Strong Shops Need Strong Leaders: Why Culture Fails Without Accountability

In this no filter, full throttle episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin and Jason tackle the real reason your shop culture sucks and it starts at the top. Forget the fluff about happy cultures and Google-style perks. This is a masterclass in leadership, accountability, and building a shop that actually works. If you’re a shop owner, manager, or tech tired of excuses, underperformers, or being the bottleneck in your own business, this one hits hard. In this episode:

• Why culture starts with your backbone, not your breakroom perks
• How policies and expectations create alignment and consistency
• Kevin’s 56K sandblaster gamble and how it paid off
• The truth about letting customers bring their own parts
• Flat rate debates, dealership drama, and why your number one tech might be killing morale
• How AI is saving shops time and money and why one furry troll didn’t like it
• Why the me first mindset ruins companies and how to build process around people
• What happens when a shop owner finally says, “I’m the problem.”

From hilarious stories to brutal business truth bombs, this episode lays it all out culture, leadership, parts profits, tech drama, and the owner mindset that separates the winners from the whiners. Want a culture worth bragging about? Start with a Full Reckoning Audit