leader

Here is a clip from one of our weekly Working On It Tuesday training webinars. This week, the topic in question is our leadership process. Brian details the six steps to auto shop leadership mastery, also known as The Lotus Code.

The Lotus Code in Action for Auto Repair Shop Leaders

When automotive industry owners want to up their leadership game, it’s great to have an ordered list which they can refer to. Our Auto Repair Leadership Process is based on the Lotus Code, which is an ancient six step method for success. In order, the six steps are:

1. Thinking
2. Words
3. Action
4. Habits
5. Perseverance
6. Attainment

The other owners on the call recalled Gary Gunn teaching this age old concept to them many years ago. Brian then goes over the history of the Lotus Code, which is over 2500 years old. Mastering your goals always involves these six steps, in this order. Whether it’s a simple task such as cleaning your house, or a more complex one like managing your auto repair shop’s daily operations, this is how it comes together.

When the Lotus Code is applied correctly, we think through our task. Then, we verbalize our plan. We take action, and with repetition, those actions grow into habits. Although obstacles can (and will) arise, we take step five, which is Perseverance, to conquer them. Finally, through that perseverance, we reach step six, Attainment. Only then can we call ourselves masters. As any shop owner knows from experience, mastery will only come through hard work and focus.

Learn More – Schedule Your FREE Strategy Session

Does your auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out, and you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

Gary Gunn quizzes YNR Members on how they define auto repair leadership. Repair Shop Owners need to learn key skills in order to be effective leaders in their automotive businesses.

Auto Repair Leadership Defined

Gary opens by asking the group how they define auto repair leadership. Each of our YNR members contribute valuable takes in this clip.

Joe says a true leader knows the direction that automotive business is going. Pam adds that that leaders set the tone and pace of the business. The owner leads by making sure everyone focuses on the main goals and the team doesn’t go off on tangents. Brian Gillis has mentioned before that every auto shop has a “speed up / slow down” rhythm. The owner must ensure that everyone keeps that pace.

Fred reminds us that leaders must set month to month goals for staff. Owners lead by creating processes. They also have to continually seek ways to improve those processes.

Jerry adds that auto repair leadership means defining a repair shop’s vision. Then it is up to the owner to lead by example.

Gary Recommends Leadership Resources

All of these definitions included aspects of leadership. However, Gary has more to add. Since he is a certified eMyth coach, Gary Gunn has learned leadership methods inside and out from Michael Gerber. John Maxwell also has great leadership training resources, which dig much deeper. Remember, core tenets of the job may never change. However, changing times could mean new problems to solve.

Learn More – Book Your FREE Strategy Session

Does your independent auto repair shop lack direction? Perhaps your business plan has stalled out. So you need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian Gillis? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

Auto repair shop management doesn’t have to be a mystery. Long time automotive business coach Gary Gunn shares his decades of automotive industry experience running multiple shops with you! When you take Gary’s and head coach Brian Gillis’ advice to heart, you will put your business systems in place and see results in no time!

Defining Auto Repair Shop Management – How Is It Different From Leadership?

Gary opens the clip, polling the group on the difference between auto repair shop management and leadership.

Pam believes that managing is staying on top of details and keeping staff on top of their tasks. Fred believes Leaders hand down goals and processes to Managers. Then the Managers use the SOPs to guide the people.

Joe defines the Leadership role as one who sets the pace and tone for the shop’s business. Management then manipulates the Technicians and Service Advisors to execute the Leader’s vision. Joe clarifies that the staff roles are similar to that of military ranks. As the owner and leader, he recognizes the strengths of each employee in their positions.

Jerry continues by agreeing with all the previous points. He then adds that Auto Repair Shop Management means overseeing the systems and processes, so Mechanics and Service Writers can do their thing.

Gary also reminds us that people do not want to be managed. They can’t! That method of management always reduces people to robots. Effective managers should manage the systems, so the SOPs themselves can manage the people.

Learn More – Get Your FREE Strategy Session

Does your independent automotive shop lack a clear vision? Maybe your business plan has stalled out. You need an experienced automotive industry coach to help you. Then why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

The Lone Wolf Approach to Leadership

We romanticize the image of the “Self-Made Man” and “Self-Made Woman” in American society. The idea is that this person pulled up their bootstraps and then walked out in the business wilderness as a lone wolf with no pack to help them. It makes for a great Liam Neeson movie, but what if we told you that this is exactly that? This leadership idea is fictional, and it doesn’t exist. There is no such thing as the “Self-Made Individual”. It’s a myth. Every successful person you know and every leader you aspire to be employed a support team which helped them navigate the wilds.

Whether you realize it or not, you are where you are as a result both of your own hard work and the support of the people around you. All the teachers, parents, employees, friends, and mentors that were there for you through both thick and thin. They believe in you, and now it is time to see their value for what it is worth. You hone a set of behaviors over time called leadership skills. Just like the best teachers and coaches we know, you have to develop the skill in order to perfect it.

You Can Do This – It’s Proven to Work

Fixing the ingrained leadership faults and shortcomings that we believe we have is possible through practice and good coaching. While some people have that innate ability to lead, most people find their ability through trials and tribulations. The best leaders we know faced great hardships on their way up. You have the team and you have the support. Now, you just need to learn the best way to lead the charge for everyone.

Take the YOUTOOLS Leadership Journey with Brian Gillis

At You Net Results, we plug you into a powerful network of other business leaders, where you share and grow off of each other’s successes and hardships. We get rid of that lone wolf approach and then transform it into a true collaborative leadership mentality. People want to see that their leaders understand them, as well as the world around them. As a leader, it is important to see the value in the people around you; to enhance their ownership of their role in your business life.

We teach you about the “Silent Thieves” ruining your ability to lead and perform as a business effectively. Then, we help you fix your processes and procedures to meet those challenges. With the right procedures, team, and mindset, you can achieve anything. You Net Results can guide you down that path.

Are you ready? Let’s do this. 

Don’t be a lone wolf. Join our awesome community of industry leading business owners so you can become the leader you were meant to be! Let’s Maximize this Daily Operations Opportunity.

In order to find out more, contact us for a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis will discuss your concerns, your strengths and help you find ways to improve your leadership skills and company culture. Not everyone is born a leader, but everyone can become a leader…