APPLYING LIFE’S LESSONS

What matters most—the mistakes we make, or how we apply these lessons learned?

When I first started working in an automotive shop, I cranked too hard on a bolt and it snapped. To this day, I cringe when I think about how it frustrated my boss and added time to the job as we extracted it and installed a new bolt. I felt terrible, but the damage was done. All I could do was learn from it and move forward.

I was so sure I’d never do it again. But I did it a second time, a few years later, on my own truck. At least no customers were involved. In both instances, though, I was feeling over-confident, perhaps a little too proud of what I’d already accomplished.

I learned it’s good to be confident, but sometimes we have to check that confidence before it veers into ego. Too much of it and you’re snapping bolts or something worse.

Giving Back Through Lessons Learned

This year’s Top 12 Installers, Top 12 Retailers and Top 5 Sales Professionals share the mistakes they’ve made and what they learned from them—everything from accidentally screwing fasteners into a gas tank, to burning up wiring harnesses. While mistakes can feel like a setback, it’s what we do with them that matters most.

Here’s one of the many things I admire about the Industry Award winners I’ve spoken with in the past: They tend to acknowledge mistakes with humility, and they share information because they know it will help someone else. I’ve always maintained that everything goes more smoothly when we help each other. In fact, at KnowledgeFest Dallas, Drewbie Wilson, author of Crushing the Day: A Simple Guide to Success in Business and Life Through Service to Others, urged attendees to help others as much as possible. The more we offer help and share our knowledge, the more we lift everyone up. And the more we’ll see good things come our way.

How can we connect, network and help each other grow? The Industry Award winners you’ll meet in these pages have explored their own answers to these questions, contributed to their communities and offered their knowledge to others.

Embracing Mistakes Will Help Us Evolve

In this month’s Industry Awards feature, top professionals share their lessons learned. Sometimes, applying these lessons can be difficult, draining or overwhelming. Many previous Industry Award winners have advocated for taking one’s time—never trying to do more than you can handle at once.

Terry Dawson, an installation specialist at CarTronics in Madison, Tenn., said his mistakes taught him to slow down and focus on details. This really resonated with me as I thought back to my broken bolts: I knew if I’d been more focused, if I’d taken my time, I might not have made this mistake. Perhaps I wouldn’t have made it twice.

Alex Stowe, a Top 5 Sales Pro, said challenges arose when she provided too much information to a customer. She learned the importance of relationship-building and choosing details carefully.

And finally, Top 12 Installer Conrad Leduc—whose business, Sudbury Car Audio, is also a Top 12 Retailer—said he learned from difficult client interactions that it’s never worth it to get into an argument.

We invite you to read responses from many other industry professionals in this month’s issue and learn from their lessons. If you made a mistake today, whether it’s big or small, consider what you learned. How can it help you grow, and what’s the best way to apply the lesson?