Many people come home from a conference with a notebook full of great ideas that ends up on a shelf. Wendy Hawks, General Manager of Riverside Auto Center, had done the same thing for years. After ATI’s SuperConference, she decided to do something different: organize her notes and use them every day to manage her business and personal life.
In episode 30 of Maximum Octane, Wendy tells Kim Hickey how that decision changed her work. She explains what made this time different, why we are so hard on ourselves when we fall short, the non-negotiables that keep her sharp, and how breaking things into small pieces can solve many problems.
What You Will Learn
- About what made Wendy approach things differently this time
- Why do we tend to beat ourselves when we fail to finish what we have planned to do, and how can we be less harsh with ourselves
- Some non-negotiables that help Wendy remain sharp and responsive
- How to use Wendy’s method to live a more intentional life
Questions Asked in This Episode
- This year’s ATI Conference helped encourage you to make some changes and get some things you needed to work on. Could you talk about that?
- What do you think was the difference this time? What made you make that shift?
- How has “leaving things for tomorrow” helped you stay positive and keep things going?
Turning Conference Notes Into Action
Kim asks Wendy about the changes she made after ATI’s conference. Wendy explains that in previous years, her notes and ideas would sit untouched. This time, she organized them and built them into her daily planning. The ideas became actions, and the actions began to change how she ran the business.
If you attend ATI’s SuperConference or any industry event, Wendy’s approach is worth copying. The value of a conference is not what you hear. It is what you do afterward.
Research on learning has long shown that people forget much of what they hear unless they review and apply it. The “forgetting curve,” first described by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, illustrates how quickly new information fades without reinforcement. Conference attendees experience this firsthand. The excitement of new ideas fades within days unless those ideas are written down, reviewed, and put into action. Wendy’s approach counters the forgetting curve by bringing her notes into her daily routine.
What Made This Time Different
Around the 5 minute mark, Wendy shares what made her approach things differently. A big part was commitment: deciding to change a little bit every day rather than waiting for a big transformation. Small, consistent action is easier to sustain than dramatic overhauls.
Many people wait for motivation before acting, but motivation often follows action rather than preceding it. Starting with one small change creates momentum, which makes the next change easier. Wendy’s decision to commit to daily progress rather than a dramatic overhaul reflects that principle and explains why it worked when previous attempts had not.
Commitment also becomes easier when it is visible. Writing the day’s small step at the top of a planner, posting a short list on the office wall, or sharing a goal with a coworker creates gentle accountability. When the step is small enough to finish even on a hectic day, the streak of completed days builds confidence. That confidence is often what was missing in earlier attempts that relied on a burst of enthusiasm after an event.
Stop Beating Yourself Up
Wendy talks about why we tend to beat ourselves up when we do not finish what we planned, and how to be less harsh. Kim asks how “leaving things for tomorrow” has helped her stay positive. Wendy’s answer is about self-compassion. Some days, the plan will not get finished. Rather than seeing that as failure, she moves the task forward and keeps going. That mindset keeps momentum alive.
This is especially important for shop leaders, who face constant interruptions. A day that goes sideways because of a comeback or an emergency repair is not a reason to abandon the plan.
Self-criticism can feel like a way to stay accountable, but research on self-compassion suggests the opposite. People who treat themselves kindly after setbacks are often more likely to try again, while harsh self-criticism can lead to avoidance and giving up. Treating yourself the way you would treat a respected colleague who fell short, with honesty but also encouragement, keeps you moving forward.
Wendy’s Non-Negotiables
Around the 14 minute mark, Wendy shares the non-negotiables that keep her sharp and responsive. Non-negotiables are habits or commitments that happen no matter what. They create stability in a busy schedule. For some leaders, that might be a daily planning session, a weekly one-on-one, or time for exercise or family.
Non-negotiables work because they remove daily decision-making. When a habit is fixed, there is no debate about whether to do it today. Common non-negotiables for leaders include a daily planning session, a weekly review of key numbers, regular one-on-ones, exercise, and time with family. Choosing just two or three, and protecting them consistently, creates stability in an unpredictable business.
The challenge in a repair shop is that the day rarely goes as planned. A non-negotiable that requires a full hour may get pushed aside by a comeback or a customer emergency. Keeping each commitment short and scheduling it early in the day, before the phones get busy, makes it far more likely to happen. Once the habit is established, it can grow.
Checking In With the People You Delegate To
Wendy also stresses the importance of regularly checking in with the people you delegate work to. Delegation is not handing something off and forgetting about it. Regular one-on-one meetings keep projects on track, catch problems early, and show employees that their work matters.
ATI’s 12 Keys to Better One-on-One Meetings is a helpful guide for setting these up.
Check-ins are most effective when they are regular, brief, and focused. A quick weekly conversation about progress, obstacles, and next steps keeps delegated work on track without micromanaging. It also gives the employee a predictable time to ask questions, which reduces interruptions during the rest of the week.
Break Things Into Little Pieces
The central message of this episode is that breaking things into small pieces can solve many problems. Big goals feel overwhelming. Small steps feel doable. Whether it is reorganizing a parts room, launching a new marketing effort, or improving technician productivity, the path forward is a series of manageable tasks.
ATI’s How Making Small Moves Creates Giant Results and 5 Critical Steps to Successful Execution expand on this approach.
Breaking work into small pieces also makes progress visible. Checking off small tasks provides a sense of accomplishment that sustains motivation. For a project like reorganizing a shop’s inventory, the first step might simply be clearing one shelf. For improving customer communication, it might be writing one text message template. Small, completed steps add up faster than large, intimidating goals that never get started.
Living More Intentionally
Wendy closes by explaining how her method can help anyone live a more intentional life. Planning each day, focusing on priorities, and reflecting on progress help her be a better leader and a more patient, empathetic person at work and at home.
Living intentionally means making deliberate choices about how to spend time and energy rather than reacting to whatever demands attention. For a shop leader, that might mean deciding in advance which tasks matter most each day, saying no to distractions, and setting aside time for family and personal growth. Over time, those choices shape both the business and the leader’s quality of life.
Common Mistakes After a Conference
Even motivated owners fall into a few traps when they return from an event. The most common is trying to implement every idea at once. The team gets a flood of new initiatives, none of them stick, and everyone becomes skeptical of the next round of changes. Choosing a few priorities and finishing them builds credibility for future improvements.
Another mistake is keeping the ideas to yourself. If the service manager and advisors were not at the event, they need to hear why a change matters before they will support it. A short team meeting to share the top takeaways, and to ask for input on how to apply them, turns a personal plan into a shared one. ATI’s SMART goals resource can help turn broad ideas into specific, measurable targets.
Try Wendy’s Method
- Gather every set of notes from your last conference or training.
- Pick the three ideas that would make the biggest difference and write them as actions.
- Break each action into small steps and schedule one step each day.
- Set weekly check-ins with anyone you delegated part of the work to.
This episode returned as a Maximum Octane throwback. For more on systems and follow-through, listen to Wendy K. Walters in Building Systems to Gain Freedom and Get Better Results.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I actually use what I learned at a business conference?
Within a few days of returning, gather all your notes in one place and choose the few ideas that would make the biggest difference. Rewrite each one as a specific action, break it into small steps, and schedule those steps on your calendar. Share the plan with your team so they understand the reasons behind it. Reviewing your notes regularly over the following weeks keeps the ideas from fading and helps them become part of how the shop runs.
Why do I keep failing to finish my daily to-do list?
Often the list is simply too long for a day full of interruptions, which is common in a repair shop. Try limiting the list to a few priorities and accepting that unfinished items move to tomorrow. That is not failure; it is realistic planning. Reviewing at the end of each day what got done and what moved forward helps you learn how much you can actually accomplish and plan more accurately.
What are good non-negotiable habits for a shop owner?
Useful non-negotiables are short, consistent, and connected to your biggest priorities. Examples include a brief planning session before the shop opens, a weekly review of key numbers, regular one-on-ones with key employees, and time for exercise or family. Choosing two or three and protecting them every week creates stability. The specific habits matter less than doing them consistently, even on busy days when it would be easy to skip.
How do I break a big shop project into smaller steps?
Start by describing what finished looks like, then work backward to list everything that needs to happen. Break each item down until every step can be completed in a single short work session. Assign each step a date and, if needed, an owner. Checking steps off as they are completed keeps progress visible and motivation high. A project like a parts room cleanup becomes manageable when the first step is simply clearing one shelf.
How often should I check in with employees I delegate work to?
For most delegated projects, a short weekly check-in works well. It gives the employee a predictable time to share progress, raise obstacles, and ask questions without interrupting you throughout the week. For new or high-stakes tasks, more frequent check-ins may help at first, tapering off as the person shows they can handle it. The goal is support and accountability, not micromanagement.
Resources and Links From This Episode
- Riverside Auto Center website
Connect With the Guests
- Wendy: LinkedIn
