The collision repair industry is experiencing massive change. This change is creating an enormous amount of stress and undesirable circumstances for shop owners, insurance companies and everyone in between.
As these circumstances continue to change the landscape of the industry, we cannot focus on taking the well-worn path of least resistance around the circumstances and changes. That path will not allow us to arrive at the place we need in order to remain successful and moving forward.
NOW is the time you must be willing to step up and embrace the change. NOW is the time to push through the circumstances you cannot control to get to what you do want. Wow, that is HUGE. Did you get that?
I have coached people who were faced with tough circumstances outside of their control and their focus was to avoid the circumstance altogether and find the easy way out. They were willing to do whatever it took to just survive the circumstance.
Quite often in our programs at Discover Leadership Training, we deliberately push people outside of their comfort zone to get them to recognize there are ways to produce even better results when you step up and thrive in the midst of undesirable circumstances.
Think about this for just one second; if you see the change or circumstance you are experiencing as negative, wrong, or unfair then your assessment of the situation will determine the energy you approach the circumstance. In this instance it will drive you to mere survival. If you are in survival mode in this context, you will only do just enough to stay alive.
When most people get pushed outside of their comfort zone they will do everything within their power to restore calm, and get their life or situation back to normal. Ok, let's pause for a moment. Your normal is what got you into the circumstance you did not want in the first place. Returning to normal means you are moving backwards. Going back to normal also means that you are susceptible to repeating the circumstance and experiencing the pain again.
Why is change so scary for most people? Why are people so committed to their comfort zone? It is safe; the comfort zone is where your winning strategy exists. In your comfort zone, you are less likely to fail. When you are in your comfort zone you feel self-confident and in control.
In order to step up, you must be willing to step out. I know this will sound insane to you; however, I feel that change and circumstances are gifts to an individual who is focused on living, and not just existing. When a circumstance occurs you can either get bitter or you can get better. You can either move forward or you can move backwards.
I don't care who you are, there will be circumstances that occur in your life you have no control over. When you step up and embrace the opportunity to change, you create a brand new possibility to experience something you have never experienced in your life.
Here are my top 5 ways you can step up and embrace sustainable change in your life and in your shops:
5. Rather than looking for the best practice, create the next practice. Body shop owners often ask me about best practices. My coaching to them has been to create the next practice and stop focusing on the best practice. I believe that every shop has its own culture and the “best” practice you are looking to implement was developed in an environment that is different from yours. You may have some success using it, however, unless you make it fit your culture it will likely not produce the same results for you as it did the person that created it.
4. Understand that what you resist, will persist. The changes that are occurring in the industry and in your life will not "just go away". My coaching to you is to lean into the changes, embrace them and begin focusing on going beyond just doing "good enough" to survive the change that is occurring.
3. Rather than reacting to industry standards, create standards with your team that exceed expectations. After working with leaders for over 30 years I have heard people say you should “under promise and over deliver”. I see that as an inauthentic, play not-to-lose approach. My coaching is to tell people exactly what you will do and do it. My coaching is to identify where you and your team are and commit to deliberately besting your best every day.
2. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. When you are out of your comfort zone, you are vulnerable. You do not have the same level of self-confidence and you do not feel in control. My coaching is to embrace this feeling with the understanding that being vulnerable does not mean you are weak. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable will allow you to grow and learn new things.
1. Be aware that no matter how long you have been doing what you have been doing, you still have blind spots. When you open your heart and mind to change, you will become aware that you don't know what you don't know, until you know that you don't know. Simply put, old dogs can absolutely learn new tricks when they allow themselves to embrace change and thrive in the circumstances.
If you want to improve your shop’s CSI and cycle time, if you want to get the job right the first time and get paid for a quality safe repair, if you want your team to be loyal and have an incredible business culture, stop looking for the "best practice."
You must understand that if you resist the inevitable changes that are occurring you will fail. My coaching to you is to step up and have the courage to embrace the change and play full out.
Your comfort zone is over rated. My coaching is to stop playing like a veteran and start playing like a rookie. Veterans are complacent; they feel they have already arrived. Veterans feel they have the answers and they are in control. Rookies are hungry. They listen with the intent to be influenced; they want to learn new things and are open to new possibilities.
Make the choice to step up and out of your comfort zone. Play like a rookie today.
