18d • 📜Shop Culture📜
"Great job, great job, great job, okay now you're fired."
Why Sometimes The Nicest Thing You Can Do For Your Team Might Feel Mean
Alright, I'm just going to say it...
Your "positivity" might be setting your team up for failure.
I've heard this story dozens of times over the years:
An employee at a shop gets let go—and they're completely blindsided.
"I had no idea there was a problem."
How does that happen?
A few years back, I was working with a shop that had a young tech. Smart kid. Good hands. Showed up early.
But he was paralyzed by the fear of making a mistake.
Every diagnosis, he second-guessed himself. Every repair, he'd check and re-check. He'd hover near the service writer hoping someone would tell him he was doing okay.
Nobody did.
Not because they didn't think he was doing okay—but because they assumed he knew.
"He's doing fine. Why would I need to say anything?"
Meanwhile, this kid is drowning in silence. Interpreting "no feedback" as "I'm probably screwing up."
He quit.
Not because the job was too hard. Not because he wasn't capable.
Because he couldn't stand the pressure of not knowing where he stood.
A simple monthly 1-on-1 could have saved him.
Here's the distinction many shop owners and managers miss:
There's a difference between a coach and a cheerleader.
A cheerleader says: "Great job! Great job! Great job!... Okay, you're fired."
A coach says: "Here's what you're doing well. Here's what needs work. Here's how we're going to get you there."
Cheerleaders make people feel good in the moment.
Coaches make people feel secure—because they always know where they stand.
When I onboard a new shop, I always ask:
- What's your 1-on-1 meeting cadence?
- What's your team meeting rhythm?
- How do you remove obstacles for your people?
- How do you get in front of problems so they don't cause drama in the shop?
Most of the time? Crickets. Or else it's sporadic and inconsistent.
And I get it. You're busy. You're in the weeds. You assume if something's wrong, they'll tell you.
But here's the truth:
Your people won't tell you they're struggling. They'll just leave to avoid the embarrassment.
Open communication isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between developing a team and constantly replacing one.
If you don't have a monthly 1-on-1 rhythm with each team member, start this week.
It doesn't have to be long. 15 minutes or less is fine.
Three questions:
- What's going well?
- What's getting in your way?
- What do you need from me?
That's coaching. That's how you build people who stay.
Btw, praise without direction is just noise. Your best people don't want cheerleaders. They want someone who cares enough to tell them the truth.
When's the last time you sat down 1-on-1 with each of your employees?
Drop a 🔥 if you're committing to starting this week.
5:21
3
2 comments
"Great job, great job, great job, okay now you're fired."
skool.com/technicianfind
Proven templates, strategies, training and top-level networking to help independent auto repair shops hire quality staff faster.
Leaderboard (30-day)
1
+29
2
+16
3
+14
4
+9
5
+7
Powered by