4 Essential Skills for Auto Repair Shop Managers

Management is something that is learned and reinforced through coaching and feedback. It is a partnership with your team that will require commitment and patience from all parties to develop and grow as a leader. Creating an environment where you work with your people, involving them in clear goals, and providing a positive workspace where continual feedback, redirection, and guidance are given in the spirit of everyone’s success is a manager’s main role. The challenge is how to get everyone to collaborate together with the same vision, mission, and purpose. A manager is not a member of the team any longer, but the leader of the team. As the manager your guidance and support allow the team to get the work done.

There are four essential skills that Situational Leadership Theory creator Ken Blanchard believes are necessary to be an effective leader or manager. Here’s how to take off and succeed in your manager role:

Listen to Learn

Be curious always. Ask questions to learn and gather information on how to assist your team in overcoming barriers to performing expectations in their assigned roles. Trust is developed when you give others your time and show interest in their well-being and assist them in accomplishing their goals. Focus on understanding and work to set aside distractions when you engage others in dialogue – it’s about the other person and how they will leave the dialogue feeling better for it.

Inquire for Insight

Draw your people out. Allow others to share their thoughts, ideas, and insights that will possibly benefit the business. Open yourself up to hear possible opportunities by being curious and remaining open-minded to the information shared. Keep the focus on forward movement (not the past), open-ended questions usage, and always ask recap questions to ensure you are on the same page prior to disengaging.

Share your Truth

Creating purposeful action is done through clarity by sharing your truth, your what, and why. Build the trust that is necessary for sharing and receiving feedback by putting your authenticity out there for the team to see that your intentions are respectful and purposeful for everyone’s success.  You are confident and brave by being open and honest and you are open to other perspectives. Create a blameless and nonjudgmental environment by being the first to exhibit the behaviors you want your team to exhibit.

Express Confidence

Always show confidence in others’ ability to perform. Assist the team in offering developmental opportunities regularly and sharing feedback during their growth. Constant learning will assist them in building their own confidence. Work to build self-assurance and enthusiasm for growth and learning. You are their guide and their light on the journey to being successful, so constant communication will be important to grow them as individuals and together as a team.

Non-ATI Members: Check out ATI’s model for team and business communications, daily huddles, weekly one-on-ones, and team meetings — all designed to help you meet your business goals. Get started by joining one of our shop owner events.