Stop Shopping for Validation — The Hard Truth About Coaching | The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton [E231]
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This is the Automotive Repair Podcast Network.
It's your Weekly Blitz with Chris, keeping you in the game.
Welcome back to another episode of the Weekly Blitz, the podcast where I cut through the noise
and talk about what it really takes to run a profitable, well-led auto repair shop.
Today, we're diving into something that might sting a little bit,
and this is a huge title name. It's probably going to get changed,
but the inspiration came from, if your coach is telling you something you don't like,
you don't go somewhere else to find answers that line up with your misguided belief system.
Yeah, I said it. This one's about growth, discomfort, and what happens when you start
avoiding the truth that could actually set your business free. Before we jump into it,
I want to give a quick thank you to all of you, my dedicated listeners. I appreciate every shop
owner, manager, and team member who tunes in, takes notes, and does the work. If you've got a
topic you'd like to hear about, or you'd like to share your story, shoot me an email at chris
at autofixsos.com. Hey, people hire a coach because something's not working. Revenue's flat,
the team's disengaged, car count's down, maybe the shop owner's burned out.
When the coach steps in, and I'm talking about any good coach, not just me,
one of the first things we do is start asking questions and pointing out what's really going
on, what we're seeing from our helicopter elevated view. And that's where it gets
uncomfortable. Because here's the truth. Coaching isn't therapy. Coaching isn't just about making
you feel better. Coaching is about transformation. And transformation, it's not supposed to feel
good. I can't tell you how many times I've had to look a shop owner in the eye and say,
your labor rate's too low. Your team's not being held accountable. Your leadership style is
the bottleneck. And you know what happens? Half the time they get quiet and the other half they
get defensive. They start thinking, well, maybe Chris doesn't understand my area,
or that won't work here. Let me go ask a Facebook group what they think.
Here's the problem with that. When you go looking for people to agree with you,
you're always going to find them. But agreement doesn't equal progress. And the truth will set
you free, but first it's going to piss you off. So get ready to be pissed off. Let's talk about
why this happens. When I tell you something that challenges your belief system, maybe about how you
price jobs or how you lead your people, it triggers your ego. And your ego's job is to protect you
from feeling wrong or exposed or inadequate. That's why instead of sitting with the discomfort,
we go hunting for someone who's going to say, nah, you're fine. You don't need to raise your
labor rate. Or you don't need to let that toxic employee go. They've been with you forever. Why
would you do that? What this is called is confirmation bias. And it's deadly in business
and both personal. You end up surrounding yourself with people who validate the very
things that are holding you back. If you want growth, you've got to stop defending your
limitations. Here's the deal. You can't say, I want 20% net profit and then refuse to make the
pricing and process changes that get you there. You can't say, I want more time and freedom,
and then keep micromanaging every repair order that crosses your counter.
All those things contradicting themselves and your coach's job is to call you out on it. It's
not personal. It's growth. It's not personal for us. We're just trying to get you to see the light.
So let me talk, talk about from a coaching perspective, if you will, for a minute from
the coach's chair. When I tell you something hard, it's not because I'm trying to win an
argument. It's because I've seen this movie before. I've coached hundreds of shops, thousands
of hours. I've seen what works and what doesn't. And I know when a shop owner standing in their
own way. I had a great client once, and I've heard this several times, great person, smart
driven. But every time I'd suggest something, say, yeah, but that won't work here. So kept doing the
same things month after month after month. Guess what? I will beat you into submission if you let
me. Saying, yeah, but that won't work here. You are not some special little flower where
that's not been seen or done before. You think you're special because you're in the crap day to
day, but you are not. We've seen it. We've heard it. There's not a thing that we haven't seen or
done or worked somebody through. So you might as well succumb to it and move on because that's
that excuse is not going to work. Finally, the guy said, all right, Chris, I'm out of excuses.
Let's do it your way for 90 days just to shut you up and prove that I'm still right.
Guess what? Raises labor rate, changes process, implemented real accountability with his advisors.
And guess what? He didn't just make more money. His stress went down. His people respected him
more. He started taking a day off every week. That's what happens when you lean into discomfort
instead of running from it. Growth doesn't happen because things feel easy. It happens because you
trusted the process when everything in you wanted to fight it. As a coach, we see your potential.
We know your limitations, but we don't see and validate your limitations. We know where you can
go and we're going to push you towards it. I've got a shop owner right now. I told him, hey, based
on what your building is built to do, you're a $4 million a year shop. And he just laughed at me
and was like, there's no way we can do that. I'm like, well, your building's designed to do it.
So that's where we're going to push. And forever, he thought a $300,000 month wasn't within his
reach. He had his first $100,000 month that wet his beak a little bit. And now he's, I think he
just finished his fifth $300,000 month in a row, something like that. He is kicking it, but we're
talking about it. We're like, hey, we're just a couple months from the end of the year. And I'm
like, guess what? The $300,000 is going to get cranked up to $330,000. That's the goal. Again,
growth doesn't happen because things feel easy. It happens because you trusted the process when
everything in you wanted to fight it. I want to stop real quick and mention that this episode
is brought to you by Shop Marketing Pros, the industry experts who help auto repair shops just
like yours, tell their story, build their brand, and attract the right customers. From websites and
social media to SEO and strategy, they do it all. Check them out at shopmarketingpros.com and tell
them the weekly blitz sent you. For me personally, I couldn't run my auto repair businesses or auto
fix without it. They do all the marketing for all of those. My repair shops couldn't be more
successful because of them and the effort that they put into helping me succeed. Let's go back
and talk about your action plan for the week. Here's your homework. And yeah, I'm giving you
homework. Number one, sit with the discomfort. When your coach says something that makes you
defensive, pause, ask yourself, why does that sting? Why does this hurt? Number two, be coachable.
It's not enough to hear advice. You've got to implement it. Number three, stop chasing validation.
You don't need more people agreeing with you. You need people who will hold you accountable.
Number four, remember why you hired the coach. You didn't come looking for a cheerleader,
you came because you wanted results. And that's what we're here to do. I want you to write this
down somewhere on your chalkboard in your office, on your whiteboard, on a sticky note, put it on
your monitor. Growth doesn't come from comfort, it comes from confrontation. That confrontation
might be between you and your habits, you and your excuses, or you and the truth you've been avoiding.
But that's where the magic happens. Look, at the end of the day, coaching isn't about comfort,
it's about clarity. If you're always searching for someone to agree with you, you're going to
stay exactly where you are. The best clients, the ones who grow their shops, change their lives,
and actually reach freedom, are the ones who can take hard feedback, process it, and act on it.
That's how you win. Again, big thanks again to our sponsor, Shop Marketing Pros. You can explore
many other outstanding podcasts dedicated to our thriving automotive repair industry at
thenewautomotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com. While you're there, you can download the free mobile
app available for both Apple and Google devices for easy access to all the shows in one convenient
place. The network is currently featuring Carm Capriato on Remarkable Results Radio,
Hunt Demarest on Business by the Numbers, Matt Fanzelow with Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z,
Kim and Brian Walker with the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, Craig O'Neill on Speak Up,
Effective Communication, and me, Coach Chris Cotton with the Weekly Blitz. Until next time,
everybody, keep leading, keep learning, and keep blitzing toward that better version of yourself.
Yeah, I said blitzing toward. I'm going to see you next week. Rise and grind, everybody.
Keep your mindset positive. Have a great day. You've been listening to the Weekly Blitz with
Chris Cotton on the Automotive Repair Podcast Network. Download our exclusive podcast app
at automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com because the best conversations in the industry start here.
Want expert advice on running your shop? Well,
Chris is listening. Check the show notes for his email and send him your topics.
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