• Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Repair
  • Refinish
  • Estimating
  • Products
  • Original Video
  • Buyers Guide
  • Webinars
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Digital Edition
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Body Shop Business Babcox
Body Shop Business Babcox
Measuring P&M Sales and Expenses in Your Body Shop

by Mark Clark

New Competition: Don’t Panic, Focus on Yourself!

by Tom Martin

Sponsored Content
In Search of a Good Technician

by DRIVE

Customer Relations: The Customer Is King in Your Body Shop…or Are They?

by Micki Woods

Addressing Cyber Security in Your Body Shop

by Mark Claypool

OSHA Fines: Got a Million Dollars to Spare?

by Kyle Holt

Finding the Right Employee Health Care Benefits for Your Team

by Body Shop Business Staff Writers

OEM Certification: I’m Certified! Now What?

by Micki Woods

Collision Terminology: Good and Bad

by Barrett Smith

Reframing Our Choices Will Expand Our Opportunities

by Body Shop Business Staff Writers

Create Leaders, Not Managers

by Body Shop Business Staff Writers

Shop Operations/Employee Management
2 months ago

Failure is a Part of Success

Share Tweet
Print Print Email Email
Body Shop Business Staff Writers

Body Shop Business Staff Writers,

View bio

  • Bio
  • Recent Posts
  • Popular Posts

Washburn Tech Students Donate Recycled Ride to Needy Kansas Family

CIECA to Hold Webinar on Claims and the Collision Repair Market

CARSTAR to Exhibit at 2020 National Automobile Dealers Association Show

OEC Earns Center of Excellence Recognition for 12th Consecutive Year

Collision Industry Foundation to Host Beneficiaries at Gala

LKQ Corporation Announces Promise of Calibration

CRASH Network Launches Insurer Report Card

Tradiebot Introduces Virtual Spray-Painting Training Simulator

Video: Creating a Blueprint for Repair, Presented by Honda

CIC Releases Video of John Eagle Plaintiffs' Interview

Is the Fear of Mistakes Holding You Back?

I saw a post on Facebook the other day that stated, in effect, when a child learning to walk falls down again and again, he or she never comes to the conclusion that “I guess walking isn’t for me.” 

Very few of us are good at an activity the first time we attempt it. We learn by trial and error. We make an attempt and we find out what works, what doesn’t and then, armed with this knowledge, we try again. When a little leaguer steps up to the plate for the first time, coaches don’t expect a home run; they are happy if the child is able to touch the bat to the ball and run in the right direction.

We expect this from children, but somewhere along the way we forget that this is also true for adults. The first day on the job is always one of the most challenging because everything is new, and it takes time to gain a clear understanding of both of the job and of the organization. Yet many of us don’t want to ask questions, for fear of looking “weak.” We try so hard to be perfect that we make more mistakes than if we’d asked for more information.

But look at it from the other direction: When a new team member asked you a question, would you think he or she was stupid? Of course not. In fact, most people would want to support them because not only would they be able to pull their weight that much quicker, but because it’s simply what our teammates deserve. It’s what we would have wanted — it’s what we did want — when we were starting out.

When it comes down to it, though, we are ultimately responsible for our own education, and part of that is being open to making — and owning — mistakes. Most mistakes are opportunities for growth. No one sets out to fail; we’re wanting to knock it out of the park. Mistakes, however, are the necessary steps we all take toward achieving a worthwhile goal. They may sting at the time, but they are badges we earn on our way to wisdom, growth and improvement.

Better than simply fearing mistakes is making the effort to avoid making the same mistake more than once. This is where, if we’re wise, we seek out a coach, a mentor or a co-mentor so they can examine our performance and guide us on how to better handle our next attempt. It’s not enough to just practice, because if we don’t know where the opportunity lies, we can’t make adjustments to fix it. If we practice doing the wrong thing time and again, we’re just reinforcing behavior we’ll have to unlearn later. Only perfect practice makes perfect, and this is where a coach and/or mentor is invaluable.

Making some mistakes when we’re starting out will happen, but there’s another danger zone that many people are unaware of, and that is where we have experience and we begin to think we know everything about the activity. When we decide that we are experts, and that we have nothing left to learn, that’s when pride rears its ugly head again and prevents us from achieving our goals. 

Even when we are well-versed in a subject, times change, people change and sometimes the very rules of the game we’re playing change. Here’s an example: “Mr. Experience” has been a tech at the shop for 25 years. He’s seen peers and management come and go, but Mr. Experience has lived through it all, and no one at the shop has more experience. Lately, however, he’s been in a slump and can’t figure out why. His approach really hasn’t changed — he believes “you don’t fix what ain’t broke” — but his numbers are on a downhill slide. In fact, he’s regularly surpassed by newer techs with a tenth of his experience. Something is broken.

If he considers himself an “expert” and doesn’t want to appear weak in front of the newer techs — if he’s not open to new ideas and constructive criticism — his career is soon going to come to an end at that shop.

All of these opportunities for growth are there for Mr. Experience, but only if he is aware of them. If he takes this coaching to heart, truly viewing these as opportunities to grow, this will be the first step to improving his performance.

Unless we’re walking a high wire without a net, mistakes aren’t fatal. When our egos won’t allow us to take away the lessons we need from those mistakes, however, our growth and momentum stop. We can’t rob ourselves of the chance to reach our full potential.

This story was originally published by Auto Success.

Click here to view more solutions from Chris Saraceno.

  • Tags:
  • business management
  • employee management
  • mentoring
Search for:
Show Full Article
Copyright © 2019 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Repair
  • Refinish
  • Estimating
  • Products
  • Original Video
  • Buyers Guide
  • Webinars
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Digital Edition
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us