Aftermarket March 2022

emotions. All of these have a part to play in who and what we are. Don’t just look at your work capabilities. Be aware of how your actions and behaviour affects others. Once you have a better understanding of your own make up, you will be able to use that to lead in a much more positive and constructive manner. Understand the dichotomy of being a leader. Find the balance. Micromanaging is where you are interfering in every step of the process, needing to know and having to be the one to make decisions. Why? This will lead to your team feeling dissatisfied and unable to use their initiative. They won’t find solutions to problems as they will be used to you, the leader, sorting everything for them. They will lose their creativity and disengage. Aside from being demoralising for the team, it is draining on the leader. You cannot do everything. If you swing too far the other way, and you leave them to their own devices with no support or backup, you will find that they drift off from what your company values are. They will head off in their own direction and will start to cut corners to suit their own needs. The support they have from being part of a bigger culture gets lost. In our case this means knowledge and skills of other technicians, tools and equipment that is at their disposal. The perfect location is to sit somewhere in the middle. The team Now that you have a better understanding of the type of leader you are, it’s time to get personal with your team. DISC is a powerful model to help individuals and teams grasped a better understanding of personality traits and what their driving forces are, task driven, or people driven: D: Dominant, doer; Task-driven/outgoing I: Inspiring, interactive; People-driven/outgoing S: Steady, stable; People-driven/reserved C: Competent, cautious; Task-driven/reserved W hy is it important to be a good leader? What are the consequences if we are not? If you want to get the best from your team, being a good leader is imperative. Being a good leader is not about knowing it all, it is about building a team where individuals excel at their own strengths. A good leader will: Have confidence in their team Be accountable Have strong values. Encourage their team to use them for direction Give their team members autonomy Allow team members to use their initiative As above, so below There is an interesting concept about the way we behave which identifies what type of leader we are. Above the line leaders are open, approachable, and keen to learn. Below the line leaders are closed, defensive and believe themselves to always be right. Please refer to this table: Hardest part How do we become better leaders? Emotional Intelligence is key, and a big part of this is self-awareness. Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. Yes, we all have them. This includes our behaviour, feelings, needs, habits and 14 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2022 BUSINESS/THE GARAGE INSPECTOR GRADUATES www.aftermarketonline.net LEADERSHIP: BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF Tina looks at the importance of good leadership BY Tina Drayson, CCM Are you the Victor? Ownership Accountable Responsible Taking Control, see it, do it, own it Are you the Victim? Blame Excuses Denial Being childlike, ignored, wait and see, It’s not my job BELOW THE LINE ABOVE THE LINE