Clive Burnage is a relative newbie to the Auto Collision Repair Industry, so Gavin put him under the microscope to find out about the transition, how he’s managing it and his role at Mainline Autobody in Santa Maria, California.
Clive’s story is very intriguing. At almost 50 years of age, Clive has been in the Auto Body Industry for only 18 months. Clive left school and worked in Construction and has always been very hands-on. His love of music took him down the road of wanting to be a “rock star”, the next “Bon Jovi” or “Metallica”. Turns out that it was not that easy. The music industry at that time was more about how many calendars you could sell, boy bands like “Take That” were the sort after promotional type. Musicianship became secondary so he decided to not fight that fight but try and just earn a living, still playing music. His band became a corporate function band and for 20 years that is what he did to put food on the table.
What led Clive to the Auto Repair industry was more of a fluke really and still blows his mind. When Clive was active as a musician he used a piece of equipment called a Fractal Audio Axe-FX and it turns out that Joe Hinkens, Owner of Mainline Autobody, was also a part-time musician in a band and we used the same equipment. They were on a user forum and the thread was to put a photograph up of your equipment on stage, in a bar or studio or wherever it was and share it. Clive shared this and Joe happened to be scrolling through and saw the picture of Clive’s stage set, everything was neat, tidy, and symmetrical, no clutter, no mess, no fuss. Joe was impressed with what he had seen and that started a series of messages and emails, how are you doing this, how are you doing that? One day Clive was replying with an exceptionally long email, very in-depth and technical and he thought how much easier it would be if he were with this guy, his equipment, and his band. That was never going to happen as they were on opposite sides of the world, so Clive sent the email. A few hours later Joe responded with “this may sound a little weird but, what if I was to fly you to California, would you show me how you do what you do? “
“Sure, when do you want me?’ was Clive’s response and of course a few weeks later he found himself in California and they became great friends. The rest is now seven years of history. Clive was back and forth helping Joe on different projects, some construction and some software implementation and each time he loved it more and more. It got to the point 18 months ago that they were working on a new program for Mainlines’ administrative processes and we worked great as a team but Joe was always reluctant to hire me, he didn’t want to change the dynamic from the friendship that we enjoyed. He eventually caved and Clive said, you are still Joe, I’m still Clive so we will make it work and that is what is happening – they are making it work which is awesome.
Clive’s role at Mainline Autobody is Head of Administration, it sounds important, but he insists he is just another spoke in the wheel. Mainline is not about titles but roles and responsibilities, Clive is responsible for making sure they are developing sensible processes and procedures and ensuring everyone follows them. He starts with the “why”, or the training behind it and then develops the culture.
They have implemented a system called EOS which stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System and this was Joe’s idea, Joe is always out to try new stuff. This system was developed by Gino Wickman after years of being in business and running companies. He brought it down to a simple framework with six core components, People, Vision, Data, Issues, Traction and Processes and the essence of it is, the stronger you get at al the elements the better you will be as a company. It has helped Mainline to develop a vision, where are we going, where do we want to be in 10 years? You then bring that down to three and then one and then eventually 90 days to keep moving the ball forward toward your one-year goal and then your three-year picture.
It is essentially a toolbox and Mainline now has all these amazing tools and ways of measuring and looking at things. It is a framework to allow them to manage all the key components of the day to day and to develop it as a full leadership team to take some of the work off Joe’s plate as he readily admits that Mainline outgrew him years ago and he has been trying to keep all the plates spinning on his own which is tough to do.
Joe is very innovative, he will put systems in, he may fail but he will always get back up and try again. He brings great energy and commitment to the business which inspires people to be part of the whole message.
They have also been working on a module called RESPECT. This is all about employee engagement with the core principle being if you have a team of people who are really engaged in what they do you don’t have to dangle a carrot to get them to do it. You do not have to hit them with a stick to do it – they just turn up to work wanting to do it. They go the extra mile willingly; they call that discretional effort.
Clive was reading these books, studying these books, they do a lot of that at Mainline and they never stand still, and he realized that there was something in this that they needed to embrace to help Joe keep forty-two people engaged and pulling in the right direction. R is for recognition, E for empowerment, S is supportive feedback, P is for partnering, you have to build partnerships with the team, with OEM’s, with suppliers, E is for expectations, set the expectations because if someone doesn’t know what is expected of them it is not their fault, it is the leaders / supervisor’s / manager’s fault. C is for consideration, be considerate when you see someone, do not just see them, see their family, see the wider picture. T is the core of it all, Trust. You must have a trusting relationship at work. People need to come to work and feel safe and have all the elements. They have the tools, the training, the empowerment, and recognition. Recognition is a big part, and that eventually builds trust. They know they are appreciated at work and you can trust them to do what needs to be done. Mainline is all about inclusion, they are more than just fixing cars. They want everyone to feel like they are contributing to the bigger picture.
When Clive first came to Mainline and was introduced to Planning Plus he wondered how they ever lived without it. With the volume of cars coming through Mainline it keeps everyone on track and there is a wealth of information available a mouse click away or even just a mouse hover away. It keeps the wheels on the bus turning.
Does Clive ever see himself going full circle and back to music? When he wrapped up the band in England people told him he would be missed, and he would miss it but even after 20 years of music he says he is having way too much fun at Mainline. They are building a legacy there and he loves having the opportunity to play a small part in that.
Clive’s entry in the Auto Body Collision industry is fascinating and he certainly could not have gone to a better place with a better boss. Joe’s vision and outcomes for Mainline are always moving, everchanging and evolving and very innovative and now Clive is a big part of that which Joe is very thankful for.