Shop Culture: Having An Attitude As Giddy As a Child [E204]

Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech Training and Pico Technology

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Matt Fanslow explores the complex relationship between passion, purpose, and the realities of working in the automotive repair industry. Inspired by a story of a successful businessman who rediscovers his childhood joy fixing bicycles, Matt reflects on how easily passion can fade — and what shop owners and managers can do to help their teams rekindle it.

He tackles the classic debate of “follow your passion” versus “follow the money,” examines how shop culture and leadership can either nurture or crush enthusiasm, and shares candid thoughts on his own journey to keep that sense of wonder alive through advanced diagnostics, ADAS calibrations, EEPROM work, and more.

From systemic demotivators like inadequate tooling and broken pay structures, to the transformative power of genuine leadership excitement, Matt invites listeners to reconsider how they approach motivation and fulfillment in their shops — and in their own careers.

Key Takeaways:

• A Lesson in Passion: A story about a man who spent decades in a corporate career before returning to his childhood love — repairing bicycles — illustrates how deeply rooted passions can resurface and transform our lives.
• Passion vs. Paycheck: Matt discusses the tension between following your passion and pursuing financial stability — and why the answer isn’t always as simple as motivational slogans make it seem.
• Keeping the Spark Alive: For technicians and shop owners alike, maintaining interest and curiosity often requires growth: new tools, deeper training, challenging work, and continuous learning.
• Demotivators in the Shop: Being “set up to fail” — whether through lack of equipment, poor information, inadequate training, or broken systems — is one of the most effective ways to kill enthusiasm and productivity.
• The Leadership Role: Leaders who show excitement about the work and actively celebrate their team’s wins help create a culture that sustains passion rather than drains it.
• Shops as Schools: Matt draws a comparison to how schools can drain curiosity from kids, urging shop owners to avoid building environments that strip away the same energy and wonder from their technicians.

Notable Quotes:

• “Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl
• “Sometimes work sucks the wonder right out of us — the same way school can strip curiosity from kids.”
• “I get into advanced diagnostics, ADAS, EEPROM work — not just because I can, but because it keeps that childlike wonder alive.”
• “Setting someone up to fail isn’t just about tooling or training. It’s about robbing them of the chance to succeed — and that kills passion faster than anything.”

Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech Training

NAPA Autotech’s team of ASE Master Certified Instructors are conducting over 1,200 classes covering 28 automotive topics. To see a selection, go to napaautotech.com for more details.

Thanks to our Partner, Pico Technology

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