Everyone and every business has a code, it is a way of doing things and how things are expected to be done. Codes create the yellow lines in operations, decision making and acceptable behavior. Most organizational codes are unspoken, they exist within the confines of the myriad of people's beliefs. How can a…

People will do business with people they like. They'll make their decisions based on what makes them feel good, and nobody will make a decision that leaves them feeling uncomfortable. One of the best ways to make a customer feel comfortable is to be confident and enthusiastic about the service you provide and the repair you're going to make on their automobile. You don't have to be Superman or an industry expert. You only have to care, but you have to show it. Develop a customer-involved…

I'm reading this book "Switch" by Chip and Dan Heath, and they discuss how the environment is so important as it relates to changing behavior. There is an example in the book where a plant manager states she has an open door policy, however, her feedback…

I was thinking about a way to provide a deeper level of employee engagement through appreciation and acknowledgment, that was spawned from conversation that John Shoemaker and I had during a prior blog post.…

That is a pretty straight forward question, however, the answer is not so straight forward. A measurement requires something tangible, meaningful and aligned with the company vision. I think  most companies measure success through their earnings, although that is a good indicator that your business model is relevant for today. What about tomorrow? All we have to do is…

A challenge indeed.  Managers must work to accentuate the positives.  It is very easy in the collision industry to focus on the things that go wrong, paint match, floor mats missing, burnt out light bulb, that the right things are passed over.  A trick I have used with consulting customers involves five pennies.  Everybody has pennies that they don't know what to do with.  Put five pennies in your pocket and pass them out to people that you see doing things right.  Make sure you get rid of…

When we get up every day we have a pretty good idea what we need to do and how to go about doing it. Businesses are good at defining what to do and how to do it, and they are good at measuring those results by and large. The industrial age taught us a lot about those attributes of business. That era taught us how to check our brains at the door.  Who hasn't heard: If you…

It is pretty typical to see a list of 3-10 things to do to make you better at whatever the topic is. Why not talk about the things that you are not going to do? Wouldn't it be better to have absolutes that ground decision making around organizational values? To me, stating the 'To Do' can be limiting and remove creativity and innovation, however, by stating the opposite you open yourself to all other…

I just returned from CIC and the lack of understanding about the seriousness of compliance with the new EPA 6H Rule really blew my mind. Maybe I am the only one in the room that believed this is a big deal, but I do know that the IL EPA is taking it seriously too, so here is the timetable once again.

Jan 10, 2010 - Initial notification This was the paperwork that you needed to file to let the EPA know that you understood that that rule was going to take effect in another year…

Sounds easy right? The realm of being positive seems to fall into the category of foo foo and warm and fuzzy. How can you get your arms around that to better understand the benefits of positivism? It requires a leap of faith for most people, because it is easy to not believe, and discount the warm and fuzzy stuff as…

Picture this: By luck or chance you run into someone who you think could be a prospect or future customer for your business – do you have a rehearsed and perfected 30-45 second reply to the question: 

"so – what do you do?”

Your answer to this chance-encounter could either unremarkably answer the…

Choose one! Most people won't declare a choice, however, their behavior screams it. Survival is a series of tactics that keeps you moving day to day. Various adhoc schemes are created to create a sense of 'I'm going to make it' through this event. This is how the majority of businesses operate on daily basis. I stress daily, because that is all…

Two Collision Tools Address New Replacement, Recyclable Parts Installation

BEDFORD, TEXAS, January 12, 2011 – The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has updated its "Not-Included Operations" charts, two publications designed to ensure collision repairers consider all of the possible operations when they write an estimate. Two titles are available, "Reference Chart of Not-Included Operations When…

I think this is an overlooked topic. As companies mature and changeover time, so do the needs of their people. However, it is rare to seecompanies that are concerned about how the needs of people have changedover time as well. If you go camping and forget the tent, it may not bea great camping experience. If you are driving to an unfamiliar placeand don't have a map, it's probable going to…

When we think of getting into the gap it usually sparks thought around creativity, high performance andspirituality. However, in this example, I want to consider the gapbetween what your customers' service experience is and what your frontline staff feels they are delivering. I was chatting…

It has been a strategic weapon for Toyota for years. I believe theyhave been able to accomplish that through their unique definition ofoperational excellence as it pertains to manufacturing automobiles.They have clarity, purpose and mastery well defined in their operatingmodel, which allows for the fruits of their labor to be capitalizedupon.

Establishing operational…