Although the difference might seem subtle, and every company needs both, managers and leaders are not the same. For instance, managers have people working for them; leaders have people following them. Managers take responsibility for a situation; leaders take charge, they’re influential, they set the example. Al Oramas, our guest today, was seated at the Jacksonville SuperConference organized by ATI when he had a realization: “I’ve been training managers forever. How much effort have I made in training leaders?”

Al Oramas, our very first guest to the show, is the President of Pro Auto Care and a dear friend. He started his company almost 30 years ago, in 1992. Since then, they’ve been pillars in the Denver and metropolitan area, serving their clients with excellence, and giving back to the community, supporting local schools, various charities, and organizations like Alzheimer’s Organization, Gateway, Habitat for Humanity, and many more. 

In this episode, our conversation revolves around Al’s decision to turn their internal customers into leaders. We explore the circumstances that made him decide that, how he promoted that change, his internal customers’ reaction, and the results he got from it. In a frank conversation, Al shared the details of that transition, how it was for him to leave the “daddy syndrome” behind, and give more freedom and autonomy to his teams.

Tune in to episode 2 of Maximum Octane and learn more about Al’s transition from being a dad that knows and solves everything to a leader that encourages and promotes leadership.

Some Questions I Ask:

• You wanted all of your internal customers to behave like leaders. Can you share a bit about how this came about? (2:53)
• What are the differences between a manager and a leader? (6:20)
• How are you learning to step aside and let everyone else start taking the lead and doing their jobs? (18:52)

In this episode, you will learn:

• An aha moment, turning managers meeting into a leadership meeting (5:28)
• How did Al’s internal customers react to his new approach to the business (7:48)
• The importance of defining and understanding what success means for our team members (9:49)
• How important it is to create a safe space where ideas can be expressed and discussed freely (15:38)

Resources

• Pro Auto Care’s website
• Connect with Pro Auto Care on Facebook
• Connect with Pro Auto Care on Twitter