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70:19
Company
Wrenchway
Wrenchway is an online service that helps mechanics find good jobs and helps repair shops find talented people to hire.
Person
Gabe Christian
Gabe Christian is a shop owner who runs a successful car repair garage in Oregon. He is known for sharing great advice on how to make auto shops cleaner, friendlier, and better places for mechanics to work.
Term
pig mats
Pig mats are special absorbent pads that mechanics lay on the floor or workbenches to soak up spilled oil and fluids, keeping the garage clean without making a dusty mess.
Car
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a very large, tall van commonly used by delivery drivers, plumbers, and people who build custom mobile homes. It is known for being tough and having lots of cargo space.
Part
lab scope
A lab scope is like a heart monitor for a car's electrical system. It shows electrical signals as lines on a screen, helping mechanics spot tiny electrical glitches that are happening too fast for other tools to see.
Term
working interview
A working interview is like a test drive for a job. A mechanic will actually work in the shop for a few hours, getting paid, so the boss can see if they really know how to fix cars and if they fit in with the team.
Term
flat rate
Flat rate is a way mechanics get paid. Instead of getting paid by the hour, they get paid a set amount of money for each job they finish. If they work fast, they can make a lot of money, but if they get stuck on a hard problem, they might not get paid for the extra time it takes.
Term
A-tech
An A-tech is a master mechanic. They are the most highly skilled and experienced workers in a garage, usually called in to solve the hardest electrical and engine problems that other mechanics can't figure out.
Company
Jasper Engines and Transmissions
Jasper is a famous American company that rebuilds broken car engines and transmissions to make them run like new again. This helps drivers save money by fixing their current car instead of buying a brand-new one.
Car
1966 Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle is the famous 'bug' car with a rounded shape and its engine in the back. It is incredibly popular with collectors because it is simple to fix and fun to drive.
Part
swing axle
A swing axle is an old-fashioned type of rear suspension where the rear wheels pivot up and down on hinges. It was simple to build but could make the car handle unpredictably if you turned too fast.
LIVE
Ireallythinktheshopcultureisallencompassedaaroundtheshopandtheimageoftheshop.
Whatisthebusiness?
Whatdoesitlooklike?
What'sthefeelwhenyougointoit?
Themainpeoplerunningtheshop,likehowaretheytodealwith?
Ifeellikethosethingsarereallyimportant.
BeyondtheWrenchwithJayGaninenfromRenchway.
WelcomebacktoBeyondtheWrench.
MynameisJayGaninen,andIamyourhost.
Ontoday'sshow,wewelcomebackGabeChristianfromImportPerformance.
UhGabewasontheshowprobablyacoupleyearsago.
Ishouldhavelookedthatuptoseeexactlywhen.
ButGabeisoneofmyfavoritepeopleintermsofhisperspectiveandhowhelooksatuhhowtorunashop.
Uh,whatwe'regoingtotalkabouttodayisreallyculturefocused,butit'sadifferentconversationaboutculture.
It'sreallyculturefromwithintheshopandreallykindofwhatcreatesthatcoolculture.
So,Gabe,we'reheretodaytolearnallaboutcoolcultureinashop.
Welcomebacktotheshow.
Howareyou?
Thanks,Jay.
Appreciateit.
IactuallydidumlookbackwhenIdidthatpodcast,anditwasatleastthreeyearsagobecauseitwasyeah,23,Ithinkitwaslikeearly23.
Soitbeenawhile.
Iknow.
Yeah,that'showthat'showfastitgoes.
Timeflies.
What'snewattheshop?
Um,we'rewe'resummertimetrucking,youknow.
Um,it'ssuperbusy.
Igotmyfullstaff.
Wewehadalittlesomechangeup,youknow,inthebeginningoftheyear,whichistypical.
Youknow,notalwayswhatyouwant,butit'sjusthowithowitgoes,youknow.
Butuhgotagreatcrewagain,superbusy.
Umjustyeah,kindofgoingbacktonormalandjusttryingto,youknow,keepallmystuffgoingtokeepmyguyshappyandkeeptheplacefullofcars.
Andbutyeah,Iwouldsayit'sgoingreallygood.
We'regonnahaveanothergreatyear.
Forthosethatarelistening,IIGabeandIweretalkingbeforewehitrecord,andititfeltlikeatherapysession.
IfeltbadforGabebecauseIwaskindofuhjustuhtalkingtohimaboutbusinesschallengesandandtheshopworldasawholeandandhowsometimesthatcanbealittlecomplicated,alittlemessy,especiallywhenitbecwhenitcomestopeople,bothonthecustomersideandthestaffingside.
ButyoujustalwayshavekindofthisreallychilledoutvibeuhallthetimethatitituhIdoyoueverkindofraiseabovethatorbelowthat?
Ititit'sjustalwaysuhit'salwaysfuntotalktoyou.
Youknow,I'veI'veheardthatbefore,andIkindoffeellikeIjustputonthispersonaandIjusthideallthe,youknow,reallywhenI'mwhenI'moffthemic,yeah,myhairisonfireandI'mrunningaroundintheshoplikeacrazyman.
No.
Ifyou'rehidingit,youdoaheckofalotbetterjobthanIdo,Icantellyou.
Iwasgonnasaytooaboutyourtherapysession.
IIactuallyreallylikehelpingothershopowners.
LikeIIIfeelbadwhenwhenguysareyouknowjuststrugglingto,Idon'tknow,tohireortogetmorecarsinorwhateveritis,becauseititisit'snottheeasiestgig,youknow.
Youcoulddosomethingmucheasier,yeah.
Um,butthisisIguessforsomeofusweloveit,andumthereiswaystodialitin.
IIdoreallylikehelpingpeople,youknow,justtrytofigureoutwhatthey'remissing.
Uhmostofthetime,Iwouldsay,likewiththeguysIworkwithonaweeklybasis,theydon'treallylisten,listen,andtheydothesamestuffoverandoverandoveragain,youknow.
It'slikemakingthosekindofharddecisionstomakethechanges.
Theyhavetroublewiththat.
Alotofpeopledo.
Likeyouyougottareallywanttomakeitbetterforyourselfandbetterfortheshop.
Andyouknow,there'sthere'supfrontworkwithanykindofchangeorideathatyouhave,youknowwhatImean?
It'sIdothatstuff.
Well,it'salwaysit'salwayskindofliketheIforgetthesayingwheretheytalkaboutyouknow,youyou'regoingtoanduntilthepainofchangingislessthanthepainofstaying,you'rejustgoingtokindofstay,right?
AndIthinkthat'swherealotoftimesinashop,that'swhenitcomestoablowingpointwherevoicesareraisedandandyouknow,it'sstuffthatwe'vebeenholdingontoforalongtimeanditcomestoafronttowhereallofasuddenallofthatcomesout.
AndIthinkasguys,that'skindofpartofourDNA,right?
Whereit'sthatthatuhbottleitup,bottleitupandanduhnotletitoutuntiluhitexplodes.
AndIIthinkthat'sthechallengealotoftimesinnotconfrontinganissuestraighton.
AndI'manumberonemostguiltypersonofthatintheworld.
Anditisuhprobablyoneofmymajorweakpoints,right?
ItandIthinkI'mabouttobeaverycommonYeah,inourworldforforsure.
AndI,youknow,Igrewuparoundthatitinashop,anditwasit'sjustalwayskindofbeenthatway.
SoIumIthinkIIdon'treallyhavethatfuseuhtolightwhereit'srealbad,butI'vebeeninshopswherethatisbad,andthat'snotfuntobeontheothersideofthat.
AndIthinkitalmostcausesalikeaparalysisitwithintheshop,right?
Whereifyoudon'tknowwhatsideofJyou'regoingtogetwhenIwalkinthedoorsinthemorning,itkindofcreatesthisangstandthisthisuncertaintythatIdon'tthinkisisgreatfromaleadershipperspective.
No.
Imeanyoujustmademethinkofalittlepost-itthingIhadbelowmymonitorforyearsthatsaidconfront,persistence,discipline.
Likesomeoneshowed,yeah,andit'sit'sjustthreewordsandit'skindofintense,youknow,confront,becausethat'slikenumberone.
Like,Imean,Ihadamanagerbeforethatalwayswantedtodealwiththings,youknow,thenextdayorthenextweek,youknow,let'sgetitfiguredout.
I'llI'llconfronthimnextweek.
Like,no,no,no,no,no,no,no.
Youknow,youyougottaconfrontthingsrightawaybecausetomorrowyou'regonnahavesomethingelse,right?
Yeah,andthenyeah,andthenthepersistencething.
Imean,Iseethiswithalotofshopownersaswell.
Liketheydoabunchofmarketing,getabunchofcarsinthere,superbusy,andthenthey'rejustlikeeverything'sfine,they'rejustgonnagoabouthelpingthetechniciansfixallthecars,youknow,amonthlaterslowsdownagain,nocars.
It'slikeit'slikemarketingislikeoneofthosethingsthatyouhavetobeverypersistent,youhavetodoiteverymonth,youhavetohaveaplanfortheyear.
Andifyoudoitlikethat,it'seasy.
Youalmostgetridofthejobabitbecauseit'sjustlikeeverymonthyouknowthenextmarketingyou'regonnado,andumbutyeah,autopilot,yeah,atthatpoint,yeah.
Andwhatwasyourlastone?
Discipline,easytosay,hardtodo.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah,andyouknow,IthinkI'mdisciplinedinalotoftheshopstuff,mypersonallifesomuch,liketryingtoworkoutconsistently.
That'shard,right?
Imyco-founderandI,Mark,wetalkaboutthatalot,andyoukindofhavearunningjokethatweprobablyshouldn't,whichisdietstartsMonday.
Anduhit'sit'snotworkedwellforeitherofusovertheyears.
Anduhmywifelovesworkingout,andinfact,ifshedoesn'tworkout,shereallyisisuhgrumpierandlikejustnotashappyifshe'snotworkingout.
AndthereissomeelementtowhereIthinkusasbusinessleaders,yougetkindofstuckintheminutiae,andIIit'sanexcuse,right?
BecauseI'veseensomanybusinessownersorbusinessleadersthataresogoodatthat.
Andandtherearetimeswhere,like,sayifIhitthetreadmill,whichI'mgoodforacoupletimesayear,uhhitthetreadmill,you'reyeah,mymindisjustalwaysthinkingaboutwhatIshouldbedoingratherthanthat.
Andifyouhaveyourprioritystraight,thatshouldbelike,hey,ifIdon'ttakecareofmyself,I'mnotgonnabearoundtodoallofthesereally,reallyimportantthings,right?
SoIthatdisciplinething,sohardtogetmyhandsaround.
Yeah,likeIsaid,I'mreallygoodwiththeshop.
It'slikejustreallyorganizedwithit,butyeah,likethehome,homestuff.
LikeIhaveashopwheremytoolboxisatnexttomyhouse,onerackandeverything.
Andmyshophere,thebigshopisyouknow,it'simmaculate.
Likethetoolroom,everythingislabeled.
LikeIkeepitreallycleanandIhoundtheguysalot.
Um,Ilovethat.
Butmyhomeshop,yeah,disaster.
Allmytoolsareout.
Like,damnit.
Ialwaysdoaprojectandthenlikeleavetogethometolikethinkaboutthebigshop,youknow.
IIIfeelyourpainthereaswell.
Uhasactually,aswerecordthis,we'rerecordingonaMonday.
Iwasfinallyhomelongenoughformyhomeshoptokindoftakesometimetoorganize.
Andoddly,Ilovedoingit.
It'sjusthavingthetimetokindofdoit,right?
AndIwillIhavethisweirdthingwhereifwe'rehomeonlikeaFridaynight,Iwilllikemysonandwifewillgotobed,andIhavegottenaddictedtowatchingYouTubevideosaboutgarageorganization,whichisprobablythedorkiestthingI'veeverdoneinmylife,butitisfascinating.
That'smygetawaynowiswatchingwatchingvideosongarageorganization.
Ilovethat.
Ilovethat'swhyIlikeseeingotherpeople'sshops.
Itaketonsofpicturesofyouknowdifferentthingsthatgivemeideas.
Everyshop,dealership,andbusinessinourindustrydependsongreattechnicians.
Betweenthetechnicianshortage,disconnectedschoolrelationships,andlackoftrustworthyworkforcedata,itmakesitdifficultforshopstoplan,hire,andgrow.
Uhthat'swhereASCConnectscomesin.
UhcreatedinpartnershipwithRenchway,ASCConnectsisamembershipdesignedspecificallyforshopslikeyourstohelpyoubuildastrongertechnicianpipelinebyconnectingwithschools,empoweringyouwithtoolsanddatatoimproveyourrecruiting,retention,andperformance.
WithASCConnects,youcanconnectwithlocalschoolsthroughschoolassist,startbuildingrelationships,andsupporttheprogramsthateducateourfuturetechnicians.
Youcanalsoaccessverifieddataontechnicianpay,benefits,andlaborratesthroughtheindustrydataexchangesoyouknowhowyourshopcompareslocallyandnationally.
Lastly,youcangetprovenstrategiesforleadership,employeedevelopment,andshopmanagementthroughmembers-onlyguides,templates,andevents.
JoinASDConnectstostrengthenyourworkforceandbuildastronger,smartershop.
Learnmoreatwrenchway.com
slashsolutionsslashshopsorfollowthelinkintheshownotes.
Doyoueverdoyoueverlookatlikeotherbusinessesandhowtheyoperateandtrytoincorporateitlikeintoyourbusiness?
BecauseIalwaysthinkthat'sfascinatingofthingsthatwecantakefromotherindustries.
Soyeah,IvisitedafriendumnottoolongagooutinAsheville,NorthCarolina.
He'sgotabigshop,uhsimilarsizeasmine,andumwe'realwayscompetingmonthaftermonth.
IthinkIthinkfortheyearhemightbeaheadofmerightnow,butIwasbeatinghimformostoftheyear.
Hejustlikejuststartedgoingonatear.
Butum,yeah,hisshopwasimmaculatelikemine.
ButonethingIdidn'thavethattheyhadthatIreallylatchedontoistheyhadthisreallycoollikecommercialfloorcleaner,youknow,likethewalkbehind,andititlikehasabigbrushinthefront.
Umsoyeah,wehaveonenow.
Likeliterally,Igotitlastweek.
Youknow,itwaslikesixgrand.
I'mlike,I'vegottahaveit.
Like,andnowmyshopisevencleaner.
Sothatwasagreatthing.
Howdidthosework?
I'vealwaysbecauseyouseesomeofthemaretheride-onones,someofthemarethepushones.
Uhyeah,sothisworksprettygood,itsoundslikeyeah,itgoeslikebackandforwardandit'sit'seasytomaneuveraround.
AndtheycomewithlikekindofmoreoflikeanSOSkindofscrubbywheelupfront,butforanautoshop,youshouldbuythislikebigthickbrushjustbecauseit'sitcandealwiththeoilmoreandstuff,youknow.
Umandthenyouputlikeit'sbasicallylikesimplegreen,youknow,it'sjustlikeashopcommercialfloorcleaner,andyoufillitupwithwater,anditliterallyscrubsandsqueegeeesandvacuumsupeverything.
Like,soyouyougothroughaguy'sbayandititliterallycleansitwaybetterthanyoucanmopitbecauseit'sactuallylikeyouknow,scrubbingtheconcrete.
Soit'slike,yeah,it'sphenomenal.
It'syeah,myshopisliterallylikelikethefloorislikebrightnow.
Likeeveryonesaysthereflectionfromthelights,likeit'sjustlikeyeah,it'sgreat.
Iwouldhighlyrecommendit.
Didyouputlikeacoatingdownonyourfloororisitjustgeneralconcrete?
It'sit'slikeniceconditionconcrete,butitdoesn'thavelikeayeah,ititbasicallywaslikehardenedwithkindoflikeaalittlebitofacoating,butit'smostlyjustyouknow,justreallycleanconcrete,butit'sniceandsmooth.
Iknowsomeshops,evenlikemyshopnexttomyhouse,it'sliketheydidn'tuhfinishitaswellorsomethinglikethat.
Liketheydidn't,youknow,polishitandsmoothitdown,soit'skindofjustitlikeholdstheoilreallybad,youknow,ormyshop,everythingwipesupreallynice.
Yeah.
IandII'veseenpicturesofyourshopanditisabsolutelybeautiful,veryimmaculate.
OneofthoselittlekindofattentiontodetailthingsthatIdon'tknowifyouguysdothis,butI'veseenmoreandmorearepeopleusingtheoilmatsversuslikefloorfloordry.
Ohyeah.
Itfeelslikethatthathelpskindofcontrolthemessalittlebitmoretoo,justbecauseyoudon'tyou'renotlikeolddaysofashop,liketrippingoverthatthatoildryallovertheplace,andnowyoucankindofcontrolthatalittlebitmore.
Yeah,Idon'tknowifI'veeveractuallyusedthatstuff,thekittylitter.
Sowejustterrible,yeah.
Itis,it'sitjustmakeseverythinglookcrappy.
Youknow,youknow,youdon'twantthatoldgasstationlookingshop,youknow.
Youno,youdon't.
AndwhenIstartedoffintheindustry,whatIwhatIremember,well,whenIlikejustsomeofmyfirstjobsinourfamilyshopwerelikeatnight,I'dgocleantheshopandthenI'dtakeoutallthegarbage.
AndIjustrememberhowheavythosegarbagecanswerebecauseyouwouldscoopitupandthrowitinthegarbage,andthenII'dhavetotakethemallouttothedumpster.
AndjustlikeIwasnotabigguy,andsolikeyou'relit,you'reliftingthatgarbagecanoffandtryingnottoliketokeepthelidupwhileyou'retryingtogetthatoverwithouttryingtodumpeverythingallovertheplace,andwhatanabsolutemess.
IIuhI'mreallyhappythatuhthoseoil,Idon'tevenknowwhatyoucallthem.
LikeI'mgladtheycamearound,thosemats,becausethatuhjusttryingtokeepstuffcleanlookssomuchbetter.
Idon'tknowwhytheycallthempigmates,butthat'syeah,butwehavelikeacoupledifferentsizesofthem,andthebigonesworkreallynicetoo,tolikehavingourtoolroomliketheroll-aroundlikegearoildrumsandstuff,they'rekindofusuallysometimesdrippy,thoughweparkthoseonthethosebigmatsandstuff,it'skindofcool.
Well,shoutouttowhoevercameupwithpigmatsbecausetheyareaanabsolutegenius.
Yeah,fromtheindustry,wesaythankyou.
Yeah,yeah.
Well,soaswe'retalkingthroughallofthis,sorryforthesideconversationbecauseIIcouldgeekout.
AsImentioned,justlovethatkindofconversation.
Butthereasonwe'reheretodayistotalkmoreaboutculture.
AndIthoughtitwasaninterestingviewpointfromyourendofIthinkwetalkalotaboutleadershipanduhtwoleadersonhowtobuildagoodculture,howtokeepagoodculture,howtofindtherightpeopleforyourculture.
Butmaybewedon'tdoenoughabouttalkingabouttheactualcultureintheshop,likewhatdrivesyoucrazy,whatmakesanaworkenvironmentfun,andjustyouknow,Ithinkgenerallylikingbeingaroundthepeopleyou'reyou'reworkingwitheverydaybecauseyouarespendingsomuchtimeinashop.
Talktomealittlebitaboutthatimportance,right?
Ofofmaybefingeronthepulseofknowingwhat'sgoingoninashopandandjustlikedomypeoplelikeeachotherordon'tthey?
AndwhatdoIhavetodotosolvethat?
Yeah,IIfeellikeyouhitonsomereallygoodpointsthatIwasn'tevenreallythinkingofbefore,butwhatIyouknowwasbrainstormingearlierthismorning,IIwasjustthinkingmoreofyouknow,Ithinkwhatwhatpeoplearelookingfor.
Umanditititdoeshelptogetalongwithyourcoworkerandtolikeyourbossforsure.
Imeanthatthosearesomebigthings,butIreallythinkliketheshopcultureisallencompassedaroundyouknowtheshopandliketheimageoftheshop,thewhatitwhatisthebusiness,um,youknow,whatdoesitlooklike?
What'sthefeelwhenyougointoit?
Youknow,thethemainpeoplerunningtheshop,likehowaretheytodealwith?
Youknow,Ifeellikethosethingsumarereallyimportant.
Soit'snotjustoneIyoucouldprobablyfindlittlebitsofgoodshopcultureatmanyshops,right?
Theymighthave,youknow,agoodservicemanager,butthentheowner'snotnice,oryouknow,theytheycouldbeagoodgroupofpeople,buttheshopisdarkandtheequipment'sold,thatsortofthing.
LikeIreallyfeellikethecultureiskindofall-encompassing.
Umandthat'sIwhatwhatIfeellikeI'vebeenreallyluckywith.
Imean,I'veIdidbuildtheshop,youknow,andIIdesigneditandeverythingandandmadeitinsuchaway,that'syouknow,howIenvisionedit.
ButalsoIjustIfeellikeIalwaysthoughtaboutlike,youknow,tryingtocreateagoodplaceforpeopletoworkatandhavefun,notjusttoworkandmakecars,butactuallylikeenjoythemselvesandhavefun,evengoofaround.
Butyeah,umtogobacktothat,Ireallyfeellikeit'sjusteverythingwiththeshop.
It'slikeyouknow,theimage,thereputation,um,youknow,what'stheirpositionintown?
Youknow,aretheytheshopthat'sjustareallyspecialistnicheshopthatonlyworksoncertaincars?
Oraretheylikeashopthatyouknowwantstobringallthelocalpeoplein?
Youknow,um,hereinBend,Oregon,wehavetonsofToyotasandsprintervansandsomeEuropeancars.
Sowetrytotailortothem,youknow,whoarethepeoplethatarehere?
Youknow,andwetrytobeextremelyconvenienttowardspeople.
Wehaveyouknowaprettylargecrewthat'sfastmoving.
There's13ofushere.
SoIfeellikewecan,youknow,lastIthinklastweekwedid100cars,andyouknow,wecanprocessalotofcarsreallyquickly,we'reveryefficient.
UmwhenIreallyamconfidentinmythreeguysonthecounter,they'rejustyouknow,theyreallyliketheirjob.
Imean,that'snumberone.
So,likeanyonewhocomesin,liketheydon'tgenerallyhavebestsourattitudesandbadattitudes,andthey,youknow,anyonewhocomesin,theytheywanttotalktopeople,youknow.
Um,Iwasjusttellingyouearlier,Jay,thatI'llI'llhitonagainisuhwehaveanewmechanicthat'sbeenwithmeuhthreeweeksnow,oratechnician,Ishouldsay,right?
We'retryingtofindtechnicians,butumIreallylikehowwefoundthispersonbecauseitwasIwasdoingsomecrazymarketing.
Um,Idon'tknowifyouheardofAutoShopMedia,butIdolotsofyouknownewnewthings,andIhadyouknowallthenormalstuffgoing,theziprecruiter,youknow,indeed,youknow,newstuffonRenchway.
We'rehittingupoursocialmediastuff,Craigslisteven.
Um,weendedupgettingatechnicianfromapartsrunnerguythatjustlovesourshopsomuch,hewantedtofindusatechnician.
Butthisisagreatexampleoflike,yeah.
Umthepartspeoplethatcomeintoourshopanddeliverusparts.
Imean,they'realwayslikewavingandtalkingtous,andalotofthemwillgothroughtheshopandcomeinandsayhitoouragoldentree,goldenretrieveruhshopdog,youknow,asupersweetBaileydog.
Um,andeveryonehastoseeher.
Andyouknow,it'sjustaplacewhereeveryonelikestogoto.
Youknow,IIpicturethemlikegoingtotheyouknow,transmissionshoponthecornerthatitlookslikeayouknowadungeon,andthentheygotosomeothershops,andinhereit'slikeyouknow,thethemusic'scranking,everyone'srunningaround,andyeah,they'relike,Oh,hey,thanksfortheparts.
Youknow,sayhitothedog,youknow,likethat'sthat'stheculture,andthat'syouknow,that'swhatyouwant.
Andpeoplego.
gravitatetowardsthat,right?
LikeIthinkthat'sproven.
Andyouknow,thisthisperson,thepartsguy,um,knew,youknow,anothershopinaneighboringtownthattheguywasn'tveryhappy,youknow,andheconvincedus,like,hey,youshouldcheckouttheseguys.
Theyhavewehadhiringsignsalsoallovertheplace,likeonthefrontoftheshop,evenoneforthepartsdriverstosee.
Likewe'rehiringforatechnician.
Butyeah,sothatwasreallycool.
AndIreallyfeellikeifyousetupeverythinglikethat,itmakesthingseasier.
Andthatiskindoftheculture,theyouknow,thereputationthatthatwehaveandandpeoplemostofthepeoplereallyenjoythat.
Yeah,wellIthinkthere'sjustatonofvalueinbeingnice,right?
Youtalkaboutthethepartsdriverandyouknowyoulookatmaybeevenyourvendorrelationshipsandthatthatpartsguythat'scominginorpartswomanthat'scomingineverysingleday.
Andhowoftenyouinteractwiththem,especiallynowwithlikeallofthehotshotstuff.
Likethere'sjustthere'salwayspeoplecominginandoutofashop.
Andit'sreallyeasytoignorethemormaybelikejustyouknowonlycomplaintothemwhenmaybetheybroughtthewrongpartandtheyprobablyweren'tevenresponsibleforitinthefirstplace,right?
LikeIIthinkifyoucantreateverybodywithrespect,Ithinkthat'skindofthegoldenrulerightofofjustyouknowjustbecausethey'rethepartsdriverdoesn'tmeanyoutreatthemwithanylesslevelofrespect,right?
Uhthey'retryingtojustbenice.
Likethatthatmakeslifesomucheasierinitingeneral.
AndyeahImeanIIknowyouknowshopownersandotherpeoplegetmadatpartsdriversfortakingawhileorwhatever.
Andit'sjusttotallyridiculous.
Likeifyouifyouchangethataroundandmaybegivethepartsdriveryouknowsomedonutsonceamonthlikeyouknowthat'sthat'swhatyouwant.
Imeanthey'regonnabelikecomingoutforyouandbehappytoseeyou.
Likeyou'reImeanpeopledon'tdoitonpurposebutthey'reliterallydrivingyouknowpeopleawayfromtheirbusiness.
YouknowwhywouldtheywanttocomethereiftheygetyelledatformixinguppartsandbecauseyeahyouknowthosepartsguysImeanit'skindofanentryleveljobthatsomesomedoforeverandI'mI'mgladtheydoit.
Youknowumbutyeahthere'snoreasonforthat.
WellhowoftenlikeitfeelslikeI'veseenthisalotwhereandthisisn'tjustinourindustryIthinkanyanybodykindofhasseenthisbutespeciallyinourindustrywhereyouyou'reinashopandthatartsdeliverypersonoreventhat'sthesalespersonwhoeveritisisjustgettinganearfulforsomethingthatwasn'teventheirfaulthadtheyhadnothingtodowithitbutthatyouknowthatthatmanagerwantstomakesurethey'relandingtheirpointhomeononthedissatisfaction.
Andgrantedifit'ssomethingthat'shappenedtimeandtimeandtimeagainyou'retryingtotokindofraiseituptheflagpolealittlebitbutthatthatseemslikeareallygoodinstanceorexamplethatwe'veallseeninourcareerswheresomebody'sjustgettingscreamedatandtheyhadnothingtodowithit.
AndII'vesatonthekindofobservedthathappenbeforeandjustbeenlikewhatwhatareyouaccomplishinghere?
Likewhatwhatwhatareyoudoing?
You'rejustruiningthisperson'sdaywhohadnobearingonthiswhatsoeverbutyou'reyoujustwanttogetyourpointhomeandit'slikecomeonguys.
Mm-hmmyesI'veI'veworkedtherebeforethoseplacesyesnotverymuchprofilerightyeahnonotgoodculturethat'stheoppositethat'sImeanthat'sthepeoplethataretryingtoleavethoseplacesyeahyeah100%safetheydon'tfeelrespectednonotagoodthosepeopledrivemecrazy.
Soifyou'relisteningtothisandyou'reoneofthemthatdrivemecrazyI'lluhwelcomeyoutoreachouttomeandtalktomeandandgivemeavalidreasonastolikeandtherearetimeswherelikeyou'reyouknowinthecourseofdoingbusinessyou'regonnagetaggravatedandthingsaregoingtogowrongandI'vehadtoletsomepeoplegoyouknowyeahthat'syouknowIhadaashopporterthatlikeonceaweekwewouldgetacallfromrandompeopleonthestreetyouknowcallinginabouthowbadthiskiddroveourcars.
That'snotgreat.
Youknowwhenyouhearitforthethirdtimeyou'relikedudeyou'rejustnotagooddriver.
Wellitit'stoughandIitlikeIIthinkthatkindofbleedsoverintothosetechnicianrelationshipsaswellormaybeifyoudohaveapartspersonuhinternallyoryou'vegoteventhatrelationshipbetweentechniciansandandserviceridersrightwhereifitbecomesnaturalwhereyou'rejustyellingateachotherthenagainnotprobablytheenvironmentyou'relookingtotobeapartofandIyouknowgrowingupevenourfamily
shopwehadanelementofthatrightwherethewrencheswereflyinganduhFbombsareflyingaswellanditjustit'snotit'snotoverlyenjoyableuhbyanystretchtotokindofliveinthatfearandIdothinkourindustryhasevolvedalotuhinthatregardbecauseIthinkthatwasalmosteveryshopbackinthedaybutnowitfeelslikemaybethetidehaschangedthereissomebetterleadershipinshopsornotevenbetterleadershipjustadifferenttypeofleadership
thanthanmaybewhatwegrewupwithithascomealongwayforsurebecauseyeahIhaven'thadmuchofthewrenchthrowersinquiteawhilethankfullyyeahmaybewe'reallgettingsmarterIdon'tknowwellandthere'ssomuchthatimpactsculturerightwhenwelookinternallyatashopthethingsthatcanfrustrateusonethatnevergetstalkedaboutbutIalwaysthinkisfascinatingisonethatyoubroughtuponthetheintro
tothisuhinourconversationbeforewehitrecordwhichismusicandIwasIwashopingthattherolethatmethattherolethatmusicplaysinashopisprobablywaymoreimportantthanthanitgetscreditfor.
That'strue.
YeahIdon'tIdon'twanttobagoncountrymusicbutyeahwhatJaywasmentioningwasasweweretalkingaboutumsomeshopsthatweknowoflikeIyouknowandit'snotit'snotthecountrymusicumbutit'sthethingofitisifyoulistentothesamemusiceverysingledayandeveryonedoesn'tlikethatyouknowthat'swhatitisyou'rebasicallyyou'reyou'renotincludingeverybodybecauseyouknowpeoplelikevarietyandyouknowifyouhaveashopwithmorethan
twothreepeoplechancesarethere'sgonnabesomeoneintherethatjustwantsyouknowsomerefreshingmusicjustyouknowchangeitupandit'sjustbeingrespectfulit'smakingtheculturegoodforeveryonerightandthecustomersumbutititisfunnythatyouknowIworkedattheyeahashopinnorthernCaliforniathatitwascutcountryeverysingledayandIdon'tknowwhatitwasbutitwasjustkindofadarkatmosphereandIeventriedtotalktothetheowner
likecanwechangeituponedayI'mdyinghereyouknowumandthisnewtechnicianthatIhavehehadtheexactsamescenariosoummaybeohmaybethisisitJaymaybepeoplethatlistentocountrymusicdon'tlistentoanyotherkindofmusicit'scountryandwesternthat'sitsoasasasacountrymusicguyIlistentoeverythinglikeIIitbutIlikeittoopointtakenatlikewhenIgrewupinashopwe
we'reinruralWisconsinrighttheretherewasoneradiostationthatwouldactuallycomeinandthisisbeforewehadSiriusXMandlikeallofthesatelliteradiobutlikeitdidgetreallyreallyoldandtheydidn'tevenchangeupthislocalradiostationdidn'tevenchangeuptheplaylistsolikeeverydayitwasthesamesongsatthesametimeanditwouldjustdriveyouabsolutelyinsane.
AndImeanyoujustlookatlikecreaturecomfortsofwhatmakeyourlifeenjoyablethatifyou'relisteningthesameradioeverysingledayititsometimesjustnicetomixitupandIItoldyoubeforeI'vegotashortaaaafunnystorytoshareinregardtomusicandit'sIIhadworkedinashopwhileIwasgoingtotechschoolinChicago.
AndwehadagroupthatgotalongprettygoodbuttherewasuhititwasanationalchainIwon'tmentionthenameofthenationalchainbutweworkedthereandtherewasthisuhkindofourouruhmiddleagedtechatthetimerightwhichisprobablyaboutmyagenowwasthisguythathadashavedheadhelookedlikeStoneColdSteveAustinbiglikekindofrippedguyandhewaskindoftheenforcerwellwehadanotherguythatwasaboutmyageor
justslightlyolderthanmeandhewasactuallyareallygoodtechhewaskindofthesmartassrightlikehewaskindoflikethethefunnyguyandsohewouldgoscrewattheradiostationandthisguyreallylikedlikeheavymetalorcountrywasoneofthetwolikehelikedoneofthemandthenthisotherguywouldchangeittotheoppositeofwhatheliked.
AndtheyitwasoneofthosethingswhereyoucouldjustfeelthetensionbuildingoverthecourseofliketwoweeksandIthinkwe'veallbeenthereinashopwhereyoucankindofjustfeelthattensionrising.
OhyeahanditendedwithStoneColdSteveAustinpunchingthisguylikeashe'sgettingintoaintoacustomer'scarandI'mlikeohmyGodhere'shere'sthisI'mIwas18yearsoldfromsmalltownWisconsinandI'mworkingattheshopinChicagoandaguygetspunchedwithinlikethefirstthreemonthsI'mthereandit'sjusteverybodyhastogooverandlikebreakhimupanditwasuhthat'sgreatkindofthosewelcometotherealworldmoments.
Anduhluckilyit'stheonlytimeIeversawsomebodygetpunchedinashopbutitwasuhhelaidhimdownuhprettyprettygoodandallbecauseofmusicuhitwasthemusicchoiceandthemscrewingwitheachother.
ImeanIIfeellikeifpeopleyouknowshopownersmechanicslistentothisstuffImeanhopefullytheycantakethishomeandjusthavesomevarietyintheirshops.
Becauseitistrue.
YeahifImeanevenifyou'reworkinginsomeofficeandthepeoplelistentothesamemaybeit'seasylisteningjazzhoureverydayyouknowyou'regonnagoinsaneyouknowandit'snotbeingrespectfulandyeahyougottokindofaskpeopleheyit'syouknowtodayitcanbeyeardaytocheckoutthemusicbutyeahthat'sagreatIwasIwasthinkingthemovielike40yearoldvirginwhereumthey'retheyworkinlikeaBestBuyorsomethingandalltheTVsareplaying
likethatsamekindofuhsmoothjazzorwhateverlikeMichaelBoltonorsomethinginthebackgroundandII'dlikethatjustgivesyounightmaresaboutuhwhattheirdaysprobablylookedlikeyeahthoseyouknowI'mjustthinkingaboutthistechnicianthatjustcameyouknowandjoineduslikethosepeopleneveraskedhimifhewantedanyothermusicoranythinglikethatyouknowyeahIfeellikejustbeconsideredyeahexactlywekeeptalkingaboutthemusic
thingforeverbutIthinkit'sjustthat'sthemainpointisyeahyou'rejustyou'retryingtogetalongwiththewholegroupofpeopletheymightnotlikethesamemusicasyouandyouknowandandyoushouldn'tbethatstuckinyourwaystoothatyouhavetolistentothesamemusiceverydaylikethisistheonekindofmusicthat'sgonnabeyouknowyeahwellitititthatextendsintootherthingsthoughtoowhenyouthinkaboutityoutalkedabouthowyoulikeacleanshopandyoudon'twantthatdungeon
feelyouwantsomethingthatfeelswarmandinvitingandI'msureinevitablyyou'llgetatechnicianthatmaybedoesn'tcleanupacleanupafterthemselvesorisrushingtogetajobdoneonaFridayafternoonandleavestheirstallacompletemessbecausetheytheyneedtogetoutandgethome.
AndIdothinktherearetimeswhereyou'rejustlikeitit'sgoingtohappenoccasionallybutifit'slikeaifit'satrendthat'swhenitbecomesconcerningyeahuhsometimesMondaymorninglikethismorningifFridayiskindofcrazyitcanbeyouknowbethat'sprobablythethemessiestthisplacegetsbutgenerallyyeahwejustImeanmostsanepeoplelikeitcleaninashopyouknowlikeit'sreallyhardtoworkonacarifyourtoolsareall
overtheplaceandyou'reliketrippingoverstuffandyouknowtheairhosereeldoesn'tworkandyouknowyeahsokeepingthatgoesalongwithcultureaswelllikekeepinganicetidyreallyorganizedshopmakesitmoreefficientkeepseveryonehappylikeyouknowtechniciansyouknowlookingatyourwrenchwaysurveyyouknowlikeshopequipmentandstufflikethatandthatkindofstuffisisbighugeyouknowyeahit'shugebecausepeopleyouknowtechniciansthatlikeactually
liketheirjobandwanttobeabletofixcarsyouknowwantallthatstufftheywantitcleantheywantgoodequipmentgoodtrainingyouknowtohavesotohelpthemsucceedandhelpthembetterthemselvesitseemslikecommonsenserightlikeyouyouwantitisthatenvironmentyouwoulddesirethatenvironmentbutlikehowdoyouhowdoyouthenhavethatconversationwithatechthatmightnotbelivinguptoyourstandardintermsofcleanlinessthat'swhydoyoubring
thatstuffupIjusthadthatnottoolongagoIliketoIliketoasktheuhhardhittingawkwardquestionsthat'sthat'sgreatyouknowumthiswaskindofrecentsohopefullyI'mseeingthingssuperclearlyandnotjustdisgruntledoverthisguybutumIreallyfeellikeififsomeonecan'tyouknowbeapartoftheteamandkindofgetwiththeprogramandunderstandthatthey'reaffectingotherguysintheirbusinessyouknowor
haveyoueverhadamechanicwithanattitudeanddoesn'twanttocleanuphisownmesshewantslikesomeoneelsetocleanitupbecausehe'stooimportantandhe'sworkingonothervehiclesthatonedrivesmecrazy.
OhmansothatthatkindofgoesalongmorewithyeahthetheteamthecultureyouknowumfittinginwiththegroupandbeingrespectfulbutI'veI'vetotallyhadthatandyouknowthisguywaswithmeformanyyearsandIwouldconstantlywekindofhaveauhinbayinourbiglongshopherewherethealignmentrackisandthenwehaveabigheavydutytwopoststhat'llliftlikebigsprintersupandstuffandwheneverhewouldworkbacktherehewouldleaveallthestuffalloveryouknowforsomeoneelsetoclean
upitdrovemecrazy.
IwouldaskhimoverandoverandoveragainandhewouldevengivemesomepushbackyouknowumyeahsouhIdon'thavethatrightnoweveryonereallylikesitcleanandmostpeopleyouknowlikeumheyyouleftsomerotorsbacktherelikeohnoproblemI'mgonnagocleanthatupyouknowIdon'twanttoyouknowbeajerktothenextguyworkingovertherebutumyeahsomeoftheguysjustdon'tcareortheyyouknowtheyhavealittlechipontheirshoulder
Idon'tknowbutumhowmuchofthatcomesdowntoegothoughrightbecauseIthinkyouyouthatthatexamplethatyoujustusedoflikeI'mtooimportanttodothissmalltaskit'sreallyirritatingbecausewhenyouseewhenyouseekindofthatreallygoodtechiIalwaystalkabouthowmuchIloveaprofessionaltech.
AndwhenIsayprofessionalthey'reverycleantheygetalongwitheverybodythattheyworkwithuhtheydon'talwayshavetobetheloudestpersonintheshopbutlikekindofthatleadbyexamplejustreallygoodpersonitisoneofthecoolestthingsbutthenyoudorunacrossoccasionallykindofthategocentrictechthatyouknowhastoomuchprideandalmostlikeifyougetacoupleofthoseintheshopandthoseegosstarttoreallyclashitcanmake
thingsuglyprettyquick.
Yeahthat'stheproblem.
Yeahthat'swhenthat'swhenyouhavetointerveneandseparatethemorgetridofoneofthemunfortunatelyyeahImeanthatthisisagoodpointonthepodcastImeanfortechniciansthatlistentothisstuffImeandoingsomeself-reflectingImeanIknowsomeownersthatarelikethatyouknowforsureanduhforsureyouknowIcandefinitelyyouknowtakeoutthetrashIcanmopIcleanupI'myouknowtheguysjokearoundbecausesometimesIgointothiscrazyspring
cleaningfrenzythey'relikeohgodGabe'slikereorganizingcleaningandyeahit'susuallylikeabigexplosiongoesoffandIgetridoflotsofthingsandIgiveeveryonesomeflackforyouknowleavingsomestuffaroundundertheirshelvesorsomethingyouknowumandeveryonecleansupbutbutyeahImeanthesetechniciansImeanyeahyoucanbesupergoodatfixingcarsyoucanbeuhefficientyoucouldbeagreatyouknowdiagnosticianthatcanusealabscopeallthatstuff
butifyou'redon'tgetalongwithagroupverywelloryouknowfeellikeyou'reaboveeveryoneelseumthatdoesn'tworkoutthegreatestlikeIdon'thaveitinmyshopwhereIhaveashopforemanyouknowIhavesixtechniciansandahelpersoandtheytheyallkindofdoalittlebitofeverything.
ImeanIdefinitelyhavesomewiththeirforteyouknowIIdohavethemasterdiagnosticguythatisinsanewiththeumyouknowlabscopesandyoushouldseehistoolcardit'sit'ssomethingofbeautyyesyeahandandIhaveyouknowatechsthatarejustmasterproducersumcanfixeverythingandIhaveguysthatarereallygoodatToyotasandcandosomeotherstuffandtheyhavesomeyouknoweveryonehasthereissomeforteintherebutIdon'thaveoneguythatjustdoesallthediagand
oneguythatjustdoestheenginesandoneguyyouknoweveryonekindofdoeseverythingandIdon'tthere'snoleaderoutthere.
SoeveryonekindoftakescareoftheirownstuffandyouknowtryyoutrytokeepitonequaltermsyouknowsotheycangetalongbeapartoftheteamumsharetheequipmentandyouknowhopefullyputitbackhowtheyfounditumsoItrytoyouknowseparateanykindofumyouknowsomeonejusttryyouknowbeingtryingtotryingtobeanotherbossofthemyouknowandjustlikemakingmoreissuesbasicallyyeahIacouplethingsthereI
lovethefactthatyouleadbyexamplerightyou'renotafraidtogotakeoutthetrashyou'renotafraidtotogocleanupifyouneedtoandIthinkthatthatkindofsetsthestageforeverybodyelseyouknowthenyouyou'renotfallingintothatsametrapwhereyourego'ssobigthatyoucan'tdothatstuff.
AndIIdothinkleadingbyexampleissuchanimportantpiecetothat.
ButthenyouknowjustlikeIdon'tknowwhatwhatyoutalkedaboutwiththefactthatyou'vegotashopandIIviewashopalotoftimeslikeapuzzle,right?
Whereyouhavetoputthepuzzlepiecestogetherinordertogettherightmixofpeoplebecauseyou'reprobablygonnahavesomesomepeoplethatliketotalkmorethanothers.
You'regonnahaveothersthatreallydon'twanttohavethatconversation.
They'retheretoworkandgetwhatevertheyneeddone.
AndIthinksomeofthebestculturesI'veseenarewheretheydohavethatlikeperfectmixofpeoplethatcomplimentoneanotherandandnotonlyjusttheirtechnicalskillsetbuttheirpersonalitiesandandyou'llseekindofthetheoldgrumpytechgetalongreallygoodwithlikeaayoungerperson.
AndIIjustthinkthat'soneofthecoolestthingseverwheremaybetheycanhelpeachotheroutandandforthebettermentoftheteamrightlikepeoplejustandlikewhentheyenjoybeingaroundeachotheritmakeslifebetterifyouenjoythepeopleyeahIIlikeyourpointonyouknowbeinglookingattheshopasapuzzle.
AndourjobistoyouknowdopuzzleseverydaywiththecarsrightyeahalotofpuzzlesbutyeahandumitkindofmakesmethinkaboutImeanIIdospendalotoftimeandenergytryingtohireandattracttherightpeoplebutalsoasyouknowJaylikethere'snotatonofthesetechniciansoutthereorautomotiveserviceprofessionalstoyouknowworkonthecounterthatknowaboutthecarsbutalsogreatcustomerserviceumyoukindofalotoftimes
havetohirewhatyoucanget.
AndIthinkfortunatelywhat'shappenedinmyshoptimeandtimeinkin,whichisnotalwaysnotalwaysgreatoratthegreatesttiming,butifyousetupaculturelikethisandyouknowmakeitclearofhowyouwantityouknowrunandhowyouwanteveryonetogetalongandbeequalandmakeitclearthatyou'retryingtoyouknowcreatethebestshopforthemandgivethemthebestopportunitytodoallthisstuff,liketheguysthatdon'tnormally
fitinkindoflikeweedthemselvesoutyouknowtimeandtimeagain.
Or,youknow,starttopushbackforcertainthingsthatarejust,youknow,there'snoreasonforit.
Youknow,likeeverythingIdoistotrytolikehelptheguys,youknow,withnewequipmentorhaveitcleanerorum,youknow,dosomethingtomakethingsmoreefficient,um,givethemmoretraining,likeeverythingistoimprovetheirstuff.
Andififyouhaveguysthatyouknowdon'twanttogoalongwiththatorstartpushingback,anditstops,youknow,anditthenitstartsaffectingotherpeople,andyouknow,likeyouwerejusttalkingabouttwonegativeguystogether.
Um,becauseitcan,youknow,youcaneventurnpositiveguysnegativeiftheyheariteveryday,justlikecountrymusiceveryday,it'sgonnagetnegative.
Okay,Iwon'tsaythatanymore.
Thatthatwasagreatwaytotieitback.
Thatthatwasreally,reallygood.
IIdoIwhenyoulookatthat,andIthinkyouhitonakeypointthere,thatsomanyshopsfindthemselveschasingtheirtailbecausetheyarealwaysdesperatetofindpeople,right?
Andsothatinherentlyjustpushesyoutomaybemakesomemoreofthoseimpulsehiresratherthangoingthroughtheduediligenceandandreallybeingintentional.
Ialwaystalktoshopsaboutkindofhavingalmostthatavatarinmindofthetheperfecttechandandkindofalmostcreatingthatpersonyou'reinterviewingupagainstthatavatar,becauseIdothinkyou'vegottobecrystalclearonwhatyouthinkisgoodforyourshopbecausenoteveryshop'sgonnabethesameeither,right?
Intermsofwhatthey'relookingfor,personalitiesandandeventechnicalskill.
ItititreallyIthinkcomesdowntothefactthatit'sreallyhardtobuildacultureifyou'rehiringondesperation,ifyou'reconstantlydesperatetohire.
Andyouknow,IthinkthosethathavefollowedWrenchwayovertheyearsandandkindofourcompany,you'veseenourshiftfromthegeneralrecruitingtomoreofthedevelopment.
AndIthinkthatwasbecausewesawovertimewhereifyou'rejustconstantlytryingtohirethatmastertechandyou'rereallynothavingsuccesswithit,yetyou'rejustconstantlydoingthesamethingoverandoverandoveragain.
You'rechasingyourtail.
Andgranted,IIgetthatI'mpaintingarainbowherewhereyouknowI'mI'mmakingitsoundlikeit'sreallyeasyjusttobringpeopleinanddevelopthem.
Butififyou'vechasedyourtailatthisforyearsorordecadeseven,andyou'reyou'reconstantlyfindingyourselfinthatpositionandyoucan'tseemtogetthatculturethatyouwant,atwhatpointdoyoujustkindoflookatitandsay,maybeweshouldtryadifferentapproachherebecausewhatwe'redoingisn'tworking?
Iandagain,Isorrytogooffonmyrant,butititisoneofthosethingswhereasyou'retryingtobuildaculture,butyoucan'tintentionallyhire,IIthinkyou'regonnafindyourselfinareallytoughspot.
Umthehiringissuchahardsubject,andyouknow,umlikeyouweresaying,it'sumit'sreallyhardtofindtherightpeople.
Imean,I'vebeendoingitforquitesometime,andIgottasay,like,evenImean,we'reprettygoodwithdoingmultipleinterviews.
Wedoaworkinginterviewprettymucheverytime.
Um,littlesidenote,IIhavealotofpeoplemissoutontheworkinginterview.
It'sprettyinteresting.
Likepeoplethathavegreatresumes,like,ohmygod,andgreatphoneintervieworperson-to-personinterview,theyjustdon'tevenshowupfortheworkinginterview.
Hugeredflag.
It'slike,what?
Allright,ifyoucan'tevengetalongwithmeforacouplehoursandgetpaidtoseeifyoulikeithere,thenit'sprobablynotgonnawork.
ButwhatIwasgonnasayis,um,yeah,ofcourse,likeyouyouneedtocheck,youknow,certainthingsoffthelistrightaway,youknow,justlike,isthereanyredflagswiththispersonasfaraslikethesimplethings,youknow?
UmIdon'tknowifI'dreallyneedtogointothat,butyouknow,justlikethebasicrequirements.
Well,it'syouknowwecoulddoanentirelydifferentepisodejustonthatpointbecausethatlikeeveninyourposition,whenI'mlookingatthat,andIIwasjustreadingathreadonFacebooktheotherdaythattalkedaboutworkinginterviews,andtherewerealotoftextsthatwerelike,listen,I'mjustnotgonnadoaworkinginterview.
WhatIthinkyou'vecreatediskindofthatpulltypeeffectwherethat'swhatthat'sthepowerofculture.
Ifyou'vegotkindofthatitourindustryismuchsmallerthanIthinkpeoplethinkitis,right?
Andwordtravelsfast.
Andifthereare,youknow,you'vecreatedsomeofthoseinternalravingfansthatreally,reallyenjoyworkingforyou,orthatpartsrunnerthatseesthatcultureeachandeverydayandgoesouttoayouknow,havedrinkswiththeirfriendandsays,Hey,thatthisshopisphenomenal,likeoneofthecoolestshopsyou'deversee.
Ithinkthenyouhavealittlebitofleveragetosay,let'sdoaworkinginterviewbecausepeoplewanttocometoworkthere.
Ithinkwherepeoplegetthatwrongisiftheircultureisn'tgreatandtheydon'thavethenicefacilities,theydon'thavekindofthethingsthatyou'veyou'veworkedsohardatatreallykindofbuildingandmaintaining.
Itisabigasktotohavethattechcomeinforaworkinginterview.
Andalotofalotoffolksaresoimpatientintheirhiringprocessthatthey'reforgettheworkinginterview.
Comein,like,signyouyouwanttosignthispaper,likecomeonin,let'sgetyourbenefitssetupandlet'sgetyourolling.
UhsoIIIthinkIsayallofthatjusttosayIappreciatethefactthatyou'repatientenoughtotogothroughaduediligenceprocessandactuallykindofgettoknowthepersonalittlebit.
Yeah,andImeanwhatIwaskindofleadingintobeforetoowasyouknow,youcoulddoyeah,thephoneinterview,person-to-personinterview,workinginterview.
Icantellyourightnow,likeyoustilldon'tknowhowthisguyisgonnabein90daysorayear,okay.
That'sthebigpoint.
Soyoukindoflike,youknow,doyourduediligence,youknow,makesurethathewantstoworkinashoplikethis.
Youknow,you'regonnabeworkingwithpeople.
Idefinitelyhavethatsometimes,youknow.
Um,sometechniciansthatworkatabigflatrateshoporIdon'tknow,maybeareallysmallshop,theydon'taren'treallyusedtoworkingwithabunchofpeoplesidebyside,andtheydon'twanttohave,youknow,wehaveaproductionmeetingeverysinglemorning,likelotsofmeetings,afullshopmeetingTuesdayatluncheveryweek.
Andsomepeopledon'twantmeetings,theydon'twanttobetalkedto,sothat'slikestuffrightawaythat'sgonnaweedoutsomepeoplethataren'tgonnafitinthisculture.
Umwhatdoyoudoinyourproductionmeeting?
I'mjustcurioustolikewhenyouwhenyou'restartingoffthedaywithaproductionmeeting,uhwhatisit,whatdoesthatentail?
Soit'sacouplethings,andI'llImeanI'lltellyouthelikesecretofit.
Imean,themainyouknow,wehaveabigTVonthewall,abigflatscreenthatshowsthescheduleforallthetechniciansforthedayandshowsalltheirdifferentcars,andthemanagerkindofgoesrealquickovereachtheguy'sschedule,um,andwekindofcheckoutoverwhatthey'vehadbefore.
Um,butwhatIwasgonnasay,theyouknow,thenotthesecretorthemainreasonwhywedothisthoughisit'sastartingpointintheday.
Youknow,likethisthatmyguysonthecounteraresogood,theyknoweverythingwhat'sgoingonintheshop.
Theyknowwhatcarsareintheshop,howlongtheyprobablyhavetobeworkingonthem,theyknowtheschedule,andtheyknowit'sgonnachangearoundthroughouttheday,too.
Soit'snotlikeahugethingtotellthetechnicianwhateverysinglecartheyhave,becauseyouknow,liketheafternooncars,thethreeo'clockcarsaremightgetswappedaround,youknow.
Butthemainthingistogeteveryonetogether.
It'sthewholecrew,exceptfortwooftheserviceadvisorsarestillbeyondthecounter.
Um,butit'sjusteveryonetobetheretogether.
They'reinabigcircle,alwaysjoking.
Um,mymanagerishilariouswhodoestheproductionmeeting.
He'slikeacomedian,andthenyouknow,somethinghe'llcomeupwithsomethingovertheweekend,youknow,ifitnotwon'tbeveryPC,youknow,orit'lljustbesomethingoffthewall,andtheyouknow,meetingalwaysgoesalittlesidewaysattheend,andthenthatthenit'sbreak.
Let'sgettowork,youknow.
Butit'sit'sit'smuchbetterthantheorganicstartwhereeveryonetricklinginatdifferenttimes.
There'salwaystheearlyones,thelateones.
Someofthemwanttogetgoingtoworkrightaway.
Someofthemareyouknowworkingontheirownstuff,youknowwhatImean?
Um,yeahfromtheweekendthattheyhadinthere.
Sothisislikeabringeveryonetogether,astart.
Um,andI'musuallyinthatmeetingasaswellwhenI'mhere.
Andum,butyeah,andthenTuesday,umtheshopbuyseveryonelunch,andthentheserviceadvisors,um,andthentheassistantserviceadvisoraswell,andallthetechniciansareinourbreakroom,andandwealleatlunchtogether,andthenjustthelast20minutesumofthelunchhour,um,themanagerdoesmorelikeatechnicianmeeting.
Um,justlikeinterestingwewellhowwedidlastweek,um,howthehourswerelooking,youknow,kindoftechnicianstuff,youknow,um,stuffwithequipmentortoolsintheshop.
Theverylastlikecoupleminutes,wedolikeatechniciansharingmeeting.
Soiftherewassomethingweirddevelopmentonasprinterthatwefiguredout,youknow,orsomethinglikethat,um,whatscantoolsareworkingwithwhatcars.
WeworkonalotofyouknowlatermodelEuropeancarsandthingslikethat.
Andit'sit'shardtofigureoutum,youknow,scantoolstufftoevenreset,youknow,oilchangestuff,um,thingslikethat.
Um,butyeah,it'sit'simportantjustliketheconsistencythough.
Youknowconsistencyandthenthefactthatyou'reproactivelydrivingcommunication.
IItalkedtoalotofshopleadersaboutthatsidetoo.
Youyoumentionedourvoiceoftechnicianreport.
ThatcommunicationsidealwayscomesthroughinthatreportoflikeI'mnotbeingcommunicatedtoenough,I'mnotbeinglikenobodycareswhatIthink,andandallofthosethingsthatifweleaveituptothetechniciantocommunicatetotheleadershipteam,it'sprobablynotgoingtobecommunicateduntilyouyouhavethatblowuporthatdustupthatweweretalkingaboutearlier.
AndsoIItalkedtosomanyshopmanagersaboutthatofyouknow,it'snotthetechnician'sjobtodrivethatcommunication.
Itisyourjobtodrivethatcommunication.
Anddoingthoseproductionmeetings,Ithinkisahugelyimpactfulandhelpfulwaytodothat.
Ilovethepointthatyoumadeaboutkindofthenaturalstarttoyourdaywhereitwouldfeelweirdifyoudidn'thaveit.
Andthenthethelunchpart,turningsomethingthat'sfunintotoaddingalittlebitofproductivityconversationtoit,IIthinkisbrilliant.
That'sathat'sareally,reallynicesetup.
Yeah,andImean,really,alltheguyslikeTuesdaybecauseyouknowtheshopbuysanicelunch.
Youknow,we'llgetthewayoverpricedtrendyburgersfromBenBurger,orlikewe'llorderliketonsofOliveGardenorlikeyouknow,kindofwhatever,um,forthewholeshopwithyouknow,drinksandeverything.
Soit'syouknow,theyfeelliketheygettreatedalittlebit,andtheyusuallywatchlikethefunnyvideosonYouTubeforthewholetimethatwe'renothavingameeting,youknow.
Whatisit,likethefailfailarmyorsomething?
Sothey'realljustlaughingoutthere,andthenyeah,andyouknow,uhsomepeoplearemoreintothemeetingsthansomeoftheotherones.
Youknow,Ihavesomepeoplethatarejustyouknowtotallygreatandfinewithit,andyouknow,someoftheguys,youknow,seemlikethey'reokay,okay,isitdoneyet?
It'sgoodtowork,youknow.
Butumit'saninterestingdynamic.
Uhandevengoingbacktomusicselection,uhevenlikethefoodselection.
Therewegoagain.
Likethisisn'tamusicpodcast.
Idon'twantOliveGarden.
UhIinfactloveOliveGarden,souhnonohatetouhtoOliveGarden.
Uhgreat,greatstuff.
Butuhno,ititisuhitiscoolthatyoudoallofthatthough.
Anduh,youknow,kindofaswe'reclosingthisout,IIalwaysfeellikethere'ssomuchIcanlearnfromyouontheculturesideofthingsjustbecauseofofwhatagreatoperationyourunandandhowimportantkindofthatthatgrowthmindsetiswithwithyouandyourteam,andthenhowimportantkindofthefunaspectsaretoyouandyourteamaswell,andjustyouknow,reallykindofdrivingthatwanttoworkwitheachotherbecauseIIIthinkwe'veallworkedforplacesthatdon'thave
that,andititisnotafunplacetobe.
Everybodylivesonkindofthistenseedgethatyouknowisn'tfun.
IIlovethepointthatyoumadeaboutyouknow,ififthere'ssomethingthatthegroupcanlearnfromoneindividual,IItalkalotaboutthattoo,whereit'syouknow,ifyoumadeamistake,that'sfine,butlet'slearnfromit.
Andit'snotgoingtobesomethingthatwe'regonnashovedownyourthroat.
It'ssomethingthathopefullywecanalllearnfromandgetbetterfrom.
AndandIthinkthatkeepspeoplefromhidingstufftoo,right?
Becauseifthey'renotafraidthatyou'rejustgonnathrowastickovertheirhead,likeit'syeah,somethingsomethingvaluablecanbelearnedoutofit.
IImeanIhavesomeofthatthosedifferencesinpersonalityrightnow.
LikeIhaveumanA-techthathasbeenwithmeforgeez,nineyearsnow,ayoungguythatIhewasashopporterthat'snowyouknowanA-Tech,andheyouknow,hetalkstome100%realabouteverything.
Soifitwassomethingmistakeorhowtofixsomething,there'sjustnoweirdnessthere.
AndthenIhaveanotherguythathasalotmoreexperience,uh,youknow,anothera-tech,andit'sjustnotworkusedtoworkingwithabiggroupofpeople.
Sosometimesthemeetingsandyouknow,maybeyouknow,redoingsomethings,havingamistakeisalittlebitharderforhimjustbecausehe'snotusedtoit,youknow.
Buthe'she'sgrownandgrownwiththat,andheheunderstandsthatlikeIyouknow,I'mnotgonnabemad.
Idon'tcare.
Imean,Iwasatechnician.
IjustImeanIstraightupblewupanengineonce,youknow,likeI'veI'vehadmythings.
So,butthat'sno,that'sareallygoodpoint.
Likehavingyouknowthecommunicationopenandtheculture,likegettingeveryoneonthesamepagethatwearetryingto,youknow,fixthesecarsandwe'retryingtomakethecustomersreallyhappy,we'retryingtomakethisproductthatisreallygoodintheshoptoyouknow,toputitoutintotheintothepublic.
Ifwe'reallonthatsamepage,youknow,peepit'seasierfortheguys.
Um,butyeah,IwasIwasthinkingaboutwhenumyouwerementioningthetechniciansharingthing.
Forformyexampleandexperiencewiththatisyouknow,beingashopownerforyouknow,comingon25yearsnowandbeingamechanicmywholelife,I'veseenalotofdifferentcarproblems,right?
Likewhenyouhavesixtechniciansandyouonlyhearabouttheonesthatstumpthem,yourememberthose.
Butmytechnicians,ifthey'rejust,youknow,ifmyifanotherguy'sbusydoingsuspensionandanenginejob,whatever,he'snotgonnahearaboutyouknow,thecrazycarthatwehadthatcamefromanothershopandthreedifferentguysintheshopinthisshopheretriedtofixitandwefinallyfigureditout,youknow,he'snotgonnahearaboutthat,youknow,whichisabummer.
Sothat'swhyyouyouwanttoshareandtelleveryone,like,hey,especiallyifit'slike,Imean,Toyotasareathing,we'resupergoodwiththem.
Butifthere'ssomethingnewthatpopsuponthoseToyotas,it'sreallyimportantforallofustoshareitbecausewewanttobeliketheToyotaprofessionalsinthearea,youknow,andkeepthatgoing.
So,yeah,thatstuffisyeah,hugebenefittotheshopandeveryone,andyeah,keepsthatkeepsthatgoodculturestuffgoing.
Thesharing.
Uh,IIlovethatapproachandandloveeverythingyoudo,culturerelated.
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Aswegetuhclosetoclosingoutthispodcast,IdohavesomequickhittingfunquestionsforyouthatinnowaydidIprepareyouforaheadoftime.
Perfect.
Butthey'reveryeasy.
They'revery,veryeasy.
I'llI'lluhI'llmakesurethey'reeasy.
ButuhfirstquestionWhatisyourfavoritetypeoffood?
UhprobablyMexican.
IIwishIshouldhaveawhiteboardherewiththetallyofthedifferenttypesoffoodthatpeopleanswerthatquestionbecauseMexicanwouldwininalandslide,andI'mI'mhereforit.
IloveMexicanfood.
Sothat'sgonnasayyoudefinitelyprobablydon'tbyfardon'tgetasgoodaMexicanfoodoverthere,Iimagine,becauseyou'rejustsofarfromMexico.
Imean,we'rewe'rewe'rerightontopofCalifornia,youknow,andandCaliforniahassomeincredibleMexicanfood.
We'vegotacouplesolidMexicanspots,butanytimeI'mtraveling,uh,andifit'sanywherewhereIknowthey'regonnahavegoodMexicanfood,ImakesuretogooutofmywaytogetsaidgoodMexicanfood.
Uh,IwillsayIhadthisdebatewithmywifeonce.
There'sauhkindofafanciersushijointinO'Hareinintheairport.
Andshe'slike,Ohmygosh,I'mnoteatingthere.
It'suhsushiinanairport.
That'sdisgusting.
AndIsaid,Well,whydoyouthinkuhahigh-endsushirestaurantinChicagowouldgettheirsushi?
Well,they'regonnaflyitthere.
So,likeit'sprobablyevenfresherattheairport.
Andsowegobackandforth.
Everytimewegopastthatrestaurant,Istopandandgetsomesushi.
Uh,butitisfunnywithgeographicuhconstraintsthatthat'swhatitledtoinmymind.
Uh,secondquestion:whatwasyourfirstcar?
Itwasa66VolkswagenBeetle.
Wasitacooloneoronethatwaslikeuhlikebarelyrunning?
Iboughtitwithnoengine,itdidn'tevenhaveanengine.
ItowedIItowedithomeanduhyeah,Idideverythingwronglikeseveraltimes.
Andyeah,checkthisout.
IlikeIgotabusengine,whichwasa1600,sothe66beIthinkcamewitha1200maybe.
Idon'trememberallthethosecars.
Ilovethosecars,butsoyeah,theswingaxle,thetransmissiondidn'tfitthebiggerlike1600bellhousing,butbeinglikeaIthinkIwas15orsomethinglikethat,Ijustdrovethosebigfourboltsthatputtheenginenexttothetransmission.
Ijustkepttightenthosebabiesandjustjammedtheflywheelrightintothetransmission.
Ittheenginecouldn'teventurn.
That'showyoulearn,right?
That'suhthat'sthere'ssomegoodgoodlearninglessons.
Uh,didyourshaveheat?
Whenyougouphill,yeah,youknow,anditgetshot.
Oneofmygoodfriendsinhighschoolhadoneofthose,andI'mlike,ohmygosh,thisisinWisconsin,notthemostfunthingtodriveinthewinter.
Yeah,that'sprobablyprettyprettybadoutthere.
Yeah,yeah,notfun.
Allright.
Lastfunquestionforyou.
Areyouauhmorningoruhmorningpersonorauhstayuplateperson?
I'mdefinitelyamorningperson.
Yeah?
Whattimeareyougettingup?
Forsure.
Umsixorearlier.
Nice.
Youknow,thismorningIthinkitwasearlier.
Umyeah,likemyIguessmycleareststateofmindandmostproductiveisinthemorning.
UhImeanattheshophereItypicallyworkMonday,Tuesday.
Um,youknow,sometimesalittlebitonWednesday,butIjustfeellikeinthemornings,youknow,fromyouknow,sixo'clocktonoon,Icanjustgetanincredibleamountofstuffdone,Ifeellike.
Umjustlotsofdecisionmaking,lotsofemails,marketing,youknow,allthestuffthatIdodo.
Andthenintheafternoon,IlikeififmywifeBeccaasksmetodosomethinglikeeighto'clock,I'mlike,sorry,it'straining.
I'mjustyeah,lethargic.
IcanreadorwatchTVintheevening.
I'mjustyeah.
Ithinkthat'schangedwithmeovertheyears,whereII'mdefinitelymoreinclinedtogotobedalittlebitearliernow.
AnduhtheamountofsleepIgetnowcomparedto10yearsagoisfsignificantlyless.
LikeIIthinkifIgotobedatnine,I'malmostguaranteedtobeupatlikethreeorthreethirty,whichisareallyweirdthing.
AndthenItrytoforcemyselftogobacktosleepanditneverworks.
AndthenI'mjustIIshouldjustgetupandstartworking.
AndsoIthat'swhatI'lltypicallydoisjuststartworking,andthenit'llbelike9.30
inthemorning.
I'llbelike,ohmygosh,Iamexhausted.
Like,well,yeah,you'vebeenupsince3.30
inthemorning.
Ohman,Iknowthat'searly.
That'snotaneverydaything.
That'suhthat'slikeayeah,likeonceeveryotherweekthing,andthenIjustdragtherestoftheday.
Andthencoffeeislikethebestthinginthewholeworld.
Soofcourse,wakinguptocoffeeisthisyouknowphenomenalthingthatwegettodoeveryday.
Iwillsaygoingbacktothegeographything,youintheNorthwestlovecoffeeatawholedifferentlevel.
IIthoughtIlikecoffeeandIdolikegoodcoffee,butIrememberIwentuh,thisisprobablyacoupleyearsago,Ihadmeetings.
ThiswasSeattle,butIhadmultiplemeetingsoverthecourseoftheday,anditwasitwentfromlikemorningmeetingcoffee,likemid-morningmeetingcoffee,lunchcoffee.
AndIrememberIwasmeetingsomebodyforlikeahappyhour,andthatwascoffee.
AndI'mlike,I'mIdon'tknowifI'lleverfallasleep.
Thisisalllikehighrevcoffee,right?
Thisisthisisnotlikeuhthisisnotwatereddownstuff.
Thisisyou'reyou'reyou'regettingthegoodstuff.
Yeah,no,wedrinkalotofcoffeehereattheshop,too.
That'sactuallyeveryuhannuallyI'lldolikeayearlymeetinginthebeginningofJanuary,andthat'soneofthefunnylikestatisticsornumbersthatIyouknowtalktotheguysaboutbecausewehaveyouknowacoffeeservice,andthenwealsoliketheshopbuyseveryonecoffeeFridaymorningfromStarbucks,whichisquiteexpensiveforthewholeshop,youknow.
SolikeIforgethowmanythousandsofdollarswespendoncoffeeonceayearfortheshop,butit'sit'ssomethingelse.
Anotherperk,anotherperk.
Yes,anotherperk.
Iforgot.
Yeah,andthenathomemeandmywifearecrazy.
Likefreshgroundcoffee,youknow.
Welikelikeorganic,likeyouknow,superspecial.
Wespendtonsofmoneyonit.
It'slikeait'slikeadrugdealdownatthenaturalfoodstore,youknow,gettingsomesomereallydark,oilybeansandgrindingthem.
Ohmygod,we'recrazy.
Iyeah,II'veI'vegotI'vedefinitelygottostepmycoffeegameup,uh,andanduhgetthegoodstuff.
Butuhthisisit'sbeensuchafunconversation.
YouandIalwayshavefunconversations.
IIlovethefactthatyouyou'llgowithmyflowonthepodcast,andreallycomingintothisone,itwaslikelet'stalkaboutcultureandwejusthadanabsoluteblast.
Like,thisisalwayssofuntotalktoyou,andandIappreciateyoucomingon.
Hopefully,it'snotanotherthreeyearsbeforewedoitagain.
Uhbutman,absolutepleasure.
Yeah,yes.
Thanksalot,Jay.
Ireallyappreciateyourtimeandhavingmeonhereagain.
Hopefully,wecan,youknow,hopefullywehelpsomepeopleout.
Ihopesotoo.
Thankyou,myfriend.
ThatwrapsupanotherepisodeofBeyondtheWrench.
Ifyoulikethisepisode,pleaseshowyoursupportbyratingandfollowingthepodcast.
YoucanalsowatchthevideointerviewsonWrenchway'sYouTubechannel.
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Wrenchwayisanonlinecommunitydedicatedtopromotingandimprovingautomotiveanddieselcareers.
Wehelptechniciansfindthebestjobstoworkat,andwealsohelpauto,diesel,andCTEinstructorsgetmoresupportfromlocalindustry.
Youcanlearnmorebyvisitingwrenchway.com.
About this episode
Gabe Christian of Import Performance joins host Jay Ganinen to discuss how intentionality shapes a shop's culture and success. They dive into the realities of running an automotive repair business, emphasizing the importance of immediate confrontation of issues, persistent marketing, and operational discipline. Gabe shares practical tips on maintaining an immaculate shop floor, comparing commercial floor cleaners, and ditching messy traditional floor dry. This conversation offers valuable insights for shop owners looking to elevate their shop's image, improve staff satisfaction, and build a "cool" culture that attracts both top talent and customers.
Original notes
Gabe Christian, Owner of Import Performance Auto Repair in Bend, Oregon and seven-time winner of best shop in the city, returns to break down what shop culture actually looks like from the inside. He and Jay get into the daily habits, team dynamics, and small details that make technicians want to show up and stay.
About the Episode
- Host: Jay Goninen, WrenchWay, [email protected]
- Guest: Gabe Christian, Import Performance Auto Repair, [email protected]
Links & Resources
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Beyond the Wrench
Jay Goninen
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70:19