Just ONE Thing
Fix Auto Shop Management Problems & Boost Profits
Episode 275
with Rick White, 180BIZ
Good morning. My name is Rick White from 180BIZ, and this is my Just ONE Thing. So let's get started.
The reality is we've got people that are asking me—I get asked all the time, "Rick, when do my problems go away?" And I explain to them, I say, "Well, that's a really easy answer. Problems go away when you die. The only people with no problems are the people that live in a cemetery." So we've gotta understand that problems are a sign of life, but here's the thing. I need you to understand that a problem isn't proof that you're not smart enough, talented enough, or cut out for something. It's simply showing you—that problem is simply showing you something that you haven't learned yet.
One of the things that I see all the time and I fight with constantly is when someone keeps struggling with the same thing, it's easy for them to turn the problem into a statement about themselves, right? "I'm just not..." you know, whatever. Let's say it's, "I'm just not good at hiring. I can't manage people. I'm terrible with numbers. I hate numbers. I can't sell. I can't get my team to follow a process." Notice what happened here. You went from "I have a problem" to "I am the problem." Those aren't the same thing.
Please hear what I'm saying. I need you to understand that not knowing how to do something isn't a character flaw. Okay? It doesn't mean you're lazy, stupid, or incapable. It means there's something you haven't learned how to do well yet, and that's actually really good news because skills can be learned.
But here's the thing. When you're stuck in the problem, right, when you've made it so that it's personal, there's a whole bunch of emotions that go with that, and you can't fix it. You can't deal with it because it's a personal failure instead of just being a problem.
So here's what I ask people to do all the time. If you're really stuck on a problem, what I want you to do is ask, "If another shop owner came to me with this exact problem, what would I tell them to do?" And you know what's gonna happen? You're gonna be able just to spout forth all these really great ideas. Because it's so much easier to see someone else's situation clearly than it is your own. By asking yourself that question, it helps you get out of your emotions and allows you to look at your situation more objectively.
So I want you to do yourself a favor. I want you to listen to yourself. And I want you to catch yourself any time you hear yourself saying, "I can't [blank] because [blank]," right? Because this is where you're gonna identify a problem, and then you're gonna blame somebody. What I want you to do is change, "I can't do this because..." and then you answer it every single time with, "I don't have the skill yet." See, that little word "yet" matters. "I can't hire technicians" becomes "I haven't developed the skill to consistently attract and hire great techs yet." Now you've got something you can work on, right?
Suppose you can't attract and hire top talent. You might wanna say, "Nobody wants to work anymore." But what skill might you be missing? Maybe you haven't learned how to, I don't know, write an ad that attracts the right person, or find candidates instead of waiting for applicants. Oh, please write that down today. That's a good one. You know, how often are you going out and finding candidates instead of waiting for applicants?
And if you have a question about this or an issue, we have a great training webinar we do the first three Wednesdays. It's very limited. Shannon can put the link in there, okay?
But what I want you to understand, if you can't find... if you're waiting for applicants, or you can't, maybe the issue is you're unable to sell the opportunity you're offering, or interview effectively, or recognize talent, or make a strong offer, or build a workplace great people wanna join. Can you see how one giant problem suddenly becomes several learnable skills? That's powerful. This is powerful because these are all things that you can actually do something about.
See, "I can't make enough profit." What skill don't you have yet? "I can't get my employees to take ownership." What skill don't you have yet? "I can't get out of the day-to-day." What skill don't you have yet? "I can't hold people accountable." What skill don't you have yet? Do you see the question changes your focus from what's wrong to what needs to be learned?
Now, I just wanna take a break here for one sec. If this is really hitting with you, please share this video. I promise you there are so many people that need to hear this. It makes it so much easier when you can recognize that a problem is simply a skill issue, right? 'Cause I really need you to hear this. A problem isn't telling you to quit or settle, right? Because every problem has a reason for it, a purpose behind it, and a lesson within it. And maybe that problem's showing you something you need to see, something you need to change, or something you need to learn.
So when you run into your next problem in the business, don't go right to, "Why, why can't I do this?" Ask, "What is this problem trying to teach me? What skill is this problem asking me to learn?" Because once you identify the skill, you can learn it, right? Once you learn it, something that used to feel impossible eventually becomes something you simply know how to do, right? That's what we've gotta remember.
There are times, like you are solving problems today. Like, you're doing stuff today that you're not even thinking about that solved a problem from yesterday, and you're doing it without even thinking about it now.
So how am I doing for time? I got about two minutes. I just want you to think this through so the next time you really feel like you gotta look up to see the curb, that you're weighed down with problems, when you're weighed down with problems... Well, I think the problems, we have problems, right?
So I need you just to understand, right? We all have problems. The problems are there to help us grow. But as Einstein said, "You can't solve a problem with the same level of intellect that created it." That's why it's simply a skill issue. You solve a problem—you learn a skill and solve a problem. Now, that creates a new problem. You learn a new skill, and we just grow that way, right?
But here's what I really want you to understand. Problems don't define or dictate your ability. They reveal where your ability needs to grow. Problems don't define or dictate your ability. They reveal where your ability needs to grow. So the next time you catch yourself saying, "I can't because," I want you to finish that sentence with, "Because I haven't learned this skill yet." Okay? And then I need you to just go figure it out.
Now, if you need help with this, please feel free to reach out. Shannon will put a link to my calendar. Grab a spot. So until next week, thank you all for being here. God bless, have a great week, and go make some money. I'll see you next week, guys. Bye-bye.
