As the calendar turns, many dealership leaders begin thinking about what they want the next year to look like. New targets, new habits, new plans.
However, in Fixed Ops, SERVICE MANAGER goal setting often falls into the same trap year after year. Goals get written down. Motivation spikes. Then reality hits — and momentum fades.
In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #339, the conversation explores why most goals fail and what separates leaders who achieve consistent results from those who stay stuck. The discussion applies directly to SERVICE MANAGERS, SERVICE ADVISORS, directors, and Fixed Ops leaders who want more than short-term motivation.
Why Traditional Goal Setting Fails in Fixed Ops
Many leaders avoid New Year’s resolutions altogether — and for good reason. Resolutions rely on emotion. Once that emotion disappears, so does the behavior.
Effective SERVICE MANAGER goal setting works differently. It focuses on structure, planning, and intentional execution instead of excitement.
The key takeaway is simple:
Results don’t come from wanting change. They come from building systems that force change.
That’s where most dealerships struggle.
Intentionality Beats Motivation Every Time
Motivation feels good. Intentionality gets results.
Intentional leaders take time to think deeply about what they want to improve. They write it down, they talk it through, they revisit it regularly.
Instead of chasing surface-level improvement, they focus on long-term habits that drive performance. This mindset shift is critical in Fixed Ops, where consistency matters more than intensity.
(For more on building consistent performance, read:
Top Fixed Ops Performers: What Successful Dealership Leaders Do Differently)
SERVICE MANAGER Goal Setting Starts with Saying “No”
One powerful insight from the episode is that every goal requires sacrifice.
You cannot add something new without removing something else. Time, energy, and focus are limited.
For service managers, this might mean:
- Spending less time reacting and more time planning
- Saying no to distractions that don’t move the needle
- Protecting time for leadership instead of constant firefighting
Intentional goal setting forces clarity. And clarity creates momentum.
Why Writing Goals Down Changes Everything
High performers don’t keep goals in their heads. They put them on paper.
Writing goals down:
- Makes them real
- Creates accountability
- Forces specificity
Many leaders also involve a partner or trusted person in the process. Sharing goals creates alignment and removes friction — especially when professional goals impact personal life.
This approach builds stability, not stress.
What Elite Leaders Have in Common
The episode uses examples from outside automotive to make one thing clear:
Top performers don’t rely on talent alone. They rely on preparation.
Elite leaders:
- Practice more than everyone else
- Set higher standards
- Rehearse outcomes before they happen
- Focus relentlessly on the customer experience
That same mindset applies inside the service drive. Strong results are rarely accidental.
(Recommended reading:
The Service Manager’s Guide to Leadership and Accountability)
Fixed Ops Results Reveal Intentional Leadership
One unique advantage in Fixed Ops is that results show up on paper first.
Financial statements, productivity numbers, and efficiency metrics all reveal whether leadership is intentional or reactive. Stores with consistent performance don’t rely on luck, location, or excuses.
They set clear expectations.
They inspect what they expect.
And they follow through.
That’s the difference.
Raise the Bar — Then Build the System
Low expectations produce average results.
High expectations, paired with systems, produce growth.
When service managers aim higher — even if they don’t hit the full target — they still land far ahead of where they started. Intentionality stretches performance. Comfort shrinks it.
This applies to:
- CSI
- Technician productivity
- Advisor effectiveness
- Leadership development
Every result traces back to the system behind it.
Final Thoughts: Intentional Goal Setting Wins
The core message from SDR #339 is clear:
SERVICE MANAGER goal setting only works when it is intentional, written, shared, and supported by systems.
Motivation fades.
Intentionality lasts.
Leaders who plan carefully, practice consistently, and raise expectations don’t just get better results — they build teams that believe in what they’re doing.
And that’s how Fixed Ops wins long-term.
FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Welcome everybody to the big show. Today we’re going to talk about how service managers and parts managers can learn leadership from Taylor Swift. Yep, that’s what I said. We’re going to go deep into it. We’re going to unpack it. Be ready. I would get a notepad and a and a pen and take some notes. But I’m Chris Collins. Adam’s here. Hogi is here. Christian is not here. Uh we miss him, but he’ll be back very soon. And that and much, much more coming up on this edition of Service Driver Revolution.
Anybody have a New Year’s resolution?
Not to watch as much football. Why would you? Your quarterback’s I don’t know. But your drink less bourbon. I don’t know. Drink less. I don’t know. I don’t drink that much. Will that Will that resolution last till February? Drink more bourbon. I thought yours would be to take your Christmas lights down. I don’t think we can agree. Never. No, that’s never. You’re that guy that leaves the Christmas lights up all year. I will this year. Living it up. That’s the worst. Well, these ones are permanent, so I get to have colors for all holidays and accent lights. He could move to warr where they leave the lights on. Yeah.
Adam’s New Year’s Goal: Pursuing Distilling
Say, uh, yeah, I I would like to read more books. Maybe distilling, like actually distilling. Oh, yeah. I forgot you were doing that. You achieve that. Adam’s the only master distiller that has never distilled anything. Well, like not master distiller, just distiller. Like I sample a lot. Does that count? Adam went to some How much was that school?
Ah, dude. I think it was like five or six grand. It was a week. Yeah. The whole entire What’s funny is I almost went with you. Yeah. Well, that’s not funny. You should have came. It was But he’s certified as a distiller and he’s never distilled anything. Yeah. You should at least do something in your bathtub. That’s No, that wouldn’t work. That’s like I don’t That’s how my grandpa used to do it.
It’s not like That’s not moonshine at all. I don’t know. What is that? Bathtub gin. Yeah. Sounds something like prison alcohol. That’s what I was gonna say. It sounds like a step up from what I see on those prison shows. What is it they make in prison? Hooch. Is that what they call it? Where they like ferment the stuff? That’s what my grandparents used to all alcohol. Yeah. Trying to take different paths. They make it. They make it in the toilet or how do they make it? I don’t know. I don’t want to ever know. It’s not like you have a dist. It was a documentary I was watching.
They ferment like uh bread and stuff in a uh just in a bag. God, the desire to get drunk is funny. Got a lot of time on your hands there. Yeah, they’re so creative. Yeah, but yeah, it’s uh that will happen. So, is that a New Year’s resolution is to to distill something and don’t you have to distill it like five times? Not just once. Yeah, just once. Well, depends on what you’re trying to Why when I buy tequila is it distilled like three times? Uh it’s just taking more of the impurities out and just cleaner and whatever the type of flavor profile that you’re trying to accomplish.
So how many times for good bourbon should it be ran through the still? Some people do it three times, two or three times, four, but it then like really it’s technically kind of like moonshine in a sense and then you age it in a barrel and then for however long you want to do that as soon as it hits the barrel it’s technically like bourbon or whiskey. So like you can pull it out. So like technically what we made was like in there for I think two or three hours but it doesn’t have that color.
But uh what you made in the class that you went to Mhm. Yeah. So you get your own. I made it. I just haven’t made it by myself in the sense. But uh yeah, I think that would be cool. Um it’s not it’s it’s kind of a complex process, but it’s not as uh hard as someone might think. I mean, people did it without all the science stuff, right? And in the back woods and stuff, so I don’t know. It’s fun. I like the process of it.
Chris’s Goals: Japan, Family, and The Outdoors
Maybe I’d really like to go to Japan. Like a a bunch of our team here went to Japan and it sounds really fun. Also, I just like to be super tall. Oh jeez. Like I would be a giant. Yeah, you would be. Wait, so is that your New Year’s resolution to go to go to Japan? Well, you know the way that I kind of I don’t do New Year’s resolutions because I feel like Yeah, that’s kind of goofy.
But I do make goals for the year. Okay. And I’m working on that right now. Okay. I’m thinking through it, taking long walks, like trying to figure out what I want to do. What it would look like if you’re the tallest person in the area. One thing that I didn’t pull off last year that I wish would have gone a little different for two reasons. One is I just want to see my parents more because they’re getting older. Um and two is spending more time outdoors at the lake. Is this summer I really would like to go to the lake more.
Mhm . spend more time up there. I only went up a couple times last, you know, this year. Yeah, I’d agree. Being more outdoors would be nice. Yeah. So, that’s that’s one, I guess. So, go to Tokyo, Paris, maybe. And then more outdoors, Lake Washington. I was telling Adam, we were just talking about our kids and stuff in Disney . um cuz he went and uh met a buddy over by Disney for dinner last night.
And um uh it’s getting to be a trend now because Disney’s so expensive here in the States and it’s cheaper in uh Japan that it’s cheaper to take a family vacation to Disney and Tokyo than it is to here and it like doubles as a vacation cuz people are going over there just like you said and they’re loving it. So, like it’s a trend now to not go to Orlando and um but I thought that was interesting.
Tokyo Disney vs. Orlando: Crime and Cuisine
Oh, let’s So, let’s go through the reasons why it would be better in Tokyo because Josh has pictures of they went to Disneyland there. Oh, okay. First of all, the crime. There’s no crime over there. Y there’s tons of crime here. I don’t know what it’s like in the Disneyland in Florida, but here there’s tons of crime. And then a hotel around here would be crazy. The food. Yep. Around Disneyland would be crazy. And that’s the other thing. I don’t know who I was talking about this with. But when you go to Disneyland, the food is expensive and it’s terrible. Yeah. Mhm. There’s no good talking about that. Yeah. There’s no good food there. It’s terrible. I bet you the food in Tokyo is great. Yeah. And those are franchises.
They’re not even owned by Disneyland. They’re really I didn’t know that. No. So, it definitely could be better. Yeah. Yeah. The one in Paris is a franchise, the one in in Tokyo, and then there’s one in China. They’re all franchises. Mhm. Yeah. And they just say it’s like uh like anymore if you go to Disney World, you need to hire the travel agent to do the thing to tell you where to go cuz it’s a nightmare to figure out. Yeah. And you just wait in line anyways. Yeah. And those things are like curated experiences . like you just buy the thing and you go there and they say the the experience is way better and way less stressful and like um anyway thought that was yeah I think funny.
Intentionality and Formalizing Goals
it just reminds me of uh when we went to see Morgan Wallen here at Sofi I was waiting in line for a drink for an hour or whatever cuz disaster there new stadium and they can’t figure out how to get you a drink but the the people in front of me were like from uh I think they were from Oklahoma or something and same thing. They’re like, “Oh, the tickets for Morgan there were like crazy .” And so, you know, for sure. So, they’re like, “It was cheaper for us to buy the tickets, come here, stay for a week than it was to buy the tickets there .” I’ve I’ve done that before for concerts for sure. I’ll I’ll drive the 2, three hours or four hours just to get like half rate of the tickets and you can actually get up in the front.
Yeah. Better tickets for less. Yeah. It’s interesting. It’s funny. Yeah. Resolution. I didn’t I didn’t know that on the Disney side. More concert. Um yeah, working on goals. Been working on a lot of goals with clients and for ourselves. Good. So, um yeah. I don’t know. I guess like uh personal goals kind of kind of like Chris was saying, um like I want to get out in the shop more. Um, like it’s funny how when you do things like that, it uh it kind of uh for me it gets me um uh I don’t know if out of my comfort zone is the right thing, but it’s uh it’s a change. It’s a shift, right?
And you get you get like busy and you get stuff piled up and so you just work work work work work. Um, and when you get outside and do something like that, like, um, I don’t even have any real projects going on or anything, but I have a little shop at my house and, uh, but when I get out there and I’m just taking on random projects, like it opens up different, uh, places in my mind because creativity, I have a whole another, uh, like I I really want to be more intentional about scheduling that time and, uh, you know, and just saying no to some other things.
That’s a hard part about resolutions or goals or anything is uh when you achieve them, it’s cuz you’re saying no to something else. Yeah, for sure. So, that’s what I’ve been sifting through. So, I don’t know if that’s a resolution.
Kind of like Chris, I don’t know that I’ve ever done that. Well, this is the time of year I think about it or anything. Yeah. And I come up with a plan. I usually for, you know, formalize it. Missy and I do together and then um I like that writing it down and putting it on paper and both of us like we we actually share a note. You know how you can share notes in your iPhone ? and then we’ll sit down and kind of sometimes uh historically we’ve gone somewhere the first part of January and talked through it and you know spent time.
Taylor Swift: The Leadership Blueprint
I just kind of thinking about that on a on a side note if we’re done with the resolution thing that Taylor Swift uh docu series on Disney Plus. So there it the time of us recording this there’s only two up of the six that is and you know you guys can uh can take this for for what it is that is a great example of leadership . her leadership. If you just watch that thing from a context of a leader, she is telling a story, an aspirational story to the people that work for her, it from the very top of of the series. Like that’s how it opens.
She’s like got them in a circle and she’s telling them, you know, uh the way that she she embeds commands and talks to them and creates a narrative and tells a story and then just the level of accountability of herself. Like she says in there like there’s no way that I’m going to get caught not knowing the move or messing up the thing.
So she has to work. It reminds me very much. I don’t know if you guys ever saw those documentaries that Spike Lee did on Michael Jackson. Oh, I think I’ve seen a couple. So, the one that he that he did on um Bad, there’s just a part in there about Michael just his work ethic, like him, you know, doing the video for Bad with uh Scorsese and staying up all night and practicing and then filming the dance the next day over and over and over again and just working tirelessly. And if you ever look at Michael Jackson’s manifesto he wrote for himself, he’s he he basically just says he’s going to work harder than anybody else.
He’s going to study the greats and he’s going to take it to places it’s never been. And then one of his bodyguards in one of those documentaries says every hotel room or house he rented he would write on the mere uh you know 10 million records or 100 mill I don’t know whatever the number was that was bigger than thriller he was always you know trying to beat his last thing. Taylor Swift very much reminds me of that. And if you go into that docue series thinking of the context of leadership and creating your own destiny, writing your own story, she’s an example of somebody who tremendously is overachieving for her for her, you know, god-given talents. Like she’s working harder than anybody else. She’s visualizing it,
She’s holding herself accountable to a degree most people could never do, She’s pract, you know, if if you look at like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods, uh, Wayne Gretzky, like some of these greats, but you know, you can you can talk about the differences between them and other people, but when it all comes down to it, the truth of the matter is, and every one of th those comparisons to other people is Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, they out practice and outworked everybody else. There’s stories about Jerry Rice like running and sprinting when everybody else has gone home, you know, uh the work ethic, the the work ethic and the practice like just practice.
Two Years of Eras Tour Rehearsal and Preparation
And so like in there they’re they’re talking about in that docue series how Taylor worked on that tour and what is the tour? What was the tour called? Aerys eras. The eras tour. The erys tour. She worked on that for two years . rehearsing and they show the footage of her rehearsing and practicing before she even announced or made it a reality. She wanted to see if she could pull it out. So, for 2 years, she’s practicing and working on this thing. She’s paying all of these people to show up.
She’s renting out these huge facilities because you can’t practice something like that in a warehouse, like you’re, you know, you’re in you’re in a state, you know, a huge uh place that can can resemble a stadium because the lighting, the, you know, just all of the things that have to work for something like that.
And I really kicked myself for not going. I wish I would have gone. I I’d heard from many people that it was it was beyond a show, like just a music show. And I’m not I’m not a a huge Taylor Swift fan when it comes to her music. It’s not, you know, her music is definitely designed for young females coming of age in a in a sense. I don’t know if that’s how it is now, but it was for a long time. Many of those eras Yeah . of her career are designed for a younger girl. For sure.
Taylor Swift’s Vision, Community, and Success Sharing
the the other part of it is just the church that is created by all of these girls getting together for these shows. And I don’t understand the friendship bracelet and all that, but it’s a thing and it builds community. And when you’re watching it, like that thing that she does and she literally is convinced that she’s making a difference in the world and so are the people that work for her . that she’s taking a world that is divided and contentious and you know flawed and for two or three hours people are escaping into something that they wouldn’t have otherwise that they come out of it changed.
They come out of it more optimistic and more hopeful. And so her vision of what she is doing and how she she is able to get people to work so hard. And then also like you know just the way that she shares her success with them.
Like there’s there’s this part in the second episode where she gives I think she gives everybody a million dollars bonus. And so she’s sharing the the success with everybody in a way that, you know, just makes it makes people believe in something bigger and believe in humanity where in most situations the the person at the top is trying to make as much as they possibly can and get everybody else to work as hard as they can for the least amount possible. She’s she’s she’s completely turning that on its side, which is I think where where business is go is going in a lot of ways.
Like there’s there’s no way that you’re going to get people to buy into a bigger thing and not have them have some sort of participation in the in the upside. And not in a I’m not saying that in a socialist way. I’m saying it in a capitalist way, but in a you know some sort of commission or rev sharing or something. But that that aside, like if you watch that thing and and pay attention to all of all of that, it is an incredible study in leadership. Like incredible. She is she is a unique person.
Emotional Discipline and The “Jet Lag” Mindset
And my my favorite uh thing I’ve ever seen her do and I I think you and I talked about it is that that last Super Bowl uh the time before last, I guess. Not the one where you guys got blown out by the Eagles. The By the way, Missy goes, “Should we have a Super Bowl party this year ?” And I’m like, “I don’t know .” Like that was such a bummer last year. Like by the second quarter, everybody was like, “Eh .” Yeah. Like that was not fun. No, it was a blow. But the one before that. Mhm. Who did uh who did you guys play? Who did you beat? Uh it’s the 49ers again, right? Was it? Was it? Yeah.
No, we should ask the Chiefs fan. My Anyways, yeah, my team wasn’t there. There there was some story that she she had a show in Tokyo and she had to fly from that show in Tokyo to see her fiance Jason play in the game . and um she lands and then there he’s he’s got a he’s miked and she doesn’t know she’s on a hot mic and they see each other on the field after they they win and he says something about are you jetlagged and she goes jet lag is a state of mind like I don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t get that on me like that’s how hardcore she is like she’s so hardcore like in that in that uh donkey series there there’s all the stuff that happens in Europe and a bunch of Swifties get stabbed or something. Something happens.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And she’s meet she’s meeting with the families of Oh, wow. And she’s doing it before the show. She gets all dressed up to be the best version of Taylor Swift that she can and she’s crying and she cuz she’s kind of a she’s kind of an emotional person and she’s very dramatic. Like everything’s very dramatic. Like it’s, you know, the swings are crazy. But she uh she she puts it in a can and and me and as soon as she walks out of the room with these families, she starts balling. But she says like, “I can’t that’s that’s not what is going to serve them .” And I forget how she words it, but she’s like, “I have to be I have to be that Taylor Swift for them. It doesn’t matter how I feel .”
Yeah . and she does it like she’s almost psychopathic that she can put her feelings in a in a bag for these families and then when she’s alone and she’s with her mom she’s a complete basket case and human again but she can turn it on and off and I mean that’s leadership like you got to be able to put your emotions and what you’re feeling in the moment aside and do the thing that’s best for the situation not the thing that feels v like vindication for you or makes you feel good, right? And so her ability to do that is nuts. Nuts.
Superhum. Yeah. I don’t know that I could do that. Crazy. I’m excited to watch it now. You got me all fired. Yeah. Check it out. It’s so good. Zero interest before. Maybe I can pull my girls back into their Swifty era. Um Oh, I wish so bad I would have seen the production. Yeah.
Taylor vs. Florence: A Study in Expectation
So the I mean there’s there’s also not to keep going on this but there’s also a part in there where the the and I don’t know if her name is Florence in the Machine but she you know Florence in the Machine the singer for Florence in the Machine the Redhead. Is her name Florence in the Machine? They call her Florence in the Machine. I thought maybe her name was Kathy but I guess her name’s Florence. Whatever. No. Once again, I appreciate their music, but it’s not for me in the sense that it’s just a little too dramatic for me. But she’s super talented, incredible, right? And a lot of people think she’s the greatest thing. But she’s really good friends with Taylor.
And Taylor asked her to come up and do a duet that they had recorded together, and she had seen the show from the audience, but uh when she’s going to do this duet with Taylor, it it all gets choreographed and there’s all this dancing and choreography and the dancers, you know, you have to be in a certain place at a certain time because the stage goes up and comes down and it’s like all of this stuff, And so the the Florence says like, “Well, I just show up and sing . like I don’t know about all this, but Taylor convinces her to do it or whatever ,
And the difference between uh Florence and Taylor and her team is just a an insight into expectation. Like the she’s got the best choreographers in the world, the best dancers in the world, and then the person that just shows up and sings. Like it’s so funny to kind and it and I would I would make the comparison to a Michael Jackson or a Bruno Mars like the level of like it is hard enough and I I don’t I don’t know this firsthand because I’m not a singer, but it is hard enough to go up and sing in front of a a stadium full of people.
Now imagine you got to dance. Oh yeah. Sing. And I don’t know how many outfit changes she does. Mhm. And with a smile on her face the whole time, popping out, you know, they’re they’re basically ushering her into the stadium in a garbage can or whatever. Like, and she’s got a smile on her face the whole time, like every other night or every night doing that same same deal, too. And like changing outfits and ju, you know, running from here to there.
And you got they’re they’re ushering her under the stage on these tracks. It’s crazy, And then yeah, the the Florence and the Machine girl is like, “Oh man, no, I just go up and do whatever I feel and sing and it’s like Taylor’s thing is like so practice and rehearsed and input and the lights and the the stage and like the the Florence lady’s like cuz they want her to go on this uh lift to disappear after she’s done and she’s like I’ve never been on a lift or you know and it’s like well you are today .” you will basically do anything for Taylor,
And that’s exactly what happens like because it’s Taylor, And then she says after she goes, I’ve seen it from the audience, but what happens on stage is so much more magical when you’re when you you’re a part of it. It’s not, you know, the way that they manufacture an experience for the audience, the focus is 100% on the audience’s experience always, all the time. Mhm. That’s that’s her leadership. Like it’s about the customer. Yeah. Yeah. It’s so good. So good.
Intentionality and High Expectations in Service
It is interesting just being able to uh look at things like that. Um and and if you uh you know appreciate that concept, that level of intentionality and bring it back to our world. Um cuz as you’re sitting there talking about that, I’m just thinking, you know, we’re we’re going between the team, we’re just in hundreds and hundreds of service drives a year, right? And so, uh from the outside looking in when I I’d say like a unique opportunity that we have is a lot of times we see the results on paper before we see the store. Not very many people do it in that order, right?
And if I look at 25 CPRO’s and I see financials before I go to the store, um, you know, you can judge a book by its cover and you’re wrong sometimes, but you’re also right a lot too, And, uh, when the results are really good and consistent, um, when you get there, it’s just a different level of expectation and a different level of intentionality. And, uh, and that’s the main that’s really the main difference, And kind of to your point with with Taylor Swift versus uh Florence the Machine, is that what the name was? Um Sure. And the machine. And the machine. Makes no sense. Yeah. Uh but like that’s the that’s the thing,
And um and then sometimes when we do field trips, which for for those of you that don’t know, we sometimes we take clients um that are performing well or are getting ready to implement a certain part of the system . and we’ll take them on a field trip to a store that’s uh that’s already running it, And uh and sometimes it’s just that customer is number one in CSI or whatever and they want to go see what number one and CSI looks like, And there’s a little bit of it sometimes that’s like uh I don’t know, you know that old saying, never meet your hero or whatever. Like you get there sometimes and uh they’re like uh that that uh that guy is number one in the country in CSI or whatever.
And uh um but yeah, it’s a the difference is is he chose to do it. There’s a level of intentionality and what you’re going to expect. And uh when you’re chasing that that uh level of full potential, um you don’t uh you know, you don’t always reach it, but you land somewhere between where you are now. Uh but if the goal for CSI is uh not to be last in my market, bar set pretty low for that one. Just be just be market. Yeah. Then you land between, you know, where you are now and that point. And um but yeah, it’s the expectation and then the intentionality to get there.
Chasing Full Potential: The Joe Audition
Uh you know, I was just going through uh I don’t know if she’ll want me to share this or not, but my daughter’s trying out for this uh school play this spring. Okay. And uh I was like, “Okay, well, like how’s the process work or whatever ?” And she’s like, “Well, you get to pick three uh things . you know, you can pick three parts to try out for. You know, you get to choose which one you want the most. And the lead role, uh, she’s an underclassman, so the lead role isn’t on her list .” And I’m probably skewed. You know, you always think your kids are, you know, but, uh, I I think your kids are better than any. I’m pretty confident her talent level is the genetics that you’ve handed down make her superior.
And the genetics that my wife has handed down , I I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. My wife is a closet phenomenal vocalist. Um, uh, and she, you know, she did really well with that stuff, but just never really pursued it on on any real level. But, uh, so yeah, I mean, you could, you could say that because it’s probably accurate. Crushed all her dreams when you got her pregnant and married her. We’re sorry. I for sure can’t talk about that.
No, but she uh um she didn’t have the lead role on her list. And so like we had to go through the conversation of full potential like it’s okay to try out for the so but number one has to be uh it’s little women and I forget what’s the lead role in little I think it’s Joe. Um Joe has to be the the top one. I don’t care if you don’t get it. And then she was afraid of getting it. She wasn’t afraid of not getting it.
So then we had to work through like she didn’t want to make the other people mad that if she did get it. So it’s not in her head that she can’t get it. She knows that it’s a it’s everything else around it. She thought, “Oh, my senior year, I’ll go out for whatever the lead is that year .”
And I’m like, “Okay, my my impression of Taylor Swift in that scenario is she would just me she would stay up for a month and memorize every line of Joe .” She would show up to the audition and they would ask her to do something else. She go, “Oh, I I uh sorry, I only did Joe. Can I do a little bit of that ?” Would blow him away. Like she would just Yeah . she would practice and her her her vision of what things can be is so much bigger and more positive than anybody else, Like the way that she she can tell herself a story is amazing, Like the story she’s telling herself is different than the one that most people are. And then the the accountability to work harder than anybody else is unprecedented. Yeah.
Leadership, Mission, and the Jocko Parallel
Yeah, there’s no mistake like when you take a client like you were saying, you you they’re getting beat in our comp and and they come up with all these excuses like, “Oh, well, the market they’re in or they’re lucky or you know .” Yeah. And then they go there and they’re like, “Oh, no. They’re just doing it and I’m not .” Like they’re actually kind of semi-retarded, Like Yeah, Like it is it is uh it’s not a It’s true. There’s no God-given gift. There’s no there’s no upper hand. I mean, more people in a good location mess up the business. Yeah. Than using it as an advantage. And a lot of times the things that people perceive to be a advantage in a service department, they get wrong.
Like it’s way easier to recruit techs in the in a in a remote place than it is in the city. Way easier. Yeah. But they don’t ever pursue, you know, until they see that they don’t understand of what they Yeah. Okay. So, I I would recommend that every I would love to start a little watch group and we should watch all of these Taylor Swifts and just talk about leadership, but my point is Taylor Swift is an incredible leader and she is setting an example. And and I I will just leave it on this is like do you do you remember reading uh Joo’s first book extreme ownership?
Yes. Like at the very beginning of that thing, my thought was when when when he’s talking about how there was blue on blue, which means friendly fire. So our guys, you know, had our guys trapped in a building and they’re trying to blow up the building. And so we’re trying to blow up our own people and that gets you removed from your position if you’re in charge in the military because it’s a life ordeath situation. And and that story that he tells at the beginning of that just kind of gives you an insight into how lightly we take business.
Like nobody dies and we still aren’t taking it seriously. Yep. Like we’re still just like going through the motions. Uh, you know, we’re on automatic pilot. Uh, we’ll we’ll try. We’ll see. Or whatever it is. And then you just look at somebody like Taylor Swift and it’s like, no, I’m intentionally I don’t know how high could could be high.
Like I don’t know where the ceiling is. I don’t know where it is, but I’m going to outwork. I’m going to tell a better story, I’m going to be smarter, I’m gonna surround myself with the most talented people out there and uh and I’m going to focus I’m gonna you know part of being a good leader is inviting people on a mission right getting people to come on a mission with you. She is inviting people on a mission to make the world a better place and through you know in this scenario of this docu series through a concert through a three-hour concert that you know even just singing for three hours is nuts, like it doesn’t appear to me like she’s lip-syncing like a lot of people.
Like she’s actually dancing and singing and doing all the stuff. Um, and her reward is that community and the way that she’s making people feel, which is a, you know, I guess it’s hard to say it’s a selfless act because she made billions of dollars. You know, she’s she’s made a lot of money doing it. Be some good intention there for though for sure, right? Think society is it’s special. But what she’s doing is special, you know, if you’re a younger girl and you find community through that. Mhm. It’s uh, you know, you be you being a father, you being a father of girls, I don’t I don’t think except for the blaming the boys for all the, you know, breakups.
The Drama of Dating Taylor Swift
But, I mean, that’s another thing just on a on a side note before we wrap up. What’s hilarious is that her latest album, she’s happy and in love with this guy and nobody likes it because they like the albums where she’s a little upset and a little bitter. Yeah. Yeah. There isn’t enough bitterness. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like you would never date Taylor Swift just because you’d be afraid she’d write a song about you, right? For sure. That’s what I’d be thinking. For sure. That was my initial thought when she first started dating Travis Kelsey is like, “Oh, I don’t know how he lands this plane because uh I don’t know how he lands this I don’t know how he lands his plane .”
Still, every song is about you. Yeah. It’s like, yeah, you’re like, this is you’re uh you’re toast. But uh there is there is a clip in there where she’s like, you know, I wish you were here. I don’t think she suggests retirement, but it’s it’s implied. Mhm. Um, so yeah, he’ll just be following her around here very soon. I don’t feel sorry for him either.
He sold a lot of jerseys. I’m guessing they’re they’re kind of pre preetting that the So one of her dancers brother is a player on the Chiefs. Yeah. And I’m guessing that’s how they met. No, they met. Travis went to a concert, but I’m guessing he got to the concert through that guy. Is No, he tried to get a a meeting and exchanged bracelets and he got declined. And so then he went on his podcast and talked about it and uh and then he sent um sent the bracelet somehow and uh with his phone number on the bracelet and then they they ended up uh connecting.
Oh, well, if you’re watching, let us know what the real story is. Just keep be be careful there because I might be on to something. You might There is that connection though. Yeah, the dancer is one of the linemen of the Chiefs. His uh brother is a It feels like they’re setting it up for something. H Okay.
Final Thoughts on Practice and Vision
Taylor Swift is an incredible leader. Watch. Get Disney Plus. And uh I think a lot Aren’t a lot of people uh boycotting Disney? Is that a thing? Oh, I don’t know. Everybody’s boycotting Don’t boycott it. Boycotting something. I don’t know. I I can’t Yeah, I’m excited to watch it. Yeah, I’m going to check it out. Yeah, maybe we can keep talking about it because I think it’s a great It’s a great abstract example of leadership that applies to what we’re doing . you know, bigger vision, working harder, smarter, having the best people around, all practicing. I like the practice.
Oh, she works so hard. It’s mind. Like, I couldn’t imagine a day like hers. Yeah. Every minute is booked. And she’s just coming from one important thing to another important thing to another important thing. Like, everything has uh weight to it all the time, all day. Just crazy. Okay, thanks everybody.
We’ll see you next time on Service Drive Revolution!
Thanks so much for watching this episode of Service Drive Revolution. We’re uploading new stuff every day, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell icon so you don’t miss out. If you have a question you’d like us to answer on the show, call 833-ASK-SDR, and we’ll answer your question on the show. That’s 833-ASK-SDR. For special deals on our books and training, head over to offers.chriscollinsinc.com. I’m Chris Collins, and I’ll see you in the next video.
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