“The right person will show you when they’re ready.” That’s one ultra-powerful nugget of shop promotion wisdom from Oil Changers’ Territory Director Kevin Treder, who’s based in the San Francisco Bay area and oversees 38 locations across 10 states.
That said, Treder notes that the variables affecting promotion will be a bit different for every business.
“It depends on the business size and model,” he states. “There’s a time when we’d like an employee to go through (all the traditional) steps and training.” This could look like two years at an entry-level position, then learning and working one’s way through other positions until finally they’re ready to manage.
“This might take two to three years at a small shop, but a bigger shop may not have that luxury,” Treder notes. “If you have a really good training program (already in place), you can probably get the right person ready even sooner.”
No matter what a quick lube or quick maintenance shop’s training regimen looks like, though, there are dead giveaways that can help show an owner who’s likely to be the right person to promote.
Heroes Wear CAPEs
CAPE stands for care, attitude, pride, and enthusiasm. Treder notes that based on this acronym, Oil Changers has developed its own simple and highly-effective approach.
“We hire for attitude and then train for experience,” as he puts it.
The right people to hire and ultimately promote will be the ones who want to show up each day and who care about the work and the customers. Pay attention to who these people are, Treder suggests, because your hires represent the second biggest investment in the business.
Another easy-to-remember hiring gem from Treder is that attitude is altitude.
“The good ones bring everybody up, and the bad ones bring everybody down,” he explains. So, attitude must be at the base level of what an individual brings to the business. Integrity and honesty, incidentally, are often part of the personality package when an employee has the right attitude.
Something else to look for when watching out for individuals with CAPE is how an employee interacts with other employees. For example, are they looking to help support other people or are they always concerned with themselves first and foremost?
Treder finds, “It’s the ones who are always striving to be better and to be part of the team who really shine.”
Curiosity is Invaluable
Perhaps going hand-in-hand with enthusiasm, an employee who shows genuine interest is generally a person willing and eager to learn.
“(Watch out for) those who are students of the business,” Treder advises. “They want to know how things work, how they can help the team improve, those are the ones we want.”
People who constantly ask what they can do to help should be on your radar, too. They are the ones who often come in early and stay late, and they want to know what the targets are that you want them to hit. They will push themselves to attain them, Treder has found, and they will push others to do the same.
Creating a Sticky Shop Culture
Not every one of Treder’s tips on how to promote the right people has to do with employees’ behavior since sometimes a shop owner needs to find a way to make the right employees want to stay.
“There are a lot of great people in the workforce, but it’s hard to retain them now,” the quick lube business pro notes. “So, it’s important to create an opportunity for them that lets them feel valued and like they can keep growing.”
At Oil Changers, that looks like hiring from within, wherever possible.
“We bring up the person we’ve promoted and bring up all the managers, and we celebrate that person’s promotion. And we have them reach out to their peers for support (in their new role),” Treder says.
In an operation smaller than Oil Changers, an owner or manager might simply have a team meeting and congratulate the employee who’s been promoted. “Others will be watching and see that there’s an opportunity (at your shop) to grow,” Treder emphasizes.
You Can’t Watch What You Don’t See
In all Treder’s tips about finding the right person to promote, owners are told to look for certain attributes and behaviors among their employees. So, it’s worth noting that to see these things, an owner must be in the shop.
“Be present in your business,” as Treder advises. “Know your people and celebrate who they are—get to know them on a personal level. What are they working towards? There are young people (out there today) who are not going to college and they’re wanting to start a career. Look for those who align with your business and give them the tools (to succeed and grow).”
For Treder in his role directing operations for Oil Changers, knowing people is quite literal.
“There are 188 managers in our company, and I know them all by name,” he says. “I get out and see them. The business is all about people.”
In addition, part of being a good manager—and of having a shop with good management—is learning your people’s strengths and weaknesses. Over time, Treder has found that shop owners and managers will get more from building on their employees’ and managers’ strengths than from dwelling on their weaknesses.
Top Performers are Built Over Time
Treder started as a tech in a San Francisco dealership in 1998. He has spent his entire career in the automotive industry, in auto repair, sales, and operations.
“I joined Oil Changers in 2017 when we had 34 locations and one owner,” he says. “Since then, we’ve grown to 188 locations in 17 states, and we plan to continue growth to 450-plus locations in the next five years.”
Throughout his years, whether in a dealership, a smallish operation, or a sprawling one, Treder has found that one thing remains true in every circumstance. “The goal is to have a shop full of people with management potential, people who bring people up to their level,” Treder says.
