Perseverance and Authentic Leadership in the Auto Care Industry

Cold Open And Office Chairs

Jacki Lutz 0:00

I'm like too short to be back here. Oh look. And I do this. Yeah. I don't think it's a knot. Like that's a lot of space.

April Williamson 0:08

Well, you know what's funny is at work. I'm trying to cross my legs this time. Like I'm the general manager and they all report to me and my feet don't even touch the floor.

Jacki Lutz 0:16

That should be a that should be a real. Like the boss.

April Williamson 0:20

It's literally feet don't even touch the floor. It's like this. I'm like talking to them. And and I bought these chairs online because it was like a vibe, right? Like I've got crit I'm very much a hippie. I have like crystals and I work in the dark. I don't do visuals and lights and things like that. And so my office has a lot of windows. And I bought these chairs to like match the vibe. And they're like Timu chairs. They're like so short. And it's hilarious to see tall men sit in these chairs. Yeah.

Megan Hansen 0:51

With their knees up here.

April Williamson 0:52

And then you have me that's like.

Jacki Lutz 0:59

Welcome to Auto Care on Air, a candid podcast for a curious industry. I'm Jackie Lutz, Content Director at the Auto Care Association, and this is Carpool Conversations, where we collaborate on today's most relevant power skills. We're all headed in the same direction. So let's get there together. Hi everybody, welcome to another Carpool Conversation. I am Jackie Lutz, and I am here with April Williamson, General Manager for FGC. Welcome, April. Hi, Jackie. How are you? Good. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

April Williamson 1:36

So I'm April Williamson. I am the general manager. I'm a people manager. I handle the end-to-end business for FJC. We are an AC manufacturing. So we manage everything from the tools and equipment side for repair, from O-rings. Pag Oils is our claim to fame. And we also are a subsidiary of Waitron, um, which handles refrigerant. They're the second largest refrigerant distributor in the world. So a lot of people don't know that, but Waitron is is a um our parent company.

Jacki Lutz 2:06

Yeah, and you did the um, we're here at Women in Auto Care Leadership Conference, and you did the public speaker, or I'm sorry, the speaker mentorship program. Correct. Um, so we're gonna talk about your topic today. Okay. So I reached out to you to get you onto the podcast to talk about it, and I let you choose uh who you wanted to do this with. Okay. And you chose our other guest here, Megan Hanson. She's the category marketing manager for Napa. Yes. So welcome, Megan. Thank you, Jackie.

Megan Hansen 2:29

Thank you, April, for asking me to join you. Absolutely. Very honored and um excited. So excited to be here.

Jacki Lutz 2:36

And you guys have a little story about how you guys know each other, but first I want to give you the opportunity to talk a little bit about yourself.

The Interview That Changed Everything

Megan Hansen 2:41

Okay, great. Um, well, I have been with Napa Auto Parts for gosh, 15 years. It seems like just yesterday that I started. Um, been in the automotive industry for almost 20 years. Um, and I have done lots of different jobs, roles from sales to category management and now marketing where I'm at presently and currently. Um, and I love it. And I'm very much a people person. Um, I think that's one of the things that I'm passionate about and excited about, and um a huge reason that connected April and I um a few years ago, and um I'm just really excited to share her story because it's a wonderful one.

Jacki Lutz 3:20

Yeah, well, let's talk about that.

April Williamson 3:22

How do you guys know each other? Megan is actually who interviewed me. Um, so my speaker mentorship program, I did perseverance and truth-driven leadership. Uh, Megan is is actually in that presentation. So I I submitted 150 job applications. I have only been in the industry for five years. So prior to this, I was in construction. And I had submitted all these applications, and I had gotten an email, I would assume it was from HR. And Megan and I, we had a phone interview, and I had had an interview earlier that day. We get on the phone, and I'm like, didn't I already interview with you today? I thought, I thought we already had this conversation. She goes, What are you talking about? Somebody from head and she you can kind of hear the like, did somebody do something they weren't supposed to do at headquarters that I'm not aware of? I'm the one that's supposed to be high, and not in like an aggressive ego way, but just like she was kind of lost in that moment. And then she and then I said, Oh no, it wasn't you. It was a different Megan for another company that I'm interviewing with. Please hire me. I'm just crazy. Exactly, right? And and so I said to Megan in that interview, we were talking, and I said to her, I said, I don't even know what I applied for. And for anybody that's listening that does not work at Genuine Parts Company, please explain to me what a category activation specialist does.

Megan Hansen 4:47

That was a lot of words. It was a special role.

April Williamson 4:50

It was a special role that supported the category team. We're special people. Yeah. And so I told Megan openly in that phone interview, I have no idea what I applied for. She hired me. So I mean, it must have been a good interview, but it really stuck out. And for me, that that was very impactful. Um, being in the automotive industry has been a huge shift for me personally, professionally, uh, culturally, I guess. I've I've learned a lot about different parts of the world, especially from our women of the world that people I wouldn't necessarily interact with on a day-to-day basis, especially not in construction.

Jacki Lutz 5:25

Uh, women of the world is a um, what do you call those uh groups?

April Williamson 5:29

They are, they're a connection circle. Connection circle, yeah. Um, and Megan is the reason I'm here. I mean, she's the person who had this woman on a phone tell her, oh, I already interviewed with you, and what did I, you know, what did I apply for? And Megan's like, yeah, I want her. You're the one.

Megan Hansen 5:44

Well, she did it, you know. I hire people based on, you know, like conversation and characteristics that you can't teach people. Um, and April and I had, she was very honest, and I loved that about her. Um, she was very honest about not knowing what the job was. I'm like, that's okay. I can explain it to you. Like, I can teach you the things that you need to know for this role. I'm just looking for people that will come into the job, one, be determined and dedicated and want to work hard and want to grow with the organization, and not somebody that's just looking for a job. And I saw so much potential in her and I saw a lot of myself in her as well. Um, and so I that's how I it's really how I hire. I don't so much, I do look at resumes, but I don't so much go off the resume for me. It's probably 75, 80% based on the conversations that we have and the connection that I have with them. Do I think that they'd be a good fit for the team? Do I think they'd be good fit for the organization? Because we very much are a family-oriented, I mean, we're a large corporation, but very much a family-oriented business and the way we interact with each other. And you develop such close relationships with your coworkers. Yeah. Um, so when she came in and interviewed, I'm like, she has something special. And she she had this spunk about her. It was just, it was crazy to see, but at the same time, it was um, it was wonderful. And she has grown so much in just a few short years. I'm so proud of her. Um, and she has lots of pivots. Yes, lots of pivots. Um, and the way she's handled those pivots have just been inspiring.

Jacki Lutz 7:20

So yeah, that's kind of what your your topic was about.

What Truth-Driven Leadership Looks Like

April Williamson 7:23

It is.

Jacki Lutz 7:24

Um, so why don't why don't you kind of kick us off a little bit? Um, tell us about what you talked about today.

April Williamson 7:29

So uh my topic was perseverance and truth-driven leadership. Uh, I am a leader that believes in authentic leadership. If I don't know how to do something, I'm not gonna go to my team and say, oh, this is the way that it needs to be done. I'm gonna be open and be honest. Like, hey, we're being asked from senior senior leadership. This is what needs to be done. Let's figure this problem out together, right? And I think that a lot of people in leadership roles, at least for me, when I was looking at people in leadership roles, I looked at them as these, I hate to use the term deity, but as above me, right? Like, yes, in a leadership role, yes, they are technically I report to them, they are above me. It is, right? And for someone to be in that role, they must have not experienced things that I've experienced in my life, like a layoff or being a mother with, you know, large age gaps or some other personal things that have happened, right? And so I wanted other people in this room and in women in auto care, 436 women, to feel that big hug. Because when I walked into women in auto care, it was the first time in my life for me where the woman sitting next to me was not my competition. She was also my cheerleader. And I want other women who are within our industry, but not just automotive and other industries that are male dominated, to still feel that warm hug of it's not a competition. You know, we are here to support you, whatever that looks like. And you could be just like me, right? Be vulnerable with your team, not necessarily in a group context, right? It's not a group project, but it's okay for you to be a little bit vulnerable with your team and and show a little bit of who you truly are without overstepping the line. Because the line still exists, right? I mean, you're a leader, you know. The line is still there, but you can still be transparent with your team and give them the why. Yeah, is essentially what my presentation was about. That was a very long answer. Sorry.

Jacki Lutz 9:30

I feel like it's um it's a lot of different ways that truly at the end of the day build a lot of trust with your team. Like that's like the result of the things that you're talking about, is when when I have a leader that's like um, you know, I've I've been here, I don't know the answers either. You know, they're not lying to you and acting like they know everything. They're like, I don't know the answers either. But you know, what's great about this team is that we can come together, we all have different skills and we can figure this out together. Yeah, you know, I I feel like that builds a lot of trust because when your leader says, No, I know what I'm doing, I would believe them then. But if they always know what they're doing, yeah, no one always knows. Yeah, no. Um, so it's a it's a great way to like build trust.

Speaker Mentorship And Stage Fright

April Williamson 10:07

It does, and it allows your team to be more vulnerable with you. I mean, no human being that walks this earth is perfect, right? We have we've all human. Yeah, we're all human, we all make mistakes, yeah. And we've all got something to offer. And and part of the reason I did the speaker mentorship is it's you only get one opportunity at life. And if you don't do it, then you're gonna regret it later. Yeah. The worst thing they could do is tell me no.

Jacki Lutz 10:33

Yeah, and it's like it's you know, you um, you know, if you're not being challenged, you're not growing, kind of thing. And so you took this opportunity, which we should we should mention what it is. Um, women in autocare at their leadership conference, which we're at right now, yep, they offer um a speaker mentorship program that basically you can apply for and say what you want to talk about, and they will help guide you through the process of preparing that presentation. Um, you have we had practice interviews with you, kind of like helping you get prepared and and helping you uh practice in front of people, getting feedback, you know, going through your presentation and helping you, you know, clean it up. So like hopefully you felt pretty prepared to be up there to do this. I mean, I did. I think Megan can do it, can attest. You did a great job.

April Williamson 11:17

Well, but I think anyone that stood in front of a room of people, it's and you can, and I think you've actually shared this on social media. It's the vulnerability of oh god, they're gonna see me. Right. Right. And and it's just my jacket. I know, you know, just my hair sticking out funny. Yeah, and and they they all made a joke because as soon as I was done, Jackie, I didn't wait for cat. I was like, Thank you, hi. You know, like see you later, I'm done.

Jacki Lutz 11:42

I did it, you know. Check. Um was this like a fear experiment for you? Like, are you terrified of public speaking or just something you've never tried? So it's a funny story.

April Williamson 11:52

Last time I public spoke was in second grade and I was a crayon.

Jacki Lutz 11:58

What was your line?

April Williamson 11:59

Do you know? White, white whipped-e-doo. I know we need it, but I'd rather be blue. So you were white? I mean, I was the white, I was the white crayon. I'm like, really? Like that's what I remember. And that was the last time. I mean, and you know what's funny is uh when I was going through this process, I was very honest with Kathleen. Kathleen Long is who does the speaker mentorship program. Love Kathleen, she's a beautiful soul. Uh, she said to me, she said, This is your opportunity for the world to see you, and and you don't need to downgrade yourself. And she made jokes because I was late yesterday. So when I got to the women in autocare lunch and I was like half an hour late, she was like, I was about to be like, she better not. I know enough about this that I can, you know. And it was, it's nice to have that support from other women that helped guide you through that. Um, and she prepared me, so I felt prepared, but I think I was still very nervous. You did great.

Empathy At Work And Life Layers

Megan Hansen 12:52

I had somebody leaning over to me and she was like, This is great. And it it was, I could see the impact on her face. She was I'm glad to hear that. She was just inspired and you spoke the truth. And I think what you spoke about it it resonates with everybody. And it's not like you went through a, I mean, your journey was your journey, but everybody has their things and the things that they have to overcome and pivot. And you you did an excellent job putting that into words and then communicating it to the group.

Jacki Lutz 13:19

And I think it definitely resonated with it resonated with me, but um I was just gonna ask, so is this kind of funny, like you were somewhat of a mentor to to April, and then before we started recording, you were talking about your mother of triplets. Yes. So you've had some you've had some perseverance, I'm sure, because you kept your career through this whole time, and now you're being, you know, you're sitting there listening to April give advice that you're actually taking something from that must have been kind of full circle.

Megan Hansen 13:45

Yes, very much for full circle for me. Um and I didn't realize that I had impacted honestly until this week or last week when she asked me to be a part of this. I I guess I just didn't realize how impactful you can be in someone's life. And we have a great relationship. Um, still keep in touch after, you know, like everything that you know, we still keep in touch, we still talk every once in a while. Um, and it just I don't it just didn't it didn't register to me that I had that much impact on her life. And then listening to her speak, I'm like, gosh, I feel like the things that I've experienced in my life, my challenges, and having triplets is was a big challenge going through that pregnancy and um, you know, not just the pregnancy, right? And like I'm imagining it continues to be tough. Yeah. Um, but getting through, you know, I I worry, I tend to be a worrier. And I I needed a tool that I could use to calm myself down because I was thinking about they give you all of the scenarios that could potentially happen. And I needed a tool to really calm my nerves because I just naturally am a more anxious person. And um, I just kept thinking, okay, I'm gonna cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm going to get to that hurdle and we're gonna get over it and we're gonna overcome it. Whatever the, whatever the direction is, we'll deal with it. Um, and I I take that into my personal life and my professional life. And it's something that um I try to live by. And also for other people that I work with, I try to remember that they've got things going on in their lives as well. And you have to be somewhat understanding and flexible and have that emotional intelligence to understand when they need support because work isn't always the most important thing. Um, and work's always gonna be there. Like you can take a short break if you need to just refresh yourself and just gather yourself and then come back and you'll just be better for it. You're only as good as your people that you work with.

Jacki Lutz 15:49

And I think your whole team, your whole company is better when when managers are kind of emotionally tied, cued in, you know, because it's that's when that's when employees are like, I can't handle this job, so they leave and go find a job that they can, you know, when they have like the added pressures of work that aren't giving when they need the giving, you know, they need the the lacks there.

Megan Hansen 16:10

Yeah.

Jacki Lutz 16:11

And um, that's when you end up training new employees and having to go backwards and well, it's layers.

April Williamson 16:16

And I mean, and I talked about that, you know, we do we all carry layers, right? Emotional, relational, financial, you know, the the world that's happening. I mean, we all see it no matter where you may land. It's it's things that people carry into work. And as leaders, it's our job to be emotionally aware because we set the tone. Yeah, like and I can and I can attest to this. I'm not perfect all the time. There have been days when I have stuff going on personally and I walk into the office. I have to reset myself because if I don't, on the days that I come into the office and I close my door, I have to let my team know, hey, this is not you guys. I've got something going on. Right. And and that's because, like I said, there's still that line, but we set that tone, we set that pace. Like if we're not confident in what's happening, they're not gonna be confident, right? And and confidence doesn't have to be falsified or performative. You can say, hey, don't know how I'm gonna do this, but we're gonna do this together. Yeah, and we'll figure it out together. And I think that, and it's the same thing I tell my team this every single day. We are all on the same train. I said, we have one person that's shoveling the coal, we have one person that's managing the dining cart, we got one person that managed the tickets. I said, I'm just riding the train helping you guys figure out where you need to go. Yeah. Because as leaders, we are we we do we do some of the work, but if you're truly a leader, you're directing the work and you're trying to get that strategic performance and that output from your team. If your team aren't is not invested in you and bought into what's going on, they don't trust you. And and that's just it's that simple, right? You might have tons of high performers, but if you're not aware that this one has kids and this one might have a child with a disability, or this one just lost their wife, etc., those things can ripple through your own team. So it's important.

Jacki Lutz 18:11

Yeah, and that stress spreads.

Layoffs Pivots And Finding Your Seat

Megan Hansen 18:14

Very does very much so, and it's how you react to it too, you know. Um, and being able to communicate that to your team and your managers and supervisors and just say, you know, I think that's a hard thing to overcome because people don't want to share. Well, I don't want to be, I I know back in the day for me, I didn't want to be seen as the person, you know, if I had something come up with my family, my grandmother passed away. Um, and I was like, oh gosh, I really want to be there for her, and I want to, you know, help help with everything. And I was like, but I just started this new job and I don't know what to do. And my boss was so wonderful at the time. Um, he's he's just a wonderful mentor for me in the automotive industry. He was actually um part of the team that brought me into Napa, and I'm so grateful for that. But they gave me the space and the time, and they were like, do what you need to do. And like that was so impactful for me, and it carries through like I carry that through my leadership and working with my teammates because it made the world of difference to me and my life, and it didn't have to do with work. The work was there when I got back, and you know, I just carried on. I did take my computer with me and did everything I needed to do. Yeah, and and just giving me that space to to get through the things that I needed to get through and knowing that I will come back. And they all supported me. It was it was amazing for that to happen, and I hope that other people are able to do that and not be afraid to communicate that to their supervisors or to their um to their organizations because I do think there's that element of being human and you're not just a robot coming into the office um so that you know you can be a good good performer and you can contribute to the company because if you're trying to hide these things and you know, trying to fake it till you make it, it's it it just can dwell on you. Yeah, it's heavy weigh you down. Yeah. Yeah.

Jacki Lutz 20:05

I think you also need to make sure you you watch out for your high achievers, because I think sometimes out of duty, you know, people are letting things get heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier until they are starting to go crazy, you know. Like I know, like even with me, like I became a mother during COVID and I had two very close in age. You know, May 2020 was my first, and then December 2021 was my second. And um, during COVID, everything was a little bit different. We weren't traveling, we weren't that all of that wasn't tacked on to my motherhood yet. And then when all that started to come on, and then I got laid off a couple like a year or two later, um, started this job, which was like a whole new world I had to figure out and learn at the same time, you know, and all this stuff, you know, I I kind of was still working as though like fitting my kids into my career versus like fitting my career into like my new life. Yeah, you said that. Yeah, there's there's a lot of like things like that going on where it's like people need to figure things out too. Where I was still trying to be like such a high achiever at the time, and I kind of had like a come to Jesus moment where I'm like, something has to be different, you know, like something has to change. My mindset has to change somehow to make this work. But you can do both, and I had a lot of grace during this period, though.

April Williamson 21:20

You you can, and I think, well, and so like you brought up your layoff, that was also in my presentation. Layoff, I mean, layoff. So just to to draw metrics into it, 40% of the US workforce will experience one layoff in the lifetime. Wild, I wouldn't have thought that many. No, it's almost half. Yeah, and that's not just us, yeah, right? That's not just women, that's not a woman number. That is the US workforce. And and then we're we're talking about mental health challenges and depression and anxiety, and 75% of US workers experience at least one of those things. And then we're talking about pivots and loss. That's also in that number, right? And then more, I think it's 30, let me add 37.4%. Experience more than one. So it's it's important, right? Mental health, I know that we talk about it all the time, but layoffs, when you have a layoff, and and for me, I can speak for me. I had been at that job for four and a half years. I had helped create that department. I was so excited that I had finally found a job where I could work from home. My oldest was 14 at the time. I had a baby during that time, you know, and then my father died from COVID. I was lucky to have two dads. Um, I actually lost my stepdad while I worked at Napa. So that was another pivot in my life. But um you have all these things that are happening to you, and and it's chaos. And then you're also managing being a mom, right? And and how you show up for them, and then how you show up for yourself and how you show up for your career. Uh, for me, I had really great support. My husband, um, he I always laugh because we've kind of switched roles a little bit, like he had his own business. He created this great foundation for us. And then I got my job at Napa, and we really thought I was making calendars, Megan. I'm not gonna lie. You mean a girlfriend of mine, we were making jokes on my way to the office on my first day about how I was gonna be making calendars. Um promotional calendars. Promotional calendars. I actually did do that. So I mean it tracks, right? Um, but it's it's how you you adjust to that. And and then just to draw more data into it, only 10% of people are resilient after a layoff. We all go into that mode of why did this happen to me? I'm a high performer, I show up, you know, and layoffs are not personal, but it hits personal. It does. It does. And Megan knew that I I mean, I was technically still working, right? I knew my job was gonna end on January 31st, and I was getting laid off, and I was like, I have to find a job. Have no idea what category activations. Now, if you work at Genuine Parts Company, you're not allowed to comment. But at that time, it was the new position. Sure. You know, there were six of us. Do you remember what I said to Cameron? I asked if it was the hunger game. Oh, yeah. So they hired six of us all at the same time, and we were there to support the category team. And I'm gonna show myself a little bit. I had never been in a corporate company, I had always worked for like small mom and pops, and then I had worked at like a semi-corporate company, like Cabinets to go, but it was still privately owned at that time. And when they hired all six of us, we had a meeting with our SVP at the time. His name's Cameron Richardson, and Meg was like, Don't be nervous, it's fine. You know, no, I was the first one that was supposed to meet with him. And I I openly asked my senior vice president who had never met me, is this like the Hunger Games, the strongest will survive and they get the position? And he died laughing. He thought that was hilarious. But did he answer you or did you just laugh? He just laughed. And then he shared that joke. He shared that joke with every category activation specialist after that. So then I knew that we were all staying. But I created great relationships in that position.

Megan Hansen 25:55

Yeah, yeah. It was it. We I think we had a really solid team, um, a little really great group of people that came in. And um honestly, I think everybody who's come through that role, um, it's a challenging role. It is. Um and you have there's a lot of things that you have to learn. And it's really hard when you come in without a piece of the pie. You don't have NAPA experience, you don't have automotive industry experience, um, you you don't have category experience. Um, but it's not something that you it's not something that you have to have for that role. It's just it's it's very helpful to get you helps you uh to get you up and going. But there were some really great hires in in that group, and um we really helped each other.

April Williamson 26:39

We became kind of like a I mean so no one turned on anyone and then got them fired and like so I'm not gonna I'm not gonna call names out, but there were three of us individually, only one person still works at Genuine Parts Company. We created what was called the triangle of trust, and so the three of us would go out, and I mean we all have it in corporate level positions where you've got your trusted people where you let things fly on the wall that nobody else is supposed to hear. We had a group chat, uh so we and and it didn't become like that. I mean, some of us got promoted to associate role. Actually, Megan's the one who promoted me in cat into category, so I stepped into a category manager position. But that pivot, you know, it it it was not something that I mean, I went into automotive. Like, what is this? Oh, you automotive aftermarket? What do y'all do?

Jacki Lutz 27:25

Yeah.

April Williamson 27:26

I mean, and that's really what we all entered, I think. Yeah, yeah. And so when you and when you get here, it's addicting, like it is, it's innovative. The people, um, the culture of like it doesn't, and I maybe I shouldn't say this, but it doesn't matter what you've experienced in life. You have a seat at our table in automotive. You do, and and that's kind of the warm welcome that I feel like I've gotten from from women counterparts. Um, there's always gonna be a few here and there that are kind of like I'll move past that. But um, that was a life-defining pivot for me, and it and it was a pivot that I didn't want, but it was the doorway I didn't know I needed.

Megan Hansen 28:07

I love that quote. I love that quote.

April Williamson 28:09

That's that's a that's an original. Yeah, that's mine.

Jacki Lutz 28:12

I wrote that when I wrote it, I was like, oh, but we can't take our own advice sometimes, right? I think I think you know, the they say like the difficult times are really what define you. And you have a choice, right? You can either have it define the the day you hit the ground and stayed there, or like, you know, you lean into it and it can actually benefit you in a lot of ways, or you look at it optimistically, or you you go to town, you go to work and you figure it out, and then because you worked so hard to figure it out, you're in a better spot, you know? Like it really can define, or you just come out of it with different skills or a different perception. Like when I was laid off, I will be the best hiring manager ever in the world if I ever get to do that again. Really? Because of the horrible experience I had now with autocare, let me put that out there, but like with other, like all the companies I was interviewing with at the time and all the silence, and it's just like you don't hear back from them, or like it just takes a long time, but they don't tell you, like, hey, still in the running, just so you know, yeah. I know it's been a month, but you know, it's just taking some time, or the or it came off the budget, or whatever it was. Like, you know, now I'll be a better hiring manager from from a difficult moment, you know. Like try to find the try to find the pieces of good in it. Yeah, the silver lining, right?

Gratitude Tools And Letting Go

April Williamson 29:23

And and when we're in the chaos, right? Something's happened to us, it's completely because the layoff effects not only now a lot of us identify ourselves by our job. We do. I mean, it's a self-identity, right? And and I don't like that I do that, right? I like to say that I'm a people manager, I manage process, business, end-to-end. I love my team. That's usually how I introduce myself. So the silver lining, I think, for all of us is is when you understand the pivot, right? Even though, like, even in and you know, you've seen my pivots in the aftermarket. I have I did not come in here gracefully. I was like a bull in a china shop.

Megan Hansen 30:00

Um, and and but you took great lessons. I did great lessons from every single pivot, and each one of those have made you better and better and better and better, and you just continue to grow. You have never let those hurdles set you back at all.

Jacki Lutz 30:15

Let's talk about some of the things that help somebody be better at that. Um, you know, some of like tips for people going through difficult times. Because like I know one of them from our our earlier um conversation was an attitude of gratitude. You want to talk about that?

April Williamson 30:29

Absolutely. So um from the places that I've lived in my life, I'm very blessed to be here. I'm very blessed to have another child. Um, and so I like to tell myself every single day, even on the days that I'm tired or short, I get to do this. I get to. And I don't mean that just about work. I mean I have two legs that work and two arms that work. So I get to go to the gym and pick up weights. You know, I get to go hold my child. I have the ability to hear music and and and have a voice, right? And as small as those things seem, in those moments of of insanity, of chaos, of you've lost everything that you identify yourself as, you have to, it can be the smallest thing. Hey, I got out of bed today and I put I I did five job applications, right? So, so it's taking instead of, oh, I have to do this KPI report, or I have to do this for my senior, or what I get to do this. And I and I like to remember that there's a hundred people behind me.

Jacki Lutz 31:31

Yeah.

April Williamson 31:31

That would kill to be where I am today. Absolutely, right? Yeah. And and some people for some of the things that I've lived through, it's it's not pretty, right? They're not here today. So I get to be here, and I only get one opportunity at life. So I'm gonna be grateful.

Jacki Lutz 31:49

Yeah.

April Williamson 31:50

Even when it sucks, because it because it's not all sunshine and rainbows, let's all be honest. It's it's real life, right? But even when I'm angry, I I'll tell my husband, I get to go upstairs because you're getting on my nerves. You know, like as simple as that. Like it's I get to do those things today.

Megan Hansen 32:09

I think it's taking like a a a quick few moments, and my husband's really good about this. He'll take a quick few moments, and it'll just kind of be out of the blue. We'll be doing something, and he'll be like, We are so blessed. We are so blessed to get to, you know, be here with our six kids and share this this special moment. He does that all the time, and I love it because I'm like, you know, there's a lot of time we're all just all in the chaos and you're just go go go. And and then you just stop for a second and you're like, oh yeah. Yeah, yes, this is what it's about. And same with work. Like you're you're go go go, and you but you stop for a second and you're like, gosh, look at this campaign we get we put together, or look at the impact that we did for, you know, that we worked together with the category team or the sales team or or whatnot. Look what we've done. And it's just taking those moments of gosh, we're really blessed that that we get to do this. And I love I love that quote and I love that you have that mentality. And I think a lot of people could use that as just an internal thing um to carry them through life and professional. I appreciate that.

April Williamson 33:13

I try I try to look at life as if one door closes, there's a reason for it. And I don't I may not know, right? What other people think of me is none of my business. Every every every no is a doorway to a yes. And that's okay. You know, I don't have to be your cup of tea, I don't have to be your best friend. You said no, someone will say yes.

Jacki Lutz 33:36

Yeah, yeah. I heard I heard someone told me one time, especially in difficult moments, is to stay on the offensive. So don't start living your life in defense. Correct. Because you will never move forward, you will never score a goal. But like, what is the next right thing? Yep, you know, call your network, you know, like whatever it is for your situation. Um, take one step at a time. You mentioned um, don't worry too much about the future. Yeah, you know, I think especially these days, I think like it's so easy to spiral, it's so easy to like fall into anxiety because you're thinking about everything, AI and all this stuff that's coming at us, and you're like, what is five years from now gonna look like? Yeah, you want to set me off in a spiral, talk about you know, 2030. Yes, yes, it's like try not to worry so much about the future, too. And um one point too, I want to make sure we make, and it's something that actually we were on your last call, your last practice call with Kathleen, and um you were saying something about, and I hope you don't mind me sharing this, I can edit it out if you don't want me to. But you were a little worried about who would be in the crowd, correct? Because there would be, you know, other people from your old company and all this kind of stuff, and they know the story and they know what happened and all these things. Um, but she said in and but she said something that kind of stuck with me. She said, let's not get too hung up on old versions of ourselves. Correct. So it's like, don't worry about the future, but also don't look too hard at the past, right? Like we all weren't as good as we are today, right? Like if I look at who I was 10 years ago and start worrying about like things I said, you know, how I made mistakes and like, and I still live in as that person. That's a previous version of myself. Who I am today is different than who I was yesterday, you know, and and there's a lot of truth in that that I've never heard that advice before. And I think that that could be really helpful for people.

April Williamson 35:27

Yeah. I agree. I think that we we get hung up on those moments, right? Those moments of embarrassment, those moments of why did I say that or why did I act like that. We are our own worst critics. I promise you, 90% of the time when somebody comes up to me and they're like, Oh, I'm sorry that I did this, and I'm like, what are you talking about? We're and I and I don't mean this negatively, but most people are so self-consumed in how they how they're perceived by the rest of the world, they didn't think about it as long as I did. Yeah. You know, and if somebody was truly offended, and I would hope that everyone in the aftermarket knows this by now, if somebody was truly offended by something I said, they would say, Hey, April, when you said this, this is how it made me feel. Right. And so I have to always pull myself. I'm a huge overthinker, right? I think I I've re- I rewrote everything that I was gonna say today like 18 times. And then on the day I've decided, oh, I'm gonna use note cards and not my and not my paper that I've been practicing with for, I don't know, two months. Yeah, I'm just gonna change it. Um that and that worked out well really well for me, actually. So I um what are we talking about? See, that's that's why I write everything down, ADD.

Jacki Lutz 36:43

No, it's okay. Um that we get we're too self-absorbed, so we think everyone sees our mistakes.

April Williamson 36:49

We think everybody sees the mistake, but the people at my old company were here and they were very supportive. And the things that I think people think about me are not what they think about me. Yeah, right.

Jacki Lutz 37:03

Um That's probably the case a lot for for a lot of people. I also I heard I heard someone compare it one time to uh looking at the world through a mirror instead of a window. And I think that that's there's a lot of truth to that. You focus so if you're looking at it through a mirror, you're so self-absorbed that you're thinking everybody is staring at you just like you're staring at yourself in the mirror. Correct all the time, and and nobody is. No, there's millions of people or billions of people, you know. Well, everybody's worried about their own stuff.

Final Takeaways On Resilience

April Williamson 37:30

Yeah, right? We all have kids and jobs and f we all have layers, yeah. Right. And so what I think someone took offense to or you know ruminated over, they they're like, whatever, that's April, and just moved on with their day. And I spent two weeks going, Oh my god, I can't wait. I did that, you know, and nobody remembered that, okay, right? It's how they felt. Um, I think pivots and and taking those leadership lessons from those, and it's funny that you bring up quotes. What people think of me is none of my business.

Jacki Lutz 38:03

Yeah, I like that one.

April Williamson 38:04

I love that, you know. So I think it's it's all of it combined, right? It's taking the taking the pivot, learning the leadership lesson, seeing the silver lining, and then letting go of that version of because you're the only one who's breathing life into it.

Jacki Lutz 38:23

Right. We're all living life for the first time, right? Yeah. So it's like we all make mistakes. Yeah. And I think that's what makes us all human and what really connects us at the end of the day. Yep. And, you know, I I think that this is such a powerful message that you have. I think it's like the softer side of leadership, soft skills. Yep. Which very much like you said, you know, hiring for character and training for skill. Yeah. Um, I think that these are things that you can learn. Yeah. You just have to be exposed to them first. It's one of those things you like, a problem you don't really know you have until you, you know, you have to do the work. And then you realize, oh, I could really work on that. Um, so I appreciate your message. I think a lot of women did, from what I've heard.

Megan Hansen 39:00

Yes.

Jacki Lutz 39:00

Um, so thank you for being so brave and getting up there. It's not an easy thing to do. Um, so and then getting on a podcast for the first time right after.

April Williamson 39:08

So yeah, and and telling people that they're self-absorbed.

Jacki Lutz 39:13

Let's not overthink it. Exactly. Soft skills, right? Yeah, exactly. Soft skills. So um, you know, if everybody had the ability to take away one thing from this conversation, what do each of you guys hope that that is? What's the most important message? Okay.

April Williamson 39:31

So perseverance is built in layers. Your pivots do not define you, but the way that you lead through them does. I love that. That's uh it's we all experience it. We all have pivots. Take the soft skills. If you can't take the big leadership skills from a moment, take the soft skills because it's gonna be valuable later.

Jacki Lutz 39:54

Resilience is a very good thing. It's almost like I don't know if resilience is a skill. It's something that's built by going through really hard times and getting through them. It is and then trying something else hard and keep going. That's how resilience is really built. Yeah, yeah.

April Williamson 40:08

Continuing to be brave and be vulnerable. That's that's really what I want people to take away. It's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to show the soft center sometimes. Don't be so hard.

Jacki Lutz 40:21

Yeah.

April Williamson 40:22

And and we're not saving lives, guys. It's car parts. Just saying. Longs are good car parts, and not well, yeah, you know, that's true. Yeah, we used to say that at Napa. We're we're not we're not saving lives. Yeah, we're we're saving PDFs. We're saving PDFs. Very much so.

Megan Hansen 40:38

What about you, Megan? Um, I really I I think April has normalized these pivots because you get so you get so stuck on the things that uh you maybe you didn't do well, or or you know, maybe you got laid off, or maybe something's going on in your personal life. You get so stuck in those moments. But really, she humanized making these pivots and then watching, you know, telling her story and watching the growth from her. I think that everybody can learn a little bit about how to manage that yourself. And um also, you know, just as a leader, just having a little bit of compassion for your people and you know, just embrace them and embrace the challenges in life and and help them get through that next step. Um, but I think a lot of people will resonate with this, and I think a lot of people will feel, oh gosh, I felt that way, or yes, I've been through that, and you know, I can do this or I can do hard things. So um, I think you're very inspiring, and I'm so proud of you, and I'm so proud of all the things that you have done. I appreciate that, Megan.

April Williamson 41:45

You're the one, you're the whole reason I'm in this industry. Oh, I may have went and worked for a doorknob company, but you made it happen, you made it happen and you kept going.

Megan Hansen 41:55

So I think that is very inspiring. And again, people can see that, you know, you can come in not knowing what job you're applying for and thinking it's a different person, and and just continue to grow and you know, bring people along with you. So I appreciate that. You've done amazing things.

April Williamson 42:13

Thank you.

Jacki Lutz 42:14

Such a nice little moment. Now it's recorded, so you guys can have it forever. Great. I hope my hair looks okay. I'm sorry. Yeah, I think mine is really um, you kind of hit on it in the beginning, but like you never know who you're impacting. And I think especially if you're you are um have the honor of managing people, uh, it's it's almost like a duty of yours too to like make sure you see their human side and you start that culture. You know, not every company has a culture like what you guys had at Snappa. Yeah. And if it feels so far away, like you can be the person that kind of starts that in your company, um, starts humanizing your fellow uh co-workers. I think it's important. Giving grace. Yeah. When everybody else is, you know, having a hard time because someone didn't show up to work because they're having a hard time or going through depression or going through something tough. Be the person that gives them grace publicly. And like, well, life's tough and she needs a day. Like, let's let's give her the day, you know?

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April Williamson 43:11

Yeah, it's I think culturally we we say we say that we've got it right in a lot of companies, and then some companies don't have it, right? Now, but they they definitely allow you that human aspect. Um, I do think it it resides in leaders as well, right? Um, so to your point, be that leader. Even if your company is not offering that and you're in a large corporation, be that leader for your team as leaders. Beware. Give them the why if you can.

Jacki Lutz 43:42

Yeah. Why if you can give them the why, why not? That's a good one, right? That's a good one. Yep. On that beautiful quote. Um, thank you guys so much for doing this with me. It's a really great one. Yeah, thank you for having us. This was fun. Enjoy the rest of the conference. Very much so. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Auto Care on Air. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast so that you never miss an episode. And don't forget to leave us a rating and review. It helps others discover our show. Auto Care On Air is proud to be a production of the Auto Care Association, dedicated to advancing the autocare industry and supporting professionals like you. To learn more about the association and its initiatives, visit autocare.org.