Are You the Only One? Power in Community and Connections

by Jordan Hendler, WMABA Executive Director

“You’re the only one.” – said by every irritating entity on Planet Earth

Your reaction to that one-liner will tell how much you’ve heard it, or at least heard of it. The statement is a common manipulation tool in our industry, and wielded by anyone averse to admitting validity of a practice. There even used to be buttons passed out at industry meetings, local and national, that said “I’m the only one”; a tongue-in-cheek jab to the prolific phrase and how ridiculous the dismissal is. I think the buttons should make another comeback, and for so many more reasons than just a conversation between a repair planner and insurance adjuster.

First, and most importantly, we have to acknowledge the ridiculousness of the phrase. I can promise, when it comes to something occurring in the course of collision repair, it would be the tiniest of possibilities you are the only one. Whether it’s process, procedure, or billing, many other only ones are out there doing the same thing, or something so close it would look the same to the average person. 

But, how would you know it’s false? How do you disprove you’re the only one? Even if you dared to believe you’re the only one doing a particular thing, and you’re unique, would that make you automatically wrong? 

My mom used to ask me in a disciplinary moment, “Jordan, if everyone jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, does that mean you should?” No, Mom, I shouldn’t. Maybe this logic (in reverse) is what has made me someone who questions the crowd. Or, maybe it’s because I don’t like being told what to do. I have never wanted to be a sheep, or a lemming, with only the exception for my faith. I’m a happy sheep in the that fold, but I chose it willingly. Either way, I think the mentality to challenge a “marketplace norm” is healthy and should be fed, rather than murdered. If we’re going to be sheep of a flock, then let’s flock toward what makes a collision repairer stronger in delivering safe quality work for a profit.

The only way to know you’re NOT the only one is to surround yourself with other Only Ones

I know a lot of these – let’s call them – Only Ones. (That naming convention may stick, actually.) They have a buck-the-norm mentality, and strive to solve issues by proving it’s not about the common practice, but focus on the difference between right and wrong. They ask questions like: Is it a right repair procedure, is it a justified and reimbursable cost of repair, is it a practice that increases overall efficiency, is it a team structure providing reduced errors and cycle time?  If the answer to any of these is yes, then it should not matter if you’re truly the only one doing it. 

Let’s talk more about the Only Ones. They have a behavior about them and stick out in a crowd. The crowd could be local, regional or national, but there is a difference in them. The results in their shops are all the proof you’d need to see the benefits and want them for yourself. I know I talk about these types of repairers a lot, but it’s because it’s so important, and something I think everyone should take heed of. 

You know who the Only Ones are in your market, or maybe your state. You’ve heard of them through the grapevine, or from us as the local association, or seen them in news articles. They seem like they’re everywhere, and you wonder how they do it all and still run a business. How can they be outside their four walls so often and keep their finger on the pulse of the day-to-day of the shop?

Let’s pick them apart to see what pieces you could pick up for yourself!

Only Ones consume information

Every standout is consuming information in some form, such as business books, news sources, social media, or anywhere they can feed the desire to know more. I would say most shop owners are a technician-turned-owner, without a truly formal business education, while some may have some college experience. The college experience still leaves a lot to be desired for the unique and tumultuous nature of collision repair. This lands everyone equally into the School of Hard Knocks, where you either take all the punches or you learn to punch back. 

I’ve tried hard to make space in my life for the same endeavor, consuming information to improve my own business. Much of it translates to us all. As a great example, I read an amazing book last year called The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni. The premise is that people have natural ways they think and process within the categories of Wonder, Discernment, Enablement, Invention, Galvanizing or Tenacity. Those titles, without context, are hard to identify with, but you can imagine that all people have gifts in which they would flourish when leaned into. 

He explains how knowing each team member’s top styles will identify their best work lanes, both on their own and especially in a team environment. Some people will thrive in autonomy while others do better in a group. I challenge you to read it, because I agree with him in that people will only have high-yield long-term success if they are working within their natural abilities. His team approach is really refreshing, and helped even my team improve collaboration, creation and execution.  

Only Ones want to hear from vendors on new products or processes, and typically ask a lot of their vendor relationships. Some vendors find them challenging, because they seem high maintenance, but the vendors who embrace it find they are able to translate this to their other customers with similar success thus making them a trusted partner. If you’re reading this as a vendor, think about who challenges you to be better and rethink your reaction to it. These could be the best relationships you have! From a shop perspective, the challenging customer gives a lot to learn from in a similar way. 

No one person could know all there is to know, and make decisions on their own with exactness without the help of others. We need other minds, and minds who don’t think like ours, to create diversity in decision-making processes. 

They seek other industry business leaders to glean processes from. The Only Ones see collaboration as the norm, not the exception. Their endeavor is to seek knowledge, which brings them into community, and sometimes even non-traditional environments.  

They attend everything

You’ll find them in the “meetings.” There is a small to large approach to this. It could look truly local like Rotary Club, state association meetings or joining the Board of Directors, vendor council membership, industry business groups like Mike Anderson’s Spartan Groups, all the way up to national industry conferences such as the Collision Industry Conference, national association Boards such as the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, or participating in the certified collision network conferences and training. The truly dedicated are in pretty much all of them. 

The selfish caveat here? They are also members of everything. Meaning, they join the associations, they give and take, and they volunteer because by doing so they get more information and community than those who do not. The lasting impression is, the more they give, the more they get.

They keep the Home Fires Burnin’ 

That’s a lot of meetings. It seems impossible to do so much and keep your shop on the level. From my perspective, it is because their team is laser-focused and follows processes. The laser focus comes from understanding and carrying a vision. A vision doesn’t need someone to restate it constantly if it is communicated properly, with clarity and the team adopts. Is it right the first time? Nope. Is it something that can be built over time, so that the foundation stays solid and doesn’t rely on someone hovering over constantly. But if the team has a vision, they row towards it without having to look towards you all the time. If they’re looking at you, they aren’t looking at a clearly identified vision.

They know when to step in – or step back

Only Ones try their darnedest to get out of the center of the hourglass. What does that mean? It means they want production to happen without requiring their input or interference. Usually, the solution for keeping the vision in the forefront is a regular production meeting. Some do a little bit every morning, some do it weekly or bi-weekly, but all do it. Identifying and empowering team leaders ensures the production continues even if the manager is out. 

With every teammate having clear vision, job descriptions and leadership, they also focus on the importance of constantly tweaking and improving every thing possible. They keep spaces pristine, with good lighting and make sure tools are up to date, programs or software are as advantageous as possible, and check in with employees often to know where they are and how they’re doing. They are always found in a relentless pursuit of improvement.

If I would boil down the Only Ones to just one thing, I’d say it’s this: TENACITY!

What could you be more tenacious about in 2025? You too could be an Only One, and say it with pride! 

Want more? Check out the February 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!