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[Podcast] RR 389: The Art of Successful Mentoring


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Dr. John Passante is a legacy automotive aftermarket Human Resource professional and the President and CEO of The Organizational Development Group.  He’s worked with and for some of the biggest names in our industry including Monroe/Tenneco, Delphi, Moog and Car Quest.

I’ve seen John speak at many events and he always ignites the spirit of self-development and leadership. John works with many aftermarket organizations to increase its effectiveness by better utilizing their human capital to implement change initiatives including Management Development, Leadership Development, Personal Development, and Team Development among others.

John is the author of the book: The Human Side, Human Touch Leadership in a High Tech World and the creator and thought leader behind the book: A Woman “s Perspective on Leadership!!

An adjunct Professor at the University of the Aftermarket, listed in Who s Who in Training and Development and in the Automotive Hall of Fame. John is also an Executive Coach to many aftermarket leaders. Find John’s other episodes HERE.

Order John’s books here: [email protected]

 

Aaron Shaffer began his career with KYB in 2002 as a Territory Sales Manager after working in several auto parts stores. In 2003, Shaffer was promoted to manage the introduction of KYB into an auto parts wholesaler with 300 locations.

In 2004, he relocated to KYB’s headquarters in Addison Illinois, where he was named Customer Service Manager. In this role, he managed a team of 11, improving policies and procedures to adjust to KYB’s growing aftermarket business. Mid-way through 2005 Shaffer became KYB’s Marketing Manager. As Marketing Manager, his responsibilities included Advertising, Public Relations, and Pricing. He helped to create KYB’s first National Marketing Calendar, and was involved in many special projects including the launch of KYB’s complete corner assembly, Strut-Plus, and the introduction of KYB’s service provider-focused training initiatives.

In 2010 Shaffer relocated to Washington DC to work directly with channel partners on the east coast. He assisted with KYB’s service provider training programs and was later promoted Business Development Manager, working directly with several key national account distribution partners. The Import Vehicle Community recognized Shaffer with the Young Executive of the Year Award in 2016.

Shaffer recently moved to Indianapolis to work out of KYB’s North American Headquarters and was named the Director of Product and Marketing. He is responsible for new product development and introductions as well as marketing materials, national promotions and all public relations activity

Shaffer holds a BBA in Economics from Northwood University.  He is a lifelong automotive enthusiast and has been active in Motorsports competing in 24 Hours of Lemons events as well as racing sprint cars. Aaron is married to Jennifer Louie Shaffer.

Key Talking Points:

  • It helps the Mentee on the road to Self – Awareness !!
    • Their Values, strengths, and areas that need improvement !!
    • And probes what they are passionate about !!
    • External self-awareness is how other people see us !!  It is indeed a journey to learn about one”s self !!
    • The goal is Professional and Personal Growth !! Only about 15 percent of the population has a true sense of Self- Awareness !!!  It involves Trust and Courage !!
  • Mentoring from both sides, people who have mentored me; Mike Howarth, Mac McGovern and Dr. John Passante and people I have helped and coached
  • The importance of a plan and setting aside specific times to meet. Having a brief agenda is also helpful
  • Always asking mentees questions, always challenging their thought process and most importantly standing with them when they fail. I believe that a lot of today’s younger employees really lack confidence.
  • Importance of investing in people, because you can’t poach people who know more about your business

Resources:

  • Thanks toDr. John Passante and Aaron Shaffer for their contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
  • Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
  • Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

 

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-MogulEpisode-Logo-Sponsored-By-v1-300x93.pngMotorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.com

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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