When major world events dominate the news, small business owners often do something unhelpful: they let those events become a smokescreen that distracts them from running their business. The concern may be real, but if you cannot do anything about it today, it should not take up space in your head. So why do leaders keep doing it, and how can they stop?
In episode 19 of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey talks with her mentor, Andrew Neitlich, a Harvard-trained cultural anthropologist with an MBA from Harvard Business School and founder of the Center for Executive Coaching. In his direct, no-nonsense style, Andrew explains why smokescreens are so common, what belongs on a leader’s dashboard, and why you get what you tolerate.
What You Will Learn
- Focusing on the things we can control that have an immediate effect on our success
- We must get good at recognizing the things that really matter to us and our business
- The three main elements of a leader’s dashboard
- As a leader, we get what we tolerate
- The courage and stoicism required to start and maintain a successful business nowadays
What Smokescreens Are and Why Leaders Create Them
This episode was recorded during the early days of the Russia and Ukraine conflict. Andrew uses it as an example of how leaders latch onto big events they cannot control and let them crowd out the work they can. Smokescreens can also look like constant worry about the economy, obsessing over a competitor, or reorganizing the office instead of having a hard conversation with an employee.
Smokescreens feel productive because they keep the mind busy. In reality, they delay action on what matters. Recognizing them is the first step to clearing them away.
Smokescreens are attractive because they feel urgent and important without requiring difficult action. Worrying about the economy or a competitor gives the mind something to do without forcing a tough conversation or a risky decision. In that sense, smokescreens are a form of procrastination. Recognizing them requires honesty about whether a concern is leading to action or simply consuming attention.
A quick test is to ask, “What can I do about this today?” If the answer is nothing, the concern is likely a smokescreen. If there is an action, take it, and then let the worry go.
Focus on What You Can Control
Around the 8 minute mark, Andrew emphasizes focusing on the things you can control that have an immediate effect on your success. For a shop owner, that list includes pricing, hiring, training, customer experience, marketing, and how you spend your own time. You cannot control interest rates or international conflicts, but you can control whether your advisors follow up on every declined repair.
ATI’s Overcoming the Uncertainty in the Auto Industry offers a similar perspective for uncertain times.
The ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus taught that some things are within our control and some are not, and that peace comes from focusing on the first group. That idea has become popular among modern leaders because it is so practical. Shop owners who focus on controllable factors, such as service quality, pricing discipline, hiring practices, and customer communication, feel more in charge of their results and less anxious about outside events.
Separating Urgent From Important
Andrew and Kim discuss the difference between what is urgent and what is important. Urgent tasks demand attention now. Important tasks move the business forward. Leaders who live in urgency never get to the important work. This idea is often associated with the Eisenhower Matrix and was popularized by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; you can learn more through FranklinCovey.
The Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither. Most owners spend too much time on urgent tasks, many of which could be delegated, and too little on important but not urgent work, such as planning, training, and building relationships. Deliberately scheduling time for that second category is one of the most effective ways to improve a business over time.
In a repair shop, urgent tasks are everywhere: ringing phones, parts questions, and technicians needing approval. Owners who answer every one personally never find time for planning or coaching. One practical fix is to decide which urgent tasks can be handled by an advisor or manager and train them to do it, freeing the owner to protect a few hours each week for the work only a leader can do.
The Three Elements of a Leader’s Dashboard
Andrew describes the three main elements of a leader’s dashboard. The details are best heard in the episode, but the principle is clear: leaders should track a small number of indicators that tell them whether the business is healthy and moving in the right direction. A dashboard keeps attention on what matters and makes smokescreens easier to spot.
For shop owners, key performance indicators such as car count, average repair order, gross profit, technician productivity, and closing ratio often form the core of that dashboard. ATI’s Your Checkbook Is Balanced, but How Are Your KPIs? explains why these numbers matter.
A dashboard is most useful when it is simple and reviewed consistently. Many shops track a handful of weekly numbers on a single page, comparing them with goals and with the same period last year. Trends matter more than single data points. A dashboard that shows car count rising but average repair order falling, for example, tells a story that neither number tells on its own. Reviewing it with your leadership team helps everyone stay focused on the same priorities.
You Get What You Tolerate
One of the most memorable lines in this episode is Andrew’s reminder that, as a leader, you get what you tolerate. If you tolerate late arrivals, sloppy work, or negative attitudes, those behaviors become your culture. Setting standards and enforcing them consistently is one of the most important things a leader does.
ATI’s What Are You Tolerating? is a perfect companion, and Keith Katz addresses the cost of tolerating bad behavior in The Destructive Power of Toxic Employees.
Tolerance often starts small. An owner lets a few late arrivals slide, skips a conversation about a sloppy repair, or ignores an employee’s negative comments about customers. Each instance seems minor, but together they send a clear signal about what is acceptable. Other employees notice, and standards slowly drift downward. Addressing issues early, calmly, and consistently is far easier than trying to reset expectations after they have eroded.
Tolerance also applies to the owner’s own behavior. Leaders who tolerate their own habits of skipping meetings, avoiding numbers, or losing their temper send the same signal to the team. Holding yourself to the standard you expect from others is one of the clearest ways to raise the bar for everyone.
Addressing tolerated behavior does not require a harsh conversation. A calm, private discussion that names the specific behavior, explains why it matters, and asks for a commitment to change is usually enough. Following up a week later shows the standard is real. Consistency matters more than intensity, so the same expectation should apply to the newest hire and the most senior technician alike.
Courage, Stoicism, and Finding Opportunity in Crisis
Andrew closes by discussing the courage and stoicism required to start and maintain a successful business today. Stoicism, in this sense, means accepting what you cannot change and putting your energy into what you can. Leaders with that mindset are better able to find opportunity in a crisis, while others are frozen by fear.
ATI’s coaches are certified through Andrew’s organization, as noted in ATI’s Coaching Staff Is Now Certified by the Center for Executive Coaching.
Crises often create openings that do not exist in normal times. Competitors may close or cut back, talented employees may become available, and customers may be more open to trying a new shop. Leaders who stay calm and keep investing in their business during difficult periods are often best positioned to take advantage of those openings. That requires both courage and financial preparation, which is why building reserves during good times is so important.
Coaching as a Defense Against Smokescreens
One of the most valuable roles a coach plays is calling out smokescreens. Owners are often too close to their business to see when they are avoiding something important. A coach who knows the business can ask direct questions, such as “Why haven’t you had that conversation yet?” or “What is the real problem here?” Those questions cut through distraction and bring focus back to what matters.
Andrew’s work at the Center for Executive Coaching focuses on exactly this kind of clarity, and ATI’s coaches are certified through his program. Owners who do not have a coach can still benefit by joining a peer group, where other owners can offer honest perspective and hold each other accountable to the priorities they set.
Clear the Smokescreens This Week
- Write down everything that is worrying you, then cross off anything you cannot influence this month.
- Choose three to five numbers for your leader’s dashboard and review them weekly.
- Identify one behavior you have been tolerating and address it directly.
- Block one hour each week for important but not urgent work.
For more on focus and follow-through, listen to Eric Twiggs in How to Stop Procrastinating on Solving Our Procrastinating Issues and Randy Dean in Identifying the Toys We Use More and Discarding the Rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop worrying about things I cannot control as a business owner?
Write down every concern, then divide the list into what you can influence and what you cannot. For the items you can influence, choose one action and schedule it. For the rest, acknowledge them and set them aside. Building a weekly routine around your controllable priorities, such as reviewing your numbers and coaching your team, keeps your attention on work that actually changes results.
What KPIs should an auto repair shop owner track weekly?
Many shop owners start with a short list: car count, average repair order, gross profit, technician productivity and efficiency, and closing ratio. Some also track comebacks and customer satisfaction. The exact list matters less than reviewing it consistently and comparing results with goals and past periods. A one-page dashboard reviewed at the same time every week helps leaders spot trends early and act before small problems grow.
What does “you get what you tolerate” mean for leaders?
It means that any behavior a leader allows without addressing becomes the standard. If late arrivals, careless work, or negative attitudes go unchallenged, the rest of the team learns they are acceptable. Over time, those behaviors shape the culture. Leaders set the real standard through what they address and what they ignore, not through what they write in a handbook.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix and how can a shop owner use it?
The Eisenhower Matrix sorts tasks into four groups based on whether they are urgent, important, both, or neither. Owners can list their weekly tasks and place each in a box. Urgent and important work gets done now. Important but not urgent work, such as planning and training, gets scheduled. Urgent but less important tasks are delegated, and the rest are dropped. Doing this regularly shows where time is being lost.
How can a business owner find opportunity during a crisis?
Stay focused on fundamentals and look for openings others miss. During uncertain times, competitors may cut back on marketing, skilled employees may become available, and customers may be looking for a more reliable shop. Owners with healthy cash reserves and clear priorities can invest when others hesitate. Staying calm, communicating openly with the team, and acting on what you can control put the business in a stronger position.
Resources and Links From This Episode
- Center For Executive Coaching website
Connect With the Guests
- Andrew: LinkedIn
