From Search Auto Parts: We haven’t always run the shop that way…
Have you ever had an idea for a new way of doing something, suggested a different way to accomplish a task, only to be told no? If you were bold enough to ask, why not? The answer is usually something like, “We have always done it this way.”
Many of us started our careers learning the trade from an experienced craftsman who developed his or her skills over time. They were our mentors. Our mentors were much older than we were, had many years on the job, were respected by their peers and usually earned the most money in the shop. They were who we wanted to be when we grew up.
I remember a guy named Vince was my first automotive mentor. I was 17 years old and starting a two-year cooperative education program. I went to school in the morning (including auto shop) and worked at the Lincoln Mercury dealership in the afternoon. Vince was the oldest mechanic in the shop and two years from retirement when he was assigned to me. I still wonder how that happened. Maybe Vince drew the short straw. Vince had rules, and as long as I followed the rules we got along very well. The rules were pay attention, do exactly as I tell you and don’t do anything that will get Vince in trouble.
