Latest / Crossroad Conversations with the Lewis Brothers / Ep.51 - Shut up and Listen - 2 ears - 1 mouth - The art of listening as a leader!

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Ep.51 - Shut up and Listen - 2 ears - 1 mouth - The art of listening as a leader! · Crossroad Conversations with the Lewis Brothers

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now that may be with an employee, that they're frustrated at work, or they're frustrated with their colleagues, or they're frustrated with the process, but when you peel all the layers back, it might be that they're just frustrated because they got to pick a kid up every day at 4.30 and they don't get off till 5.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: So then when they go home, they've got all this pressure from their spouse and what we really need to do is just adjust their time schedule from 7 in the morning to 4 so they can do that instead of from 8 to 5.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to Crossroad Conversations with the Lewis Brothers, where we aim to share real stories about running a successful family business while working through adversity and pouring back into our community that keeps our doors open every single day.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: We're your hosts, Shelby, Matt and Taylor, and we'll be bringing you real, relevant, local business advice, maybe some automotive insights that are sure to change the way you look at running a business or buying a car, and maybe even throw in a plug for you to do business with us here locally.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Welcome back to the podcast episode 51 of the Crossroad Conversations with the Lewis Brothers.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: We're your hosts, Matt, Shelby and Taylor.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: I'm Shelby, that's Matt, that's Taylor and 51 episodes of talking about a few things we've done right, a lot of things we've learned not doing right, what to continue, what to build on and what to work more on.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: And today's topic I want to talk about is shut up and listen.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: So if you've been listening to us 51 episodes deeper, this is your first one.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Today's topic is shut up and listen.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: You have two ears and one mouth for a reason that means you should listen twice as much as you talk and as a leader, that's a hard thing to do.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: That is super hard thing to do, so we'll break that down and unpack that to try to go into details and why that makes sense for the person on the other side.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: I'm still excited about that subject, but I was trying to listen to what you were talking about.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: I'm like just shut up and listen.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: So, even though I wanted to join in there, I was like it wouldn't be right to start the episode by not following our rules, just cutting somebody off.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: But what we're talking about doing is just right from the get-go.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: But before we get started on that, let's go back rewind to episode 50.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: We're really excited about this one because 50, 50 is a big deal.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: We talked about real leadership Q&A and we answered a lot of cool questions out there, many of them from our own employees about different leadership vision, how you handle things, why you do this, why you do that.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: So if you missed last week's episode, make sure to go back and find it.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: It's on all your favorite podcast place, whether that's Spotify, itunes, youtube, wherever it may be, or on our website.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: There you'll find many other episodes too.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: We try to cover about every subject that you would have in business the good stuff, the ugly stuff and everything in between.
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: Hey, always check us out on lewissuperstorecom for the freshest inventory, the newest specials and what we've got going on during the month freshest inventory, the newest specials of what we've got going on during the month.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: And right here on crossroads conversation podcast we have all the relevant topics that are going on, what we've done good and what we've learned on in the past.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: So big deal there, hey, transitioning over to what we have drove it is fair time this time of year, so we always got to talk about.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: You know, we kind of went through, uh, going through rodeo, we went through pbr, talking a fair time.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: So, uh, we've got a slew of vehicles that are over there at the fair and talking about, but getting them over there, I love going through the f-150 trimmer.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: We always talk about the f-150 and the rams, but I love to dive down to different models.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: The trimmer takes the best of both worlds and it gives you the raptor off-road features, but it still gives you the towing capabilities.
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: If you're like Shelby, it doesn't matter.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: If I give you a Maverick, you're still going to try to tow 20,000 pounds.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: Yep, it's not going to slow you down.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: But the greatest thing about the trimmer is it is a hybrid that you get Raptor-like qualities but you're not sacrificing towing capabilities.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: So love that vehicle over there that it starts in a great price range.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: It's getting you well below where that Raptor, the RHO, the TRX, the Raptor R are in the market.
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: But you're in the mid 60s and you get a truck that's fully capable to go off road and still drive every day.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: That's definitely a good one.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: So come check that out.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: We got tons to pick from.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Let's get into our core topic here.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Listening is greater than talking in leadership.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: Okay, so listen to that.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Listening is greater than talking in leadership.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Now, that's improper timing, that's improper context.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: But just understand that, because a lot of times I think, when you become a leader, you think I have to have all the words and I have to always be talking.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Now there's certain times, if you're giving a meeting or giving a speech or giving a presentation, that you need to be talking.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: But then also some of the best training, teaching, leadership has a little bit of interaction where you're getting feedback.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: So this first one that I want to ask and then you guys can give me your input why leaders earn more respect when they listen first.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Well, in a nutshell and I know we've got 60 minutes to cover here, but You're just going to wrap it up I'll tell you why.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Leaders the key point there that you asked why they earn respect yes, okay, why they earn respect when they listen.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: First, here's why it shows they care.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: It shows that they're actually listening to their employees, that they actually are trying to figure out what they're talking about, and that they care and it's relevant, and they're not just trying to cram information down them that may or may not be relevant to their situation.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Now let me expand on that a little bit.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: This subject is much easier to talk about than to do, is much easier to talk about than to do.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: This is one of the very tough things a leader must develop as a skill set, and it takes time, it takes patience, and you have to recognize the success that you end up having by listening more than talking.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: See, there's this myth out there that leaders or bosses or whatever, when you're in an authority position, that you must always have the answers and you must always talk because everybody wants to listen to you.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: I don't know who made that up, I don't know where that came from, but it's the farthest from the truth, and it took me a long time and you've heard us talk about this over multiple podcasts.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: It took me a long time to develop the skill set of being very patient and listening, and what that developed is when I started listening whether it was to a customer or an employee or other leaders.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: It helped me really dial into what my answer could be or what the solution actually is, rather than this shotgun method of just throwing out there what I think before I've taken the time to peel back the layers of the onion to figure out the exact core issue that's going on Now.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: That may be with an employee that they're frustrated at work, or they're frustrated with their colleagues, or they're frustrated with the process, but when you peel all the layers back, it might be that they're just frustrated because they got to pick a kid up every day at 4.30 and they don't get off till 5.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: So then when they go home, they've got all this pressure from their spouse and what we really need to do is just adjust their time schedule from 7 in the morning to 4 so they can do that instead of from 8 to 5.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: You know same thing with a customer, but you can't figure any of that out to actually address the core issue, unless you listen, yeah, and that's so good.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: An important part of that while you were speaking, I was listening.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: One thing that we do talk about, that I want to mention that now you have to listen with intention.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: Like there's listening.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: This is bad listening.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: Listening to respond.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: So that's where you say it's easy to say but not easy to do.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Some people will say I will listen and they will sit back and they say I will listen and they're waiting for a pause so that they can say let me tell you how to fix it.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: But they didn't even hear what the person said, the correct, what we've learned?
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: Probably wrong, but what we've learned is listening to learn and then to problem solve.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: You don't have to have the answer that second and we'll go deeper into that.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: But do not listen to respond.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: You have to let me just, if you didn't wrap it, this will wrap it up.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: You need to listen at the level of like a good therapist, doug.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: Okay, think about that.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: You know you go to a therapy session.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: You're on that, you know.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: Think of a movie.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: They're on that long couch and they're just sitting there looking up, telling them all the problems.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: Think of a movie.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: They're on that long couch and they're just sitting there looking up telling them all the problems.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: A counselor is just starting, a therapist is just starting the conversation, removing any friction, saying this is a safe space, all that stuff I don't know.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: And so then they say tell me what's going on and they'll see how much info they can get and they hear something.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: So if you have that you're counseling a leader, that you're helping a customer, let's just say everyone deals with a customer every single day and you need to listen.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: You need to listen so much.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: I had a customer that was just unloading a baggage full of upsetness.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: You need to listen to the fact that they asked me not once, not twice, but four times on the phone are you still there?
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: They wanted to talk a whole lot, so I let them talk a whole lot.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: And so they said I just want to make sure you're still there because you're not saying anything.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: I said no, no, my job is to extract all the information.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: Because then, when I did go to respond, after I had learned what was really the root of the issue not not just this issue, this issue they would start talking again and they didn't care what I had to say, they just wanted to tell me everything that we were doing wrong, and so they weren't listening to learn.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: They were listening to respond, and so then I would go quiet again.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: I was not going to combat talking with tonguing, and so that's something that we've learned through that of just like in sales, we're going to ask you we're not going to say, hey, let's go walk around through 900 vehicles and you tell me which one you might like, don't like.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: I'm going to say, hey, do you mind?
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: We've got a little process here that's going to speed up this entire process.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: If I ask you a couple of key questions and one of those questions can be Matt, if you wouldn't mind sharing with me.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: Taylor, if you wouldn't mind sharing with me, tell me three areas that are most important to you in purchasing a vehicle, like do you need four wheel drive?
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: Do you need leather?
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: Do you need heated seats?
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: Remote start Is that important to you?
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: Do you need an audio system?
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: Do you need a tow package?
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: To get their thought process going?
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: And then I can really hone that in.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: It's the same thing with people, isn't it?
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: It really is.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: And if you've got, let's say you're high strung or let's say you're.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: Let me tell you what happens to me.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: My calendar is so packed that then my brain, when somebody's talking, is going out of control looking at the time going.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: If I don't wrap this up, it's gonna run me late on this and it's going to domino four or five down the road.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: I got to shut that part of my brain off and be present.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: What I'm in.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: But here's really the telltale.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Or if you've got ADHD or whatever else you may have and you just have a hard time listening, you're going to have to put this tool in place.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: Here's a tip for you, this tool in place.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Here's a tip for you Before you respond after somebody's done talking, ask a question, even if you're like I've got the answer, just double check.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Ask one more question.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: So when you think they're done it's no different than when you had the customer on the phone you ask another question before you responded.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: You're like is there anything else?
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Is there anything else we need to address?
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: So same thing with an employee.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: You ask another question, even though you think you're ready to respond.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: Ask one more question, just to double check.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: That will then allow whoever you're talking to a customer or an employee to go.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: They were listening.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: How do I know they're listening?
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: They asked me another question.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: That's so good.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: And one thing, as you said, that I got to thinking about, that We've gotten much better at calendaring and we've gotten much better at communication of all the things through being busy.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: But when you were saying that of like someone's taking a lot of time and you know that you're going to run over, I've learned, instead of me just eye diverting someone because I know I only have two minutes before the next meeting and then how long is it going to take me to call them back?
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Because I'll have X amount of phone calls and then I'll be walking through the shop talking to people and then I'll get there, you know.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: So it gets way down there and they feel like they don't care.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: If you can now you can't always do this, but if you can take that conversation, whether it's on the phone or via in person, and say, hey, I'm not trying to be rude, but I just need to let you know you're super valuable to me.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: I only have two minutes before I have to walk into another meeting or I have another conference call or I have something scheduled.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: I just wanted to take this call If there's something you can explain to me in two minutes.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: I don't want to be rude and have to cut you off, but I have a hard stop at 10 am.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: But I just need you to know that that I wasn't avoiding you.
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: It'd be like yeah, hey, I just wanted to ask hey, toilet paper, do you want Charmin or Ultrasoft, whatever, I don't know.
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: It's never that simple.
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: But then they get to make the decision of hey, I Should.
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: I divulge it?
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: Or should I reschedule?
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Yep, Right, so that's one of those things that will help.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: You know that I've just figured out through hard knocks.
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and the other part of that you'll see.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: A lot of times you talked about and flip this over to employees that you're pouring back into and you're trying to help and teach and learn, but you have that employee, you have that customer, like you talked about that they're waiting for your mouth to stop moving and they're already answering.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: They already know it's already rolling in there, and a customer is a customer, and you're never going to change a customer, so you just handle the situation.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: But employees this is not different than what we talked about in previous episodes that always come to you and want advice, want advice, and they're just doing it to be heard to not necessarily be heard in a good way, but to hear their own self-talk, and they're already like hey, Shelby, how do I do this?
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: And you're like oh, I do this.
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I already did that, how would you do it, though?
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: And so continue to pour into the person, because they're doing nothing for you and they're not showing you that they're taking you seriously with anything that you're teaching.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: You know you gave them a loaf of bread.
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: You gave the whole group a loaf of bread and said, hey, what do you do with it?
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: You know it's no different than the story in the bible.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: You know they say, hey, he got, you know, got this amount of gold, this amount of gold and this amount of gold, what'd you do with it?
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: One of them buried and was selfish.
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: One of them took it and invested it, and so they come back around to that.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: It's like I'm not going to keep investing if you're not going to do anything good with this Right.
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: So now on the flip side, what's the listening versus talking?
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: What's the danger of always having the answer as a leader?
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: What's the danger to that?
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: Of not giving the correct advice.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: So that's very dangerous.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: But, as a leader, you think that you're now all of a sudden in this role and it means that you always have to have the answer for something.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: And I've been there.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've been there.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: And because you feel like that, you're devalued and you're not living up to the expectations if you defer to somebody else for the answer, to somebody else for the answer.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: However, as the top leaders, your real job is to find people smarter than you and to help facilitate their greatness and to really be more of a moderator.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: Okay, you're the leader, you give direction, you ask questions, but if somebody else has a better answer, give them the glory.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: You put all these people together.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Okay, and there was a point in time and we've talked about this before that we've all worked in every single department.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: And you know, at first I really thought my career was so I could understand and be the best in every department and you know that's an eager 20-year-old, so on and so forth.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: But that wasn't the point.
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: It was so that I had enough knowledge so I could carry on a conversation and hold somebody accountable, and then so that people would actually respect that I knew what was going on.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: But how many mechanics do we have that know a whole lot more about diagnosing and fixing stuff than we do?
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: 95% of them, and we're pretty good mechanically Like we really are, but that's okay.
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know there's plenty of times our CFO that I divert a question to her.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: She's way smarter than me in that stuff.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, we learned a lot of that during COVID was not having the answer.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: And then it was the turning of the page of like hey, that's a really good question.
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: Like I'm going to have to do some research on that, so I'm not just spouting off and telling you something that I think is right, like let's get back together, that's a really good question.
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: I need you to think how that goes into play, what other questions you might have on that question.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: Do you have any other questions at this moment?
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm looking into that.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: No, I don't.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: And then make sure you follow back with that.
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: It's like, hey, here's what I found, right, but that's so good.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: But the danger of always having the answers is like you're looking for gratification or glory, or looking for all the attention for all the wrong reasons, right, you're just going to trip and fall into some areas you shouldn't be.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: I think the other thing that will happen there, too, is your top performers.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: I'm not talking about your low performers.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, your top performers will find somebody else to follow.
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, because what will happen is you'll give them an answer and they'll kind of have this iffy of like was that really right, was that really advice?
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: And then they'll talk to somebody else.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Like, no, that was way off.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: It's no different than the exact thing you're saying is that someone comes in for numbers, salesperson to sales manager.
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: They listened to the meeting, they saw the specials and they say, hey, got Mrs Jones here, she test drove this.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: She likes that, can you give me some numbers?
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: And like, hey, what's that out out the door number?
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: And they've got it on their phone, on the website and they're like oh yeah, well, what's this then?
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: Right, they only do that so many times and they're like holly, this guy's always trying to put this together, you know like.
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: Or a salesperson talking to a customer.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: A customer might just be coming in interviewing you to see are they going to lie to me Because they don't know the answer.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: And so a lot of new eager salespeople, they feel bad not having the answer.
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: So instead of saying you know, that's a really good question, they just switched a lot of model stuff from 24 to 25.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: And so I don't get in trouble and say something wrong and give you the wrong information.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: Let's go inside and do some research to make sure that we get the exact model, the exact options, because sometimes that's standard, sometimes that's optional, sometimes that's something a special order and I think a customer values that so heavily.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: Rather you're saying oh no, recaro seats that standard here and they do lane keeping for this, but they don't do that for that and the customer's like they've hyper focused on that model.
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: They're like lying to me, not true?
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: Dishonest, you're done, you know.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: Just like slow down and just listen you know, you know I was listening as you were going through that and this triggered my mind.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: Another thing about not always having the answer, or having the danger of always having the answer, is if you do that with your employees, then they do that with your customers.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: If, with your employees, you'll be vulnerable and you'll say, hey, I don't have the answer to that, but give me just a little bit.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: Let me reach out to some people that I trust, that I know are experts in that field, and let's get back together.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: If you'll be vulnerable with your employees like that, then when a customer asks them something, just like you said, you've trained them.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: You've helped them and they now respect you more.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: Plus, you've trained them how to then help their customers.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: They look up to you a lot more than they think.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: You influence them way more than you think.
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: They're no different than your kids.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: We all have young kids and you get to thinking like you know, dang, why are they saying that Dang?
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: Why, because they're mimicking exactly what you do.
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: So they look up to you and so it's okay to tell them like hey, let's look into that, like, hey, let's get on here and let's check it out, like let's open a book and read about that, you know, because otherwise they're just going to completely mimic that.
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: Do you guys have any examples of leaders who built trust through listening?
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: Anyone that comes to mind that was a good leader via listening.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: Man.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: You know, I think any of them that you listen to out there and I think when you go into this subject, I haven't had direct connection with them, I've just heard the stories through.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: So if you take any of the great leaders out there and you watch them, so if you take any of the great leaders out there and you watch them, so take the CEOs of large companies and you see them in a room and I love watching a boardroom where you have a really really good leader.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: They're not the ones talking the whole time.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: So I think about this a bunch with Ford's previous CEO, alan Mulally.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: He was really good.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: He went into Ford when Ford wasn't in the shape that they're in today.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: Correct, alan came from Bowley where he was in charge of making sure that planes stayed in the air.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: So he's like, if I can figure that out, I can figure cars out.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: And when he was in a boardroom I never got to be in a boardroom with him, but when I would see that everybody else he might have been at the head of the table but he would ask a question to different departments and he was listening, and then this department would talk about this in R&D and then he would say what do you think about it over here?
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: What does that look like from a manufacturing?
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: What does that look like over here?
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: What does that do to our warranty repairs and our recalls?
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: And he wasn't given the advice, he was just asking the question.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: So you know, as you went around and I think on that subject too, I'll just hit on, this is just recently I was listening to somebody this past year and they talked about you know, if you're the leader in the room, make sure you're the last one to give your opinion or your advice.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Why is that?
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Because if you give your opinion first, it will squash some of the other people around the room's ideas if their idea didn't line up with yours, because they think that then they are in jeopardy of either losing credibility or even losing their job.
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and the power of influence.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: Think if you took a survey and the survey was out loud, hey, everybody, raise your hand.
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: If you think this, if you've ever seen that it's like one or two people and then people look around and they're like, oh, he's got his hand up, she's got her hand up, so that is so good that you're the last you can ask the questions, like, guys, we're thinking about doing xyz, what's your thoughts?
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: No, right, wrong answer.
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: Let's start over here.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: Let's go around the table you're not saying here's my thoughts and tell me what you guys think.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: Unfortunately, that's how, not how most are going.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: Most of them are leading out with hey, here's our process, tell me what you think, because it takes a really bold person to go against the gray.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: it really does I think you know when you think I'm gonna talk just a little bit of politics here because we're talking about managing, um, we're not gonna get deep into post you, we're gonna use this as leadership because I mean, the president of the us is in a very great leadership I think role sometimes you know what I mean.
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: So when you look at that our current president whatever your opinion is there I just want to talk about this.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: Our current president hired 1,300 staff members within just a few days in office.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: 1,300.
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: Because you know why he did that.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: He didn't have all the answers.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: 1800, because you know why he did that.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: He didn't have all the answers.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: He wanted to be really good at assembling people around him that could help him dissect.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: He could listen, they could bring him the answers.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: So that's really good.
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: All right, so automatic fun fact quiz of the week.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: Okay, ice Breaker, which Ford vehicles created in 1960?
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: Because Lee Iacocca listened to young buyers, listened Key word listen Young buyers who wanted a stylish but affordable car.
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: You've got the Pinto, oh, you've got the Bronco, you've got the F-150, or you have the Mustang Pinto, f-150, bronco or the Mustang.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: In the 1960s, lee Iacocca listened to young buyers who wanted a stylish but affordable car.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: Well, instead of affordable car, he ruled out the Bronco or the F-150.
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: The Pinto was in the 60s.
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: I wasn't around then.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: I don't know if people were asking for that.
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: You know, I recently watched the Mugab.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: I've watched it a couple times now.
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: You know, Ford versus Ferrari.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: There wasn't a Pinto on there.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: There wasn't a Pinto on there, but Lee Iacocca was in there and they did the unveiling of this vehicle.
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: Pretty cool wasn't it?
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: It was cool, so you know, of course, the top driver for that.
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: How did Ken Miles?
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: Did he really like it?
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: No, I kind of he was bashing it and he said it's a pig and it's slow and it just tore him up.
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: Yep, Lee Iacocca was one of the founders of the Mustang, so that was the car they came out with.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: It was a stylish but affordable car in the early 60s and, fun fact, one of the only two-door American sports cars left in production.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: That's right, that's right.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Pretty cool there.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Just American icon there, for sure.
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: Okay, next up we're talking more about questions.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: But now let's go a little level deeper.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: Okay, ask questions, don't give directives.
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: Okay, so you're asking questions first to listen.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Remember, that's the point we listen first, we ask another question, okay.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: Well, the reason we're asking that question is to make sure, when it is time for us to talk as a leader, that we're talking about the core issue.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: And I don't know what you guys think, but I'm just going to tell you that nine times out of 10, when I take the time and I sit down with somebody and I unpack it and I ask enough questions, I end up addressing something that is not what they originally brought up.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: If you don't ask enough questions, you will incorrect and generally they're not going to tell you, they're not going to be like oh, thanks for a full itinerary and a breakdown on supply chain management.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: But I was just wondering like-.
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: You know where this vehicle's at.
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: Right, you know where this vehicle's at and you're just like what.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: I just wasted all my time.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: It's your fault for not asking the right questions, you know, but if you don't take the time to ask enough questions as a leader and you take the first thing, you're probably gonna.
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: That really isn't broken.
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: And you can be mad at them, but why'd you say it had to do with the shop was hot out there?
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: They're trying to warm up to the idea to ask you or tell you what the real issue is.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: No one is natural born communicators that I've met.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: That's just really good at coming straight out to the root and real reason of why they have a concern.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: I'm going to give you my opinion on why I think that is.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: I think that leaders are in a very time crunch and they feel like the faster they solve the issue they can move on with their day.
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: But that's very short term thinking.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: So they take what the first objection is out of an employee or out of a customer's mouth and they go, boom, there it is, boom, let's fix it.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Yet they didn't fix the problem.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: They band-aided it and it's still there.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: So it ends up costing them more time because it comes back and there's another issue, and there's another issue and there's another issue because they never took the time to ask enough questions and to listen to actually address what the issue is.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: So if you spend more time now, you'll save time later.
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: So you're fixing the process, not so much the end product.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: That's cool.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: Now think about that.
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: Like, when you get an issue of something's taking too long or the end product isn't what you expected it to be, via customer concern or just via inspection, you're not taking them a fish, you're teaching them how to fish and you're looking at that process.
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: And you're teaching them how to fish and you're looking at that process and you're like, instead of saying like no, the oil change should only take 35 to 40 minutes.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: That's what we tell people, that's what manufacturers told us, that's what edmund says.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: And you're saying, no, you need to do it faster.
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: You should probably just ask some questions, like a couple key things, like hey, how many people do you have working on this car?
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: Hey, did you have all the parts you needed when you got the car?
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: Hey, did you have the tools?
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: Was the car correct?
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: Did you have the locking lug nut tool?
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: You know those questions and they're like, and they'll finally tell you like no, our oil filters and air filters used to always be in the oil change bay and now they keep them in the warehouse upstairs.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: And you're like and you would have just corrected the whole system without really knowing what the exact issue was.
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: That's right, right.
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: So by asking those and peeling those back and we've done that in meetings it's like, no, tell me more, not tell me more.
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: And we didn't even get the answer from that meeting.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: It was actually went to a parts meeting yeah, vice versa and they were like, well, they don't have this, this and this.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: It was like, well, that's pretty basic and sample, but if it's outside someone's nanny role of responsibility, they're just like, hey, well, louis says this, how it goes.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: Like well, no, they didn't, the louis's built it to be like this.
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: And then someone said along the way hey, this, this is in the way, let's move them out of here.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: So a non-season leader there and let's just go down the old change, though for a second.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: What they would do is, every single day, they would pass out a new report and be like you're 48 minutes on your average old time yesterday, you're 48 minutes.
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: Why can't you get that 35 minutes or less?
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: Everybody get it 35 minutes or less.
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: And then the next day, why are we still at 48 minutes?
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: Remember we got to be at 35.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: Why aren't y'all at 35?
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: Get to 35.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: I don't want to see this on the report again.
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: Well, I'm checking back in tomorrow.
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: Okay, figure out how to do this.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: And then, like this goes on and on and on.
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: And then employees are like oh my gosh, I'm not gonna say anything, he's gonna bite my head off.
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and and it's hey, boss, it takes us 10 minutes to get the oil filter.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: Yep, could we load them in the cabinet?
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Yep, it's not that they're not changing the oil fast enough.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: Yep, it's that one little piece.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: Yep, you shouldn't know if you don't listen.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: So you guys give me your thoughts on this Problem solving by asking whoever you're speaking with customer or employee what do you think Instead of telling people what to do.
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: So what are your guys' take on that.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: When they get done talking, you say well, what do you think about that?
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: I love that because it's your way of giving direction to the conversation.
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: Okay, whenever I'm running into that and I go, you know, what do you think of X, what do you think of this?
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: So, whatever the situation is, you're giving them leeway to be able to talk about it, pulling out some of their thoughts, but then you're also giving a direction of how you want it to go.
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: So, hey, I'm asking you what are your thoughts on how we could make this process faster, what are your thoughts on this and what do you think about that, instead of just, hey, get this done, let's get going, let's get going.
• 32:07
  Speaker 3: That's no different than I was over.
• 32:09
  Speaker 3: Uh, we're working on daily activities of breaking it down, of different principles and, uh, I kept going through there and so we finally broke it apart.
• 32:17
  Speaker 3: We figured out of communication that a lot of people don't like to be called on this and most people, if you think about it, answer on texts or emails or anything else.
• 32:27
  Speaker 3: So, as I was going through with them yesterday and I finally, toward the end of the day, was like hey, no, I'm serious, I'm standing on your back, we're going to move through this.
• 32:36
  Speaker 3: Tell me how you'd move through this.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: And I got a lot of feedback from the guys that don't normally produce results and guess what?
• 32:44
  Speaker 3: After they told me about that, we made a couple adjustments.
• 32:47
  Speaker 3: At the end of the day, they were past what their goal was supposed to be by asking them and moving forward there.
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: Yep, Any goal is supposed to be by asking them and moving forward there.
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: Any other thoughts about you know, just Shelby addressing people and like, hey, what do you think about that?
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: Like when y'all get done with it.
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: You know, the end result might not be any different, right, you might still like drive home the point that you had.
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: It might be say it differently to incorporate what they say.
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: So just keep that in mind.
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: But it does give them the opportunity to say, hey, I value you.
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: And before we change something, before we move something, before we make a modification, I want to see what your thought is, and in the end you might still say the same thing, but it allows you to say one I care, I'm human, you're human.
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: Let's act like we care about each other Instead of like, yeah, new process, here it is, here's what we're doing, you know.
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: So, if you can ask them that, what do you think?
• 33:40
  Speaker 2: Okay, it, yeah, it takes layers down, takes walls down and just allows them to.
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: You know, you can generally like taylor's talking about activities.
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: You can generally get more out of your team or actually get them back to where they should be right, just by showing that you care, because you do care, right?
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: You know, at the same time, you're trying to up production, but you're also saying, hey, I care about you because nobody wants to be just idling along, right?
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: You know like you're supposed to do that when you're retired, hanging out on a golf course or on a boat or something you know.
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: So I think that is good to always ask that question.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: I think it's a little bit of an icing on the cake and it just, even if they don't ever answer the question, it in the back of their mind.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: They're like they had the opportunity to give their input and even if they didn't, they can't dispute that.
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: Yep, they didn't ask me what I thought.
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: It's same thing.
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: We talked about offering a top person one position, the next position, even if you know they're not good for it.
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: Sure, they had the right of refusal, and it's the same thing, yeah, I mean, how many times have we asked or invited people that we knew that had never come or had never done this, but we didn't want them to feel left out?
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, come, or had never done this, but we didn't want them to feel left out.
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: And as soon as we didn't do that, even though we know that they wouldn't come or they wouldn't do this, they would then be upset.
• 35:01
  Speaker 2: It just removes that barrier there of just the common courtesy it really does.
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: I think this next question now starts getting of.
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, we've broken down why it's important to listen, how to ask questions, how to get buy-in.
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: You know you're trying to get whoever you're talking to to really recognize these people do care, they are listening.
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: That then comes to the practical framework.
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: You know, when we start talking and we've unpacked this a little bit, but now we're trying to put it together for our listening audience the practical framework of tell me more, I'm listening.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: And when you get to the stage I really liked your customer example earlier and we've all been there where the customer on the phone on the other end is like are you still there?
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: When you get to that stage, you know that you have got to where they're like dang, I didn't get the fight out of them that I was looking for.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: I actually have a true professional here, right, that's not looking to fight or argue or put up a wall here, but they're looking for a solution.
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: And that's so rare in the US that if you learn this framework, you can win in any industry.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: You really can.
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: So you guys think about that framework and each of you have walked me through.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: You already have.
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: But now let's put it together in simple terms of advice to somebody out there.
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: How do we put practical framework together on listening to an employer or customer and then just walking through that process?
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: You know something I listened to a while back and I think I shared it, but I'll continue to share it is if something isn't correct or proper at right time or right process, expect the best right.
• 36:48
  Speaker 2: So if someone hasn't shown up or someone hasn't done, expect the best.
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: And that's kind of like expecting the worst but the best right.
• 36:52
  Speaker 2: So if someone hasn't shown up or someone hasn't done, expect the best.
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: And that's kind of like expecting the worst but the best.
• 36:58
  Speaker 2: Like if someone's not here and they're supposed to be here, the first thing that you're going to do.
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: Your thought is let me find that person.
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: I'm going to call them, text them, go see where they're at on location and say, hey, where the heck are you?
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: And you weren't here on time, sure, expecting the best.
• 37:22
  Speaker 2: And the prop, the positive thinking is like, hey, man, just checking in on you, is everything okay?
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: Does everything go good?
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: You get the kids dropped off and and then they're like, oh my gosh, like wall down, because they were already coming up with their excuses of am a car's old and traffic was bad and all this stuff.
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: And then you go and say, hey, everything good, did you get the kids off to school?
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: And they're like yeah, man, I apologize, I didn't have all this stuff and it won't happen again, so expect the best.
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: When there's an issue there, it's like hey, I see the oil changes are taking 48 minutes.
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: Do you guys have everything you need?
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: Like, because that's pretty solid 48 minutes.
• 37:56
  Speaker 2: You know our goal is to be in that 35 minutes, but I realize that's me helping you understand every piece of efficiency, and before I can ever help you with that, I need to know any and all bottlenecks.
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: So you know what do you think?
• 38:09
  Speaker 2: Tell me what's the hangup.
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: If you were to redesign this whole program as your program, what would you change?
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: You know, instead of like listen, jimmy, jack wagon, they told us it can be done in 35 minutes.
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: If you can't do it, I'll fire you and I'll find somebody else.
• 38:24
  Speaker 2: And you're like dang, that's harsh.
• 38:25
  Speaker 2: That happens a million times a day.
• 38:28
  Speaker 2: It happens more than the other.
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: Oh yes, that's how a majority of people manage.
• 38:34
  Speaker 3: Right, they manage by fear.
• 38:35
  Speaker 2: They manage by improper structure.
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: So I've just you have to slow down and have that framework and if nothing else, if they don't give you anything that is worthwhile, you at least gave them.
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: Hey, I want your opinion.
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: I got to reference this again and I know I'm going to reference this over the next 100 episodes, but episode 49, one of our questions was what percentage of employees say they leave a job because of poor leadership?
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: 75%, 75%.
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: It's not because of the product, it's not because of the ownership, it's not because of the business, it's not because of their fellow employees, it's not because of the product, it's not because of the ownership, it's not because of the business, it's not because of their fellow employees, it's not because of the pay, it's because poor leadership.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: So I love finding metrics and going after them, because those are the hidden gems that if I'll just be a better leader, I'll be 75%, 75%, and we're talking about it right here.
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: 75%, and we're talking about it right here.
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: If you'll just listen, give a crap, ask a question, you'll be 75% of everybody else.
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: It's pretty simple.
• 39:44
  Speaker 3: You know I love going into different areas of sales especially, and then even here in some of service.
• 39:50
  Speaker 3: But before jumping to conclusions and before assuming anything else, if you see people that they're underperforming by results, anything else that's coming out, I love going into areas and you can just watch.
• 40:05
  Speaker 3: You can watch from a manager that is like what the heck you doing?
• 40:10
  Speaker 3: Why would you do that?
• 40:11
  Speaker 3: And then, because they're whipped, guess what they do it to your customer like why would you come in and do that?
• 40:18
  Speaker 3: Why would you do that?
• 40:19
  Speaker 3: So you can go in and make simple adjustments of hey, um, shelby, why would you do this?
• 40:26
  Speaker 3: Why would you go that?
• 40:27
  Speaker 3: Let's try doing this route and being able to give, call it, a framework of working, but try this different route that goes off.
• 40:35
  Speaker 3: Your 75% of you don't have a whole lot of bad talent, bad people out there.
• 40:42
  Speaker 3: A lot of people have people that are in manager spots that should not be and you're not managing them and it's simple words, simple tasks that they're going over.
• 40:53
  Speaker 3: They're just browbeating people and it's because they're a poor manager and that's how they're managing.
• 41:00
  Speaker 3: So that's where that 75% comes in.
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: Hey, it's not even in the script here.
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: But I've got another question for you all Growing up or in your career or at any stage of your life interacting with dad, did y'all ever come across with him where he would just listen?
• 41:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, and didn't say a whole lot.
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: That's not what I thought you were going to ask, and so that's why I'm laughing.
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt, like that's his demeanor he would just listen, he might ask you another question about it and he was calm that you could read on his face every once in a while, close to the rev limiter.
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean that non-verbal communication but he was always a really good listener and he really he really taught us, amongst a whole lot of things about the patients and you know we use the word stew and think stew.
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: But you know it was think on that that's totally this demeanor, like now, like if we happen to be traveling from one area to another and, uh, I seem yeah, not that he's different from anyone else, but I'll pass him and I'm like, golly, why are you driving so slow?
• 42:12
  Speaker 2: he's just patient and absorbing in all times, you know, just like taking the things in and I'm like thinking now that, like I'm thinking efficiency, like how do I get here to here as quick as possible?
• 42:26
  Speaker 2: And then I'm like my kids in the background, like okay, our dad taught us be super patient, you know and listen.
• 42:31
  Speaker 2: Well, and like, am I teaching that correct thing?
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: Or when they come home, when the speeding ticket comes, and they're like dad, you normally drive x amount, and it's like, well, you shouldn't do that, you know.
• 42:40
  Speaker 2: It's like I'd love.
• 42:41
  Speaker 3: I'd love if he was on here.
• 42:43
  Speaker 3: This is a hilarious story I remember from a wedding of sitting there and he stood up to go through.
• 42:47
  Speaker 3: And this is a patience of anything else and he was on here.
• 42:50
  Speaker 3: He would tell stories of like this he's like.
• 42:52
  Speaker 3: There's one thing I can tell you.
• 42:54
  Speaker 3: It's patience.
• 42:55
  Speaker 3: Let me tell you this time that when me and mom used to go and fish and she was helping me load the boat up and I had backed it up and she brought the boat in a little too hot and it jumped over the top and smashed into the back of the tailgate of the this was the bass boat and he said I could have got really mad and I was kind of upset but realized it wasn't that serious and I could just handle it.
• 43:22
  Speaker 3: So patience, going through and there's so many more.
• 43:26
  Speaker 3: But that is God that's so important in business to be able to I mean, just get no different than I've talked about sucker, punched in the face and just okay, let's analyze this and go through.
• 43:40
  Speaker 3: And people that are so angry like dude, I just whacked you in the face.
• 43:45
  Speaker 3: Now that's figuratively talking about.
• 43:47
  Speaker 3: Somebody whacks you and puts you in a headlock or something until you calm down.
• 43:50
  Speaker 3: But people mostly do it verbiage-wise of going through and just smacking you in the face and 90% of people fail because they retaliate.
• 44:01
  Speaker 2: But if you'll just sit there and just let it just simmer, we get those opportunities to fail or to rise above 100 times a day.
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: Yesterday I get a text in our brand new building that we took 10 years to research to build and it's been over 55 years since we had a new building For the second time in our service drive.
• 44:25
  Speaker 3: It's the same type of vehicle.
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: The exact same vehicle.
• 44:28
  Speaker 2: These box trucks have these silly lifts that go way above for really tall loading docks for giraffes or something, and they drive this thing in and the the buildings are wrapped with it's called acm panels, metal panels and they just just rack this thing, just racking willy he just, and it just destroys.
• 44:48
  Speaker 2: The last time we'd been open for like 14 days and it was it was over eighteen thousand dollars in damage just by not giving her.
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: It was way more than that because it was the customer's vehicle.
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: So it's close to thirty thousand dollars in damage by not slowing down and being patient.
• 45:07
  Speaker 2: So that's on their side slow down, be patient, be efficient.
• 45:10
  Speaker 2: Meanwhile she'll be saying move quicker, be more efficient.
• 45:12
  Speaker 2: Like what do you want me to do both?
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: But then on the other side, so yesterday when I get that text, I'm like can't change what happened.
• 45:19
  Speaker 2: Is everybody okay?
• 45:21
  Speaker 2: Is business still moving?
• 45:23
  Speaker 2: And uh, because I was in another meeting, and so then I came back around and looked at it and took pictures and I said to the construction guys like hey, we're gonna need a little more help here.
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: I was like man, how many people just go like haul off on somebody for this, it's expensive, it's a second offense for this department.
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: That's like easy, that's easy thing to do and that's what most people do.
• 45:48
  Speaker 2: But like if you can be patient and if you can be kind, like hey, are you okay?
• 45:54
  Speaker 2: What's going on?
• 45:56
  Speaker 2: Tell me, was there a distraction?
• 45:58
  Speaker 2: Like what can I have done to help prevent that?
• 46:01
  Speaker 2: And they're like, are you kidding me?
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: like I totally expected to be fired yeah, you know with the other thing that patience unlocks the door.
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: For, okay, if you're not patient and you fly off the handle with emotions, you're 100% in fight mode.
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: When you're in that mode emotionally, you can't observe.
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: When you're in that mode emotionally, you can't observe.
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: If you're patient, you can observe.
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: And what observing gains you just like you were talking about Taylor is it gains you a look down the pipeline to the future, on if something needs to be fixed.
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: I'm not talking about this individual, I'm talking about the over-adpressants or the situation.
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: And if you're patient, you can see that If you're emotional, you're in the middle of a fight and nothing else matters and you can't see the forest through the trees.
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: So I go, I'm going to go back, even another layer, and I didn't have a ton of interaction here besides just observing.
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: But go to our grandfather, our grandfather.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: I remember seeing him just walking around the lot, observing, or driving his Dodge Grand Caravan around the lot, observing, constantly observing, watching things.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: And he would talk, but watching things, not so he could just get on to people, but so how he could figure out how to improve the business, how to improve the situation.
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: I just, everybody just has to remember that like no matter if it's raising kids or addressing a customer or addressing an employee.
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: If you're hammered down emotions and just fighting, you can't see, you can't improve and you think you're doing good because it felt good to win the fight.
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: But you've lost the war.
• 47:51
  Speaker 3: No, and you do so much better being able to go back to whoever your sounding board is.
• 47:57
  Speaker 3: And there's a lot of times that I'll see things as I've learned through the years and I don't say a thing until I get around one of y'all and I'm like, hey, I saw this, I don't think this was right, or what do y'all think about changing this process and that one?
• 48:14
  Speaker 3: If something was terrible going on and then you didn't respond how you should have responded, how most people would respond, people are going to take note of that, yeah, and then you're going to be able to come back, whenever you come back, and address it.
• 48:29
  Speaker 3: You've hit your sounding board and so it is well thought out, well planned, and you're going to get so much more buy-in.
• 48:37
  Speaker 3: That's so good, so much more buy-in.
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: All right, we've got to get to a myth buster, okay, okay.
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: So y'all just give me your answer More You're giving me your answer.
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: More inventory equals more sales, and I'll be quiet.
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: The theory sounds right.
• 48:53
  Speaker 2: Right, I know there's so much more to it, though you know like more doesn't equal more.
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: A millions of business every year.
• 49:00
  Speaker 2: Try that More equals more.
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: More can equal more.
• 49:06
  Speaker 2: Inventory can equal more sales.
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: But it has to be the proper inventory at the proper time, at the proper price point, with the proper team to structure to handle the more inventory, with the proper financing to be able to handle that yeah, with the proper floor plan to be able to handle that at the proper interest rate.
• 49:23
  Speaker 2: It is not simple.
• 49:25
  Speaker 2: More inventory equals more sales.
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: So when managed correctly, correctly, yes, could be done, but I'm gonna say, majority of the time it is not, and people just so the end all be all there and I'll park here for just a second because I said I was gonna listen, but I just I gotta share this with everybody um is, this is a slippery slope because initially, when you get more inventory, whether it's in parts or in vehicles, you'll do more business.
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: So then you're like that's great, let's double down on that.
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: Oh, you have to follow the metrics, just like you're showing.
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: Um, our largest parts department inventory is at our smallest parts production store.
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: Do you have to have enough inventory?
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: Yes, but you better find some metrics to follow and not just be on the drug of more and more and more.
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: I can tell you at one point in time, new inventory wise at one of our stores, we went from 250 in stock to we were over 500 in stock, just new, and this store increased their sales by about 10 to 12 a month.
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: Okay, so did the sales go up?
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: Yes, but we doubled the amount of inventory at an average cost of about 60,000 a piece.
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so if inventory is very tricky and you better find something in the industry that gives you some KPIs and some standards to follow there.
• 51:05
  Speaker 2: Yep Got to properly manage it, absolutely so.
• 51:07
  Speaker 3: I'm going to follow there.
• 51:07
  Speaker 3: Yep Got to properly manage it.
• 51:08
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
• 51:08
  Speaker 3: I'm going to say that's probably.
• 51:11
  Speaker 2: Probably busted in context, but there's a way to make it work, absolutely.
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: We've got to hold our business in inventory if you need to follow this Not that again.
• 51:20
  Speaker 3: Hey, we've talked about going through problem solving, how questioning, how walking through, how listening, and the business advantage of listening, of going through, so listening to customers instead of assuming what they want, listening to employees, I think, catching issues before they blow up.
• 51:36
  Speaker 3: We've kind of talked about that.
• 51:38
  Speaker 3: So let's go on this one and I'll hit you there at the end of it Listening to the community, how small businesses thrive by being tuned in.
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: Here's one, and we're fortunate to have each one of us have our own network of people that do business with us and we know we trust.
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: And here's what I tell people, and especially on reviews or if we get input, if somebody takes the time to not write a review, but to call me or text me or send me an email about something and they didn't try to fry me on a review that they care about our business improving and they want it to get to me so we can fix it going forward.
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: They're not looking for something for free and I know if they take the time to do that, it's probably going on more than just that one-off time Instantly in your mind you think about because you want to be protective of your business and your employees.
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: You're like, ah, that was a one-off, that probably doesn't happen all the time.
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: But then when you sit back and think about it like, okay, this person took the time to call me, send me an email, give me the facts because they care about our business, not because they're looking for something to complain about.
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: They're a busy person.
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: They took time out of their day.
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: So I think it's very important to listen to the community and to stay tuned in there.
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so, and I think you can take what they tell you, slip it to your side side what does it apply to in your business?
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: And then go listen on that side and so then you'll really see was that a one-timer, was that reoccurring?
• 53:17
  Speaker 2: And you'll see it just by being in the area and just by asking specific people, specific questions and listening.
• 53:24
  Speaker 2: Then you can use some context because sometimes I will be not slow to speak, I'll be quick to speak because I need to get the point across.
• 53:33
  Speaker 2: When a review or a customer shared with me and I'm like, hey, why the heck do we do this, then I really feel like a horse's rear end that I didn't ask all the questions that I well did.
• 53:42
  Speaker 2: They tell you that this and this and this happens like I don't know.
• 53:46
  Speaker 2: They failed to leave that information out, even if it's a really good customer sounding board.
• 53:52
  Speaker 2: They didn't know what was happening in the kitchen, right, they didn't know that we were actually out of beef, but we knew this was a really good customer, so we sent somebody to the butcher to grab some.
• 54:03
  Speaker 2: So that's why it took 13 minutes longer, because we were appeasing them.
• 54:07
  Speaker 2: Actually, the shop had already closed but we still had advisors up front closing tickets and checking customers out.
• 54:14
  Speaker 2: So we actually had one of the advisors out back airing up the tires, right.
• 54:20
  Speaker 2: And so if you're not taking the listen on the customer side and then going and listening to your team and you're just saying, hey, fix this, then you contradicted the other 50 minutes we've talked about and you might haul off in the wrong direction, even if you nicely do it.
• 54:35
  Speaker 2: They're like they didn't even know that we were.
• 54:37
  Speaker 2: We didn't even have beef, that Right, but we went and bought it for the customer and we just forgot to tell them what we were doing.
• 54:45
  Speaker 2: That's where a lot of the things are dropped is like we're working really hard behind the scenes and if you tell them up front, it's like hey, taylor, we're so glad to see you back again this week.
• 54:56
  Speaker 2: The Beef Wellington oh, we love the Beef Wellington.
• 54:59
  Speaker 2: We actually moved that to a Thursday only thing, but because you're a VIP customer, we have some that we're going to go get at our other store.
• 55:07
  Speaker 2: It's going to take an extra 15 minutes.
• 55:08
  Speaker 2: If you're okay with that, we'll have you prepare it and we're super excited to have you here.
• 55:12
  Speaker 2: Are you okay with that extra 15 minutes?
• 55:14
  Speaker 2: Customer gets to make the decision yes or no.
• 55:16
  Speaker 2: Instead, you're like nope, I'm a yes man, I'm going to run over to Beef Wellington, pick some up, bring it back.
• 55:22
  Speaker 2: I don't even know what that is, but then you're gonna prepare it and you're gonna bring it out and they're gonna be pissed that it took 15 minutes longer and you've just been busting it.
• 55:30
  Speaker 2: Yep, right, so you do have to take that into account.
• 55:33
  Speaker 2: Just fully break it down.
• 55:35
  Speaker 2: Right, it's like a top fuel drag car.
• 55:36
  Speaker 2: They run it down three seconds, 300 miles an hour.
• 55:39
  Speaker 2: Then they tear the complete thing apart to make sure is everything still within spec?
• 55:45
  Speaker 3: yep, you don't know what.
• 55:45
  Speaker 3: The number one thing after listening to all that, this goes back to everything, or most things are faulted in business.
• 55:53
  Speaker 3: It's communication, communication.
• 55:56
  Speaker 3: Have listening and clear communication to your customer.
• 56:00
  Speaker 3: Whether you chopped your arm off or not, you seem to communicate it and by by you communicating that you set correct expectations.
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: Yes, if you don't set the expectations, the customer will, in their own mind and 99 times out of 99 times, their expectations will not align with what you can produce.
• 56:24
  Speaker 1: Nobody's ever will.
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: You know, you know yeah, that's big.
• 56:28
  Speaker 3: Well, good, good, take on listening today.
• 56:30
  Speaker 3: Hey, I've got easy, easy question for you today here, but y'all can both give me, uh, your thought on this what is the biggest struggle that the automotive industry faces today?
• 56:41
  Speaker 2: I'll tell you one that um is current, but is always changing and always evolving.
• 56:48
  Speaker 2: With the change of leadership in our country, we were go green, go green, go green, go green.
• 56:57
  Speaker 2: And we're not saying, hey, don't go green.
• 57:00
  Speaker 2: Right, but it's changed the CAFE standards, it's changed the EPA emissions.
• 57:06
  Speaker 2: It's changed a lot of things.
• 57:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, still with good direction, but we're just, we're in the puppet show and we're looking out like, hey, what does the audience want to see?
• 57:16
  Speaker 2: So the automotive industry right now is where federal tax credits are going to run out at the beginning of september, like we have all these electric vehicles.
• 57:27
  Speaker 2: Here's the funny thing, though, like is because a lot of manufacturers, when the last election happened and they said, hey, cafe standards which means you know how green they are, they need to have this, this and this some of the manufacturers said we're going all in and we're only going to be electric powered vehicles.
• 57:46
  Speaker 2: Some of them have dissolved.
• 57:49
  Speaker 2: Some of them have said you know what?
• 57:50
  Speaker 2: That was a bad move, let's switch it up, and both of the manufacturers we have have just had to restructure that room.
• 57:56
  Speaker 2: The crazy thing is, evs are becoming more and more hot right now because the manufacturer sees that the credit's going to go away, so they incentivize them.
• 58:08
  Speaker 2: Right now our Mach-E and our Lightning have 0% for 72 months.
• 58:11
  Speaker 2: That is a really good deal.
• 58:13
  Speaker 2: Our Wagoneer S, it's all plug in, 100% electric vehicle.
• 58:20
  Speaker 2: You can get a lease for $200 a month.
• 58:22
  Speaker 2: So the industry might say, hey, this is slowing down.
• 58:26
  Speaker 2: Let's say it's not going away, but it's slowing down the market because they've chomped it to get rid of the inventory.
• 58:32
  Speaker 2: It says this is really hot.
• 58:34
  Speaker 2: So in your mind you would say, let's order more, let's order more, let's order more.
• 58:38
  Speaker 2: But because it takes so long, you would be in the wrong, because then they would all show up, the tax credits would be gone and the manufacturer would take away 0% and you'd be like why aren't these selling?
• 58:52
  Speaker 2: So that's a thing that the industry I feel like is facing right now of how much gas-powered versus how much electric.
• 59:01
  Speaker 2: Ford's been chasing Elon Musk and Tesla for a long time of finding their mix in that.
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: That's a good one.
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: Mine is a struggle that we face and we've actually faced for a long time, and it's the realization of the dealer and the manufacturer.
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: So, from a customer standpoint, we're a franchise dealer, but we're independently owned.
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: We own all the vehicles once they leave the factory.
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: We are not.
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: We don't have the ability to return any of them.
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: And I think, versus other industries where you can take a product back and return it and it goes back to the manufacturer, we're not that way and and customers have a misconception of that, thinking that we are Ford and we are Jeep and we can just send that back.
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: The same thing goes in service and sometimes we'll get somebody frustrated on why won't you fix that?
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 1: Why won't you approve that motor being replaced or that transmission or that screen?
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: Prove that motor being replaced or that transmission or that screen.
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: And hey, here's a news flash for you.
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: We want them all approved because then we actually get the money.
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: If we don't repair the vehicle, we don't get reimbursed by the manufacturer, but it's not our call.
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: And that's very similar to the medical industry.
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: There's plenty of doctors that want to do surgeries or they want to do this or they want to issue this medication but until the insurance companies approve it, they're not going to do it because they won't get paid for it.
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: We're very similar and I think that I don't think I know that gets lost in clarification with the customer that they think we are for.
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: Why aren't you approving Shelby?
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: Why aren't you approving that warranty repair Taylor?
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: Why don't you?
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 2: just send that expedition back to the factory.
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 2: The customer I was talking to that I did a lot of listening with the other day manufacturers have changed via the government which there's some good and bad in it of when a recall is notified to the customer and or us.
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 2: A lot of our inventory on the ground right now for sale has recalls and it's a stop sell or stop drive if you own it.
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 2: This customer is super frustrated and I totally get it.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 2: They didn't know quite, they were not asking questions to listen, and so they said you have no clue what I'm going through.
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 2: Um, so it's a manufacturer recall, but it's an advanced notice.
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 2: So meaning, hey, your car has an issue that we think is a safety concern, but we don't know how to fix it, we don't know when we can fix it and we don't know when the part will be available.
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 2: We just need to let you know via.
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 2: The government says we have to.
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 2: It's a don't know when the part will be available.
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 2: We just need to let you know via.
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 2: The government says we have to, it's a safety concern.
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 2: So the customer was super frustrated.
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 2: They got the letter in the mail that says you have a recall.
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 2: They didn't read the next line that says we do not have a fix and we don't know when we have a fix.
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 2: And so they came to us.
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 2: They were super upset, totally get it.
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 2: And they said you don't understand.
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 2: Do you have kids?
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 2: I said I do.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 2: And they said well, you still don't understand my situation.
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 2: I can't drive this vehicle.
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 2: And I said well, as a matter of fact, after I listened and listened and listened and listened, I said my wife actually has a vehicle that has the exact same recall issues.
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 2: And she drives the exact same recall issue on advance notice with my three kids that your family does.
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 2: And so I am in the same boat as you.
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 2: I said, but you're not upset at me.
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 2: Now I know you're really upset with me and my team right now.
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 2: You're upset with Ford Motor Company.
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 2: And their lack of quality within this fuel injector.
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 2: So we want to help you at every level and I promise I'll put the and he wanted me to make an exclusion just based on him.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 2: He said this is just a one-time deal.
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 2: I said Ford has over over one and a half million active recalls right now.
• 1:02:58
  Speaker 2: It's not a one-time thing.
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 2: And he wanted me to fix all this.
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 2: And I said there's no fix for that, there's nothing that I can can do, there's no amount of money that we can do, and so that line is so blurry and he was mad at me and bad google review, and he cussed out my finance manager, my sales manager, my salesperson, and created an entire stink inside the entire dealership.
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 2: And that's how I got a hold of him was like, hey, I apologize, what the heck happened?
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 2: So then he walked me through this whole thing and he had bought another car somewhere else and carried over a ton of negative equity.
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and then that was our problem as well, because he has a car that he can't fix and all the things, and it's like we didn't build this car.
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 2: We didn't create the advance notice of the safety issue.
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 2: If there's a fix, we're going to call you very first.
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 2: We're going to pick up your car, we're going to fix it and we'll deliver it right back to you, um, but there is like there has to be separation there, because ford ain't getting a bad google review.
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 2: They're not sponsoring your little league team no they're not taking care of the community at a sub, sub, sub, sub, sub, sub level, right.
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 2: So that's a good thing that people think they understand, until it.
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: And we try to bridge that gap.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: You know, as nice and as gentle as possible, but you know, just yeah, we could do a whole episode on that, no doubt.
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: So I just struck that deal.
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 3: But good question, sailor, really diving in there hey, always check us out on lewis superstorecom for the freshest deals, specials and crossroads conversation podcastcom.
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 3: Hit that like and subscribe.
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 3: Check out all 51 episodes we've had thus far.
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this episode, be be sure to give it a like, share it with your friends and family and visit our website to send us questions about what you would like to know about the automotive industry or family business in general.
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 3: Who do you want to hear from?
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 3: Send them our way and we'll do our best to answer any questions that you have.
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 3: Thank you again and we'll see you in future shows.