Can't - Won't - Can - Will - You Choose

In over 30 years in the automotive industry, I have heard and seen it all. From limiting restricting owners, micromanagers, process lacking systems, and know-it-all’s, to humble, genuine leaders, hands on managers, structure, appreciation, and everything in between. When presented with a process that increases production, profitability, CSI or all the above, the weak-minded manager would say, “Well I can’t do that because…” or “that won’t work here because…” Those words can’t and won’t have been a crutch in the automotive industry forever. Ultimately, many General Managers or Owners accept this from their fixed ops managers because as GM’s that came up from sales, most do not understand that side of the business. They know sales, but fixed has been “that other department”, mysterious and necessary, but highly misunderstood.

If we replace these words with, I can, I will, imagine the possibilities! 

For example, I am the father of a child with Down syndrome. When my bride and I received the diagnosis of Trisomy 21 before he was born, I spent months focusing on what he can't and won't be able to do, I grieved for the child I thought I was going to have and was frightened for the unknown future. Early in the days after he was born, I had one simple goal, that he understands and can be understood. I was solely focused on his speech and intelligence goals and really nothing else. Then I began to learn and educate myself about Down syndrome and how many things kids and adults with Down syndrome CAN do. I was exposed to groups, conventions, meetings and communication with families of other children and adults with Ds. I was surprised to learn there were many business owners, advocates, public speakers, and athletes all very successful and all had Down syndrome! This is when I learned the true meaning of CAN'T. It's limiting and restricting and it boxes us into a corner where there is no other option to move ahead as we become stuck within ourselves. Our own limitations lock us down therefore limiting all others around us from improving.  When I replaced those two works with can and will, everything changed. While his growth has come in slow motion, from crawling, to walking to sign language, to speech, every accomplishment and growth achievement has come it's just come at slower pace than a typical child.  Today, our son speaks better than I do, takes golf lessons (also better than I am), and can drain a basketball shot from 8 feet away! Additionally he is known as the mayor of our neighborhood, nearly every local store employee knows him by name, and every restaurant (when we could go out) the servers would argue as to who gets to serve our son. My fears have been unfounded so far in his short 11 years. He CAN and he WILL be successful at anything he does.  

When we apply can and will to our respective businesses, the results are astounding! Recently I approached a non-luxury store about moving their door rate north of $200 per hour and adding a bell curve grid, I was told, “we can’t do that”. I asked the manager why and he said “because we need to be competitive”. The next step was to speak to the front-line employees. We met with the service advisors and asked them how many customers have asked them in the last six months what their hourly rate was, the answer we received surprised the manager. The advisors told us "maybe one customer asked" or "I can't remember the last time I have been asked"! The truth is not many customers ask anymore, it's most commonly "how much and how fast can it get done?" We have spent years managing our businesses to the exception and lost millions of dollars of gross by thinking the same way we have since the 1980’s! You see, the restriction of our growth is ALWAYS between our ears, we have been conditioned to be competitive and “cheaper” than the other dealerships or shops in town. What we need to be is convenient, thorough, professional, and most importantly honest, but price is secondary and further down the list. You have the ability as managers and dealers to exponentially increase profits by managing your rates and controlling discounting. That same store is now over $190 per hour ELR (Repair), recieved a warranty increase of $57.00 and have added nearly a half million in annual NET profit. The can and DID! 

You choose what you can, can’t, will and won't do – the choice is yours to make. What kind of leader are you?