General Maintenance Isn’t Just for Sassy
A flashback to 1989. Yep, that's me!
While doing a routine oil change on my car, Sassy (Oh, c’mon…yours has a name, too), I noticed there was oil in my antifreeze reservoir. The culprit? An intake manifold gasket that needed replacing. Having grown up around this industry, I knew that if this problem was not taken care of immediately, a much larger and more costly issue would definitely ensue. And without a regularly scheduled oil change, I would not have known this gasket was bad and causing damage.
There are many different components in a vehicle and each component needs to function independently as well as together to get that car to move. If one of these components is not working properly, your vehicle may still get you where you need to go but less efficiently. Eventually, the damage will surface and a repair will need to be made. Or if the damage is irrevocable, you may need to scrap the car altogether.
I think you’d agree with me that general maintenance for your vehicle is vital. But how about for the internal relationships within your own organization?
Take a second and reflect back on this past year.
- Were there times when you ignored a teaching opportunity with the new guy?
- Did a hardened attitude push others away, stopping their contributions?
- Was “blame” the focus in a bad situation?
When the maintaining of relationships is ignored, dysfunction happens easily. When the maintaining of relationships is ignored, the mentality of the company becomes toxic. When the maintaining of relationships is ignored, your customers are affected.
Just as in replacing a leaky gasket, little changes can make a big difference in your business:
Schedule weekly meetings. Have team building activities. Implement better training to ensure everyone is on the same page. Accept the responsibility when a mistake is made. Share your vision so your team understands and is invested in their part. And let’s not forget the effects of a friendly smile and a hello in passing.
The Point of All Returns, Lisa Chico, takes a short break from her role running core returns to share her very first Reman U article. What kind of general maintenance do you give your business? Share with Lisa or below in the comments!
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