nothing to hide.” Zig Ziglar  

Being good leader is not easy, but like the Bible says in 2 Tim 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit if timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 

So back to the beginning, “Am I a leader worth following?”