“One of the things that helped our shop really go to the next level was when I started doing my own one-on-ones with everybody and asking them those questions — ‘What makes you tick?’ ‘Why do you come here every day?’ Getting to know them. And at first I was kind of hesitant. Am I just going to get the middle finger — a ‘go away’ kind of thing, ‘I don’t want to talk to you about that stuff. Who do you think you are?’ And most of them I knew for eight-plus years. You know, I was shocked how open everybody became and the sense of them wanting to do this on a regular cadence. So we did. It also allowed me to push them because I knew what they wanted. They didn’t get an excuse anymore when we’re trying to get to a shop goal or their own goal and I get to remind them why they come here every day. From my perspective, it was a big thing that really filled me up to a point where it’s like, OK, I can hook onto that train and let’s go. Let’s just go.” — Jon Olstad, technician production manager at the Walser Automotive Group, on doing a regular values exercises with technicians, on the “Beyond the Wrench” podcast hosted by Jay Goninen