This year has been a different kind of year. Different is putting it too mildly.

At the midway point of this year, we’ve already witnessed escalated tensions between Iran and the United States, brutal bushfires in Australia, the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, protests in India over the Citizenship Amendment Act, a global pandemic with COVID-19, and civil unrest in the United States over systemic race issues that date back to the country’s founding.

It’s a lot.

How are you doing?

This question has more weight now than it ever has. People need to know that other human beings are listening, caring and willing to support one another.

In the car wash industry, this manifests in the way we take care of our people. Not only our customers, but our employees and our community.

It presents an opportunity for us to lead — and be the kind of leader who shows initiative and strength yet is approachable and considerate. The kind who will:

• Take a minute to have a conversation with an employee to really listen and discover what might be on their mind, or what they may need help with.

• Show empathy and compassion when it comes to your customers.

• Lead the way in your community when it comes to showing the path forward through all of the uncertainty and unrest. The path forward most certainly requires moving together.

In this issue of CAR WASH Magazine, we get into the nitty gritty details of talent management and the stories that go with them. Details like getting the best interview responses to help you hire the right people and how to bring your teams together. We also dive into what it may look like to operate in a new normal.

My favorite articles, however, highlight the amazing things that car washes have done through all of the challenges of 2020. The ways that leaders in this industry have risen up in times of need and gone above and beyond to take care of their people is inspiring.
I’m proud of the way this industry continues to come together and to lean on one another for support. It is a direct representation of the kind of people who make up the family we call car wash.