A little over 30 years ago, when I was just a young buck in the industry, I attended an event put on by the 3M ARMS Group which featured then ARMs instructor Jeff Hendler, an industry icon, great public speaker, and close friend. Jeff liked to tell the story of a guy who used to get down on his knees every night and pray, "Lord, please let me win the lottery." Night after night the fellow would pray the same prayer, asking the Lord to help him out and give him a break. That was, until the Lord finally looked down and said, "Give YOU a break?? How about giving ME a break and at least go out and buy a lottery ticket!"
Jeff's point was that you have to give a little to receive a little. I'd like to bring that message up to date and say that when you give a little, you normally receive a LOT, particularly in our industry.
I give my Mom a lot of credit, mainly because, among other things, she's so wise. One of the most prolific pieces of advice she ever gave me while I was growing up was the notion that "You can't give all your kindness away. The more you give it, the more of it gets piled back on you in return."
In an economy that focuses so much on profits, it's amazing how much you get back when you give a little. What I mean by that is simply the return on your giving investment. And I'm not talking about a monetary payback. I'm talking about the satisfaction and pleasure one experiences when they give of their time, skills, creativity, experiences and wisdom.
When you take a high school student under your wing and teach them the ropes, when you speak about your successes (and failures) in front of an audience at an industry conference and when you reach out to your community and participate in a local fundraising event to help a family in need, you get more than you gave in return.
That type of giving never goes unnoticed. My proudest and most humble moments come when folks approach me and talk about how they heard me speak at a past workshop or visited one of our shops and tell me that the experience changed the way they looked at their own operation and made them a better person for it. What a compliment!
I know I'm virtually preaching to the choir when I talk about giving. The fact is that the willingness to give in our industry is absolutely amazing. Perhaps that stems from the intense values that emanate from the high number of family-run operations in the business. It's simply inherent within these organizations to be mindful of family, friends, customers and business associates and respond in times of need. (It should also be mentioned that many of these family businesses are now parts of large, successful corporate conglomerates because of their deep-seeded convictions and the way they conducted their businesses before being acquired.)
Here are some quick ideas to consider in your quest to give:
- Participate in industry associations. The Collision Repair Education Foundation (www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org) is a good start. Donate your time, money or supplies to this worthwhile organization which supports educating the next generation of collision specialists.
- Reach out to your competition. It sounds crazy, but working together and sharing ideas is a whole bunch better than trying to survive on your own.
- Join your local business association. Whether it's the local chamber of commerce or the regional business group, you'll reap huge benefits through networking opportunities. Plus, you may even get to play a round of golf or attend an after-hours function.
- Support your local vocational schools and high schools. From a simple visit to talk to a class about what you do, to opening up your business for a shop tour, to supporting local business-academic partnering events, that kid you influence could be your next star employee.
- Offer a scholarship to a promising tech student, or host a skills competition for area students interested in auto repair.
- Sponsor a charity event for a family in your area who's down on their luck, or contribute to groups like the National Auto Body Council's "Recycled Rides" (www.NationalAutoBodyCouncil.org), which donates restored vehicles to needy families around the country.
- Give to the Collision Industry Foundation (www.CollisionIndustryFoundation.org) which helps collision repair professionals get back to work after experiencing a natural disaster.
- Encourage women to join the Women’s Industry Network (www.WomenIndustryNetwork.com) which provides education and support to women in the industry and scholarships to young women at local vocational schools.
- Talk, blog or share your business stories with anyone who will listen. You never know how your experiences will impact another's outlook on life!
The point here is to look at and relate to those around you like they were members of your own family. If you treat your business and your team like family, you'll reap huge rewards. If you treat your industry like family, you'll see change unlike anything you've seen before.
