W H AT I K N O W
by Shayne
Goff
General Manager, Wendle Motors Growing Up
Working With An Incredible Team
I grew up in Southern Idaho surrounded by corn fields and sugar beet fields. We played outside and only watched TV on Saturdays for the cartoons. I rode my bicycle to ball practice, to the store, to school and to my friends’ houses. My parents would say, “Be home by dark!” We didn’t “check-in” on social media or have cell phones, we were expected to follow the rules and be on time. While I enjoy the benefits of today’s technology, I think I was lucky to be one of the last generations growing up in a simpler time with less to distract us from being kids.
My first job out of college was with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It was the job I had written career papers on and dreamed of doing my whole life. My assignment was to trap the returning chinook salmon for spawning. It was a solitary job that left me living along the Lochsa River 10 days at a time. It was at this job I realized I loved working with others. There is no value you can put on having a “team” of people to work with. Each person on the team brings perspective to the task at hand and often can change the original direction of the team. Incredible teams can disagree and have some heated conversations, but never get mad. Incredible teams build on each other and grow together. Multiple people make better decisions than one person alone. I am thankful to work with an incredible team.
Make Good Choices From an early age I learned that every choice I made had consequences. My father was a judge and he always use to tell me, “Don’t do the crime if you are not prepared to do the time.” I think that he stole that line from Starsky and Hutch, but that phrase helped me navigate through the years. I modified that phrase once I had children. Whenever I would drop them off someplace, I would always tell them two things: Remember that you represent your last name, and to “Make Good Choices.” I still use “Make Good Choices” to this day with my children and in business. If we make a mistake but Good Choices lead us to that decision then it is okay. We can recover from a sound decision based on Good Choices. A bad choice might make a good story but is often hard to correct.
Finish What You Start Life is full of surprises. Things change quickly and not always for the better. Once we commit to something, it is important to finish what we start. I once signed up for the orchestra to play the violin. My parents pointed out that if I signed up I was committing to the entire school year. Shortly after my first week of orchestra, I wanted to quit. My parents reminded me of our conversation. It was a long year, but I finished what I started and nobody suffered but me. We make it too easy to quit before our commitments are complete. I have learned that sticking with a commitment shows that you have pride, integrity and the tenacity it takes to be successful. Quitting ends up closing doors before they ever get opened so remember to always “Finish what you start.”
Customer Service in a Retail Business It is no secret that when you are in a retail business you have customers you are not able to satisfy. It can eat at you, disrupt the flow of the business, and affect your personal life. An unsatisfied customer can cost us more business than a satisfied customer will bring. Analyze where you can make improvements but don’t let it consume you or you will miss other opportunities to gain customers for life. You have to ask yourself, did we “Make Good Choices”? If the answer is yes, then you likely did the right thing and you have to move on. We want to exceed our customer’s expectation every time. If we do not take care of our customers then somebody else will.
Family and Friends Sometimes we just have to unplug. With the constant connection to our business it is easy to catch ourselves reading emails or reviewing spreadsheets when you should be focusing on those who love you. Taking care of the business is important but “Family and Friends” are what keep us getting up every day, they drive us to be the best we can be, and they validate our success. Put down the phone, the lap top, or the tablet for a bit and enjoy your family and friends.
SEPTEMBER 2017 / spokanecda.com
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