How to manage your auto repair shop's high achievers

Nov. 30, 2017
It’s important to understand what a high achiever looks like so you can recognize the value of having them on your team and the benefit that comes from retaining them.

Over the past few columns, we’ve been discussing best practices in growing a team that will ensure your customers receive exceptional care each and every day. We’ve talked about the process and investment and we’ve discussed onboarding and growing your team’s skill set.  

But what about those high achievers? The guys and gals that just “get it” and set your vision into action on every job. How do you continue to grow their skill set while encouraging continued growth as valued members of your team? Or maybe, we should first consider this: Where do you find high achievers?  

It’s important to understand what a high achiever looks like so you can recognize the value of having them on your team and the benefit that comes from retaining them. It’s very common to have had several high achievers on your team in the past but mot recognize some of their traits and behaviors as being those of someone you want on your team until it was too late.  

If you research the characteristics of high achievers, you will find a lot of information on their distinct behavior such as a competitive nature, persistence and innovative thinking. High achievers are never satisfied for long and are able to see and buy into the bigger picture. High achievers can implement new ideas and skills quickly and are very convincing and persuasive. They see problems as opportunity, and they love to win.  Do these traits describe anyone on your team?  

It’s easy to be narrow minded when looking for that high achiever amongst your team by only considering your A-Tech or your longest-tenured employee. Most of the time, if you do have a high achiever on the team, he or she will be a different individual.  

High achievers are likely to be found among the greener employees or as someone who is passionate about learning. They are the teammates that attempt to put what they’ve learned into action the day after a class or after reading about a new way of doing things. More often than not, they are the teammate that just does things differently, faster and more efficiently than anyone else.  

If you have a high achiever on your team, it’s important to recognize and ensure they are allowed to shine within your company. However, if you don’t find the above traits in members of your team, you should consider if your business model and management standards are establishing a culture that attracts these crucial teammates.  

Let’s assume you have a high achiever on your team. How do you feed them in a way that benefits their growth and your success? If you keep the traits and behaviors listed above in mind as you interact with them, you’ll find success.  

It’s also important to acknowledge the risks inherent with housing high achievers. If you don’t have a process in place to guide their natural desire to win at almost any cost, you will see your profits erode. We know that high achievers want to win, rarely give up and consider it counterintuitive to fail. For that reason, don’t just put them on the line and expect them to fix all the tough jobs. Eventually they’ll find that job that will kick them and they won’t quit before it’s too late to make a profit or to best serve your customer. Remember they can see the big picture, too.  

High achievers can also become idealist, and if not properly managed, they can forget that it’s okay to live to fight another day. The best way to manage them? Let them lead!  

Because they are able to grasp new ideas (training) and apply them quickly and because they see the big picture (your goals and plan), they become a great asset when asked to lead a team in implementing new ideas. 

For example, we’ve discussed creating a career path including training for your team. Because the high achiever is able to bring the knowledge learned from a training event back to the shop and implement it quickly, a great way to leverage the high achiever is to empower them to guide your team through the implementation of new skills and training knowledge.  

After a training class, the high achiever should gather the technicians together and discuss what was learned. They can then answer questions the group has and demonstrate the new skill, helping it to become an element of your shop’s process. Give them responsibility of owning these new elements and you’ll find they will bring them to life.  

Give the high achiever the freedom to test new methods with the team. This not only stretches the skills of the team, but feeds the need of the high achiever to find new ways to apply him or herself. 

High achievers can be very persuasive when attempting to influence others, which if not moderated appropriately can cause some risk. The high achiever needs to be on the same page as you or they could lead your team down their path, which may not be the right path for your business. Include high achievers on your strategic planning on a regular basis to ensure they are not formulating a different or their own path for the shop.  

High achievers are also driven by achievement and think success is dependent on them. They will take the opportunity to grow their understanding and skills, attending every training event, with your support or even on their own dime. But don’t let them go alone. I often see the high achiever in a shop as the only attendee in a training class using the excuse that he will take the training back to the others. All this does is turn your high achiever into a trainer, not a person who can implement positive change in your team. 

Your high achiever should be given the opportunity to lead your training plan to success. Have the entire team attend the class so they can all discuss how to best implement what they have all learned. This will ensure successful growth in your team’s skills while making sure you and the high achiever work together to create the learning plan for the entire team. This gives the high achiever ownership and will help ensure you get a high return on investment.  

Finally, as you begin recognizing who your high achievers are, pause for a moment and take a look in the mirror and determine if you are one yourself. Honestly evaluate your traits and see if they match those discussed above. If you discover you are a high achiever, you’ve taken the best first step towards future success.

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