What will drive your decisions in 2015

Dec. 11, 2014
Not discounting spiritual convictions and government regulations/requirements, there are three main drivers most business decisions are influenced by: fear, greed and rock-n-roll. Which of these drives you?

As we enter 2015, the hallway point of this decade, it is time to ask yourself: “What will drive my business decisions this year?” It would seem that sound business decisions should be made with careful analysis and logical approaches, but for the most part they are not, and this seems to be disproportionally a truism of our Industry. But why?

Not discounting spiritual convictions and government regulations/requirements, there are three main drivers most business decisions are influenced by: fear, greed, and rock-n-roll. Why do analysis and logic take a backseat to these three, and which of these drive you?

Fear, seems the most significant driver for business decisions, and has been for many decades. This includes fear of what happens if you do say no; fear of loss; fear of reprisal; fear of steering; fear of not being able to survive, and the list can go on and on. But most fears are simply the fear of the unknown, or the perceived future from the decision. I have talked and worked with shop owners and managers worldwide, and this thinking is as common as a dollar bill in our Industry. It is unfortunate, because it is unfounded and based on emotion or flawed logic. But again, why be confused by the facts a logical decision process will provide?

The next is greed, and in this case does not mean you are trying to corner the market to put everyone out of business. It means making decisions that affect your financial future, as well as others, only for the short-term gain, while not considering long-term effects, and taking the “I don’t care about anyone but myself approach.”

Every business doing the right things has the right to earn a profit. This is not a guaranteed outcome, but based on how the business is managed and the results of the decisions made. If profit is not your primary goal, why are you in business in the first place? Profits allows the business to be sustainable, prepare for the future, purchase and maintain needed equipment and pay for training as technology advances. None of these are possible when making decisions based on fear or greed.

So how does rock-n-roll have any affect on your decisions? To start, take a look at the history of rock-n-roll. When it first entered the music scene, it was demonized and many radio stations refused to play it. There was a strong resistance by many status quo organizations and individuals that liked music as it was, and made false claims in an attempt to prevent it. Do you remember there was even censorship of Elvis Presley shaking his hips? However, even with the attempted suppression and false claim, there was a bigger movement that could not be stopped. This eventually changed music forever.

This process of change can also be associated to a concept called herd behavior. When one is doing something that is contrary to the rest, it is easily suppressed and attacked. But when the group continues to grow, the herd grows and many begin to follow and make decisions based on the momentum that is seen.

In the case of rock-n-roll, it was bigger than the entities that attempted to stop it. Those involved in the music believed in this new style of music, and now it is accepted and has influenced music of all types.

Today we are seeing a rock-n-roll change taking place in our Industry. The Movement, as it is deemed, is gaining momentum and size, and will change the collision industry as much as rock-n-roll changed music. So many states and shop owners are standing up and working together to take back control of our Industry so decisions can be made for the right reasons and the protection of the real customer — the vehicle owners.

In 2015, take a look at The Movement at www.SafeCars.us, and then remove the fear that has driven our decisions for over 25 years. The music will never be the same again.

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