Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Camp Verde, AZ
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject: What am I? What are you?
I think we can agree that most independent automotive repair shops were opened by technicians. The same can probably be said of most businesses. As technicians we know how to work, and how to turn out a product. As shop owners we think that if we work hard enough, our business will be successful. But, it does not take long before we find out, that is not true. Something has to change.
We soon find out that we must become managers. We have to manage our time, money, parts, responsibilities, and the people working for us. We have to control what goes on in our business or the business will consume us. If we are not careful, we find that we are worse off being our own boss, than we were working for someone else. We get frustrated with this dead end life we have created and wonder why we ever started the business.
Somehow, we need to cast a vision of where our business is headed. We need to make goals and dream the dreams again. We need to get excited about our businesses future.
It has helped me to realize that I am a technician, a manager and an entrepreneur all in one. Sometimes one is stronger and sometimes another. Every business needs all three personalities. They need to be balanced, because each does not care for the other.
The entrepreneur is the vision caster. He says “we can do it, lets go this way”. He may not know how to do it, but he knows he wants it done. He has to drag the others along and try to get them to see his vision.
The manager craves order and predictability. He wants it done step by step, in a predictable manner. The same routine suits him just fine. He does not like the entrepreneur because that guy keeps changing things. Just when the manager gets things straightened out and running smoothly, the entrepreneur upsets the apple cart. The manager finds the technician hard to control.
The technician wishes the other two would get out of his way and let him get the work done. He just wants to produce. ( By technician I mean any body that produces work rather than manages people. These may be a porter, a tech, a car washer, a service writer, etc.)
As our business grows our primary focus has to change. We change from being a technician to becoming a manager. As a manager, we need to get the work done through other people. We need to listen to and support the technicians. We need to provide them with the best chances for success that we can.
How we define our satisfaction or success must change. No longer is it me turning out a single product, but rather the technicians working well. The shop, as a whole, preforming well. It helps me to think of the shop as a machine. The people working in the shop are the pieces of the machine. My job is to get the whole machine working as well as possible.
Our final role is to cast the vision of where our business is going. This can be 5 years, 10 years, or 15 minutes down the road. How many locations, how large to grow, what new strategies to try. We need to lead our people forward.
_________________ David Wittmayer
Owner / Manager
Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair, LLC
Camp Verde, AZ
www.hefrshop.com
Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 774 Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:03 pm Post subject: Re: What am I? What are you?
Hi Dave,
Dave wrote:
I think we can agree that most independent automotive repair shops were opened by technicians. The same can probably be said of most businesses. As technicians we know how to work, and how to turn out a product. As shop owners we think that if we work hard enough, our business will be successful. But, it does not take long before we find out, that is not true. Something has to change.
We soon find out that we must become managers. We have to manage our time, money, parts, responsibilities, and the people working for us. We have to control what goes on in our business or the business will consume us. If we are not careful, we find that we are worse off being our own boss, than we were working for someone else. We get frustrated with this dead end life we have created and wonder why we ever started the business.
Good observation! I think becoming a manager does not mean abandoning the technician, rather bringing balance. I have always thought that a technical background should be a great base for management. Many of the skills are similar, logical thinking, problem solving, etc.
In practice, I have not often seen this to be the case. Rather the technician side, seems to dominate the management side. Decisions are more often made for a technical reason than a business reason. For instance the business has too few clients. The technician side suggest specializing in one vehicle make. Technically this is much easier, for the shop. It also ignores the needs of many clients [management side.]
The result is a lot of technically excellent operations that tick people off and don't make money. Perhaps balance is in order?
Dave wrote:
Somehow, we need to cast a vision of where our business is headed. We need to make goals and dream the dreams again. We need to get excited about our businesses future.
It has helped me to realize that I am a technician, a manager and an entrepreneur all in one. Sometimes one is stronger and sometimes another. Every business needs all three personalities. They need to be balanced, because each does not care for the other.
The entrepreneur is the vision caster. He says “we can do it, lets go this way”. He may not know how to do it, but he knows he wants it done. He has to drag the others along and try to get them to see his vision.
The manager craves order and predictability. He wants it done step by step, in a predictable manner. The same routine suits him just fine. He does not like the entrepreneur because that guy keeps changing things. Just when the manager gets things straightened out and running smoothly, the entrepreneur upsets the apple cart. The manager finds the technician hard to control.
The technician wishes the other two would get out of his way and let him get the work done. He just wants to produce. ( By technician I mean any body that produces work rather than manages people. These may be a porter, a tech, a car washer, a service writer, etc.)
As our business grows our primary focus has to change. We change from being a technician to becoming a manager. As a manager, we need to get the work done through other people. We need to listen to and support the technicians. We need to provide them with the best chances for success that we can.
A leader gets people to do what needs to be done, for their own reasons. He demonstrates why the common good is, one and the same as personal good.
Dave wrote:
How we define our satisfaction or success must change. No longer is it me turning out a single product, but rather the technicians working well. The shop, as a whole, preforming well. It helps me to think of the shop as a machine. The people working in the shop are the pieces of the machine. My job is to get the whole machine working as well as possible.
Our final role is to cast the vision of where our business is going. This can be 5 years, 10 years, or 15 minutes down the road. How many locations, how large to grow, what new strategies to try. We need to lead our people forward.
I have found, when asked to sit down and put the aim of the business into writing, 99% of managers cannot do it. If they have anything at all, it is so vague that not even they can explain it, let alone convey it.
In business, the largest measure of success has always and will always be profit. Not profit at any cost and that is where the differences come in. The aim of my shop is "Continuing Ethical Profit."
Quality of life is important, joy in work is important and so on, but those are human measures of success. Without profit a business is not a business, it is a hobby, at best. What is done with the profit is a human concern, but the business concern must involve generation of profit, in my opinion.
This is not a dirty word, nor one that should be hidden from the staff. I believe every member of the organization needs to realize and work toward the common aim. This is best accomplished by fair distribution of the rewards of accomplishment.
Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Camp Verde, AZ
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:46 pm Post subject:
Fred W wrote:
Dave you have just summarized the Emyth book. A very good read for the "technicians" out here and I think on the book list
Fred,
You are correct.
For me, realizing that I am a technician, a manager and an entrepreneur all in one has helped me not become so frustrated with myself. I am better able to maintain balance and put the correct hat on, so to speak.
_________________ David Wittmayer
Owner / Manager
Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair, LLC
Camp Verde, AZ
www.hefrshop.com
Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Camp Verde, AZ
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:13 pm Post subject: Re: What am I? What are you?
louis wrote:
Good observation! I think becoming a manager does not mean abandoning the technician, rather bringing balance. I have always thought that a technical background should be a great base for management. Many of the skills are similar, logical thinking, problem solving, etc.
Should is a key word here. To be a good manager a person needs good people skills. In my experience, most techs have poor people skills. They would rather work on a vehicle, than to work with people.
louis wrote:
In practice, I have not often seen this to be the case. Rather the technician side, seems to dominate the management side. Decisions are more often made for a technical reason than a business reason. For instance the business has too few clients. The technician side suggest specializing in one vehicle make. Technically this is much easier, for the shop. It also ignores the needs of many clients [management side.]
A person needs to realize there is a problem before they can fix it. Once I realized I have three different sides I am more able to see which side made past decisions. To take it a step further, depending on the decision to be made, I am better able to choose which side should deal with it.
louis wrote:
Quality of life is important, joy in work is important and so on, but those are human measures of success. Without profit a business is not a business, it is a hobby, at best. What is done with the profit is a human concern, but the business concern must involve generation of profit, in my opinion.
This is not a dirty word, nor one that should be hidden from the staff. I believe every member of the organization needs to realize and work toward the common aim. This is best accomplished by fair distribution of the rewards of accomplishment.
All businesses are supposed to be money making machines. If they do not make money (profit) they are broken and need to be fixed. Some people use short term fixes, other use long term fixes.
_________________ David Wittmayer
Owner / Manager
Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair, LLC
Camp Verde, AZ
www.hefrshop.com
Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 774 Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject: Re: What am I? What are you?
Dave wrote:
louis wrote:
Good observation! I think becoming a manager does not mean abandoning the technician, rather bringing balance. I have always thought that a technical background should be a great base for management. Many of the skills are similar, logical thinking, problem solving, etc.
Should is a key word here. To be a good manager a person needs good people skills. In my experience, most techs have poor people skills. They would rather work on a vehicle, than to work with people.
I think that is very true, I have often noticed the same. I particularly like your use of the words, people "skills." I feel that is precisely what they are, "skills." Being a skill, they can be learned. Too many times I have heard, "I'm not a 'People person' or I'm not a like-able person, etc." Like any skill it takes effort to master, no one is born with it.
Some people seem to be better than others with people. I think it is because they have seen the need and expended the effort. This is a great topic. Even people doing strickly technical work can benefit immensely from mastering social skills.
Dave wrote:
louis wrote:
In practice, I have not often seen this to be the case. Rather the technician side, seems to dominate the management side. Decisions are more often made for a technical reason than a business reason. For instance the business has too few clients. The technician side suggest specializing in one vehicle make. Technically this is much easier, for the shop. It also ignores the needs of many clients [management side.]
A person needs to realize there is a problem before they can fix it. Once I realized I have three different sides I am more able to see which side made past decisions. To take it a step further, depending on the decision to be made, I am better able to choose which side should deal with it.
louis wrote:
Quality of life is important, joy in work is important and so on, but those are human measures of success. Without profit a business is not a business, it is a hobby, at best. What is done with the profit is a human concern, but the business concern must involve generation of profit, in my opinion.
This is not a dirty word, nor one that should be hidden from the staff. I believe every member of the organization needs to realize and work toward the common aim. This is best accomplished by fair distribution of the rewards of accomplishment.
All businesses are supposed to be money making machines. If they do not make money (profit) they are broken and need to be fixed. Some people use short term fixes, other use long term fixes.
Good point, thanks Dave, I appreciate you bringing these points out.
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