Ep 146: Why You MUST Embrace Change as a Leader | Charlie Burke and Luke Murray

0:00You teach someone how to treat you, right? And my whole thing on leadership is to become that person, that role model, and not through my words necessarily, but through my actions. You're listening to the Limitless Leadership Podcast, the podcast designed to help automotive repair shops learn how to lead, coach, train, and manage their team better by sharing proven techniques and thought-provoking interviews from industry leaders.

0:27Are you ready to transform your leadership skills by tapping into unrecognized potential to achieve limitless results? Let's get ready for liftoff. It's time to go from great to greater. Here's today's episode. All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Limitless Leadership Podcast. Joining you from the 2025 Apex Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, with two of my friends in the industry, two incredible industry difference makers, impact change agents, my friend Charlie Burke and Luke Murray, both training managers with WorldPac.

1:08Uh, guys, thanks for being here. Yeah, thanks. Our pleasure to be here. Um, well, if you, if you would, go ahead and share with the audience, uh, each of you what you do and how you do it. Promotive believes great shops deserve great technicians, and they built a recruiting model designed specifically to deliver that. Their team understands today's technician landscape and the challenges shops face trying to hire in a tight labor market.

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1:53To connect with them or begin your next search, visit gopromotive.com Book a call, start a search, and see how Promotive helps build stronger teams. It's no secret in our industry that speed of service sells. As our world moves faster, instant gratification isn't a want, it's an expectation. It's proven that the faster you communicate with your guest after they hand over their keys, the higher your close ratio and ARO is.

2:16This critical window is called your golden hour. And let's be real, it's hard to achieve when you're buried in essential tasks. That's where Golden Hour Garage comes in. By partnering with their team of industry professionals across the US, you can truly own your golden hour. Golden Hour provides a virtual estimate building, extended warranty, fleet claim processing, loaner advisors, and hands-on partner support so your team can focus on the guest experience and profit growth.

2:40Book a discovery call today. Limitless Leadership listeners receive 10% off their first 3 months. Yeah, sure, I'll, I'll, I'll take that. Um, we, we, um, WTI, WorldPAC Training Institute, is under the WorldPac banner, and we provide customer training for our customers. It's, it's more or less a loyalty program for our customers. Okay. And so we put on virtual training, in-person training. We do free lunchtime webinars every week.

3:09So it's great stuff there, little soundbites of training. And then we— our big, big thing is the STX event every other year. So that's for all of our customers and 400 classes across 3 days. Excellent. And that'll be in Washington, D.C. this August. So hopefully all you guys can come out to STX. Yeah, we're talking world-class trainers, world-class training from a world-class organization.

3:34Luke, I'm going to go to you as well. But before we do, so Charlie, I also meant to share, meant to ask you, share with our audience who you are, like what got you into the industry, what got you into WorldPAC, and who is Charlie Burke? All right. I hope we have a lot of time here, but no. All the time we need, my friend.

3:49Good. Yeah. So I just became that kid when I was really young, into cars and motorcycles and taking everything apart and got off to college, got engineering degrees in aeronautics, and I was going to fly jets. That was my plan, to go off into the service just like you. Yeah. And I had a bad, bad eye injury. I tore 3 holes in my retina and lost my eyesight for a year.

4:15Oh, so it took that away from me. And my next love was cars, you know, so So I looked around for a while. I was in the— I worked for TWA and ground operations. I did all this stuff and I was like, you know, it's not for me. So I, you know, I— there was one— it was— I was out to breakfast with my friends.

4:32I was probably 26 years old and I was so frustrated with my career at that point. And I can remember standing up in the restaurant. I ordered breakfast. The woman brought breakfast over and it was the wrong, wrong breakfast. And I stood up and I just ripped her a new one, just screamed at her out loud. And everyone looks at me and like, what is wrong with you?

4:52And I sat down, I said, I'm quitting tomorrow. So I left the aviation industry. And, and then probably about 6 months later, I went into a publishing firm and they did all technical engineering books. And, and that's where I was for the next 30 years. And so I worked with Worldpack. They sold a lot of our books. And then the publishing firm shut down in 2017 and I went to work for WorldPac.

5:19Okay. And now I manage their training program for business development. Excellent. Yeah. Very good. Well, thank you for sharing, Charlie. Luke, same questions. Who you are, what you do, how you do it. Yeah. So as Charlie said with WorldPac, you know, WorldPac wants our customers to be successful. And one of the ways that we can guarantee that is to have a shop owner that understands how to run their business, right?

5:44It's a lot different than going from fixing cars to now suddenly being a business owner, which is the vast majority of the shop owners in this industry, in the aftermarket. And so by providing training, whether it be business management training, coaching, but also technical training, making sure that the mechanics are getting continuing education as technology evolves, and by offering that to the aftermarket, continuing education to our customers.

6:09That's one way that we can guarantee that they will survive and be successful in this industry. I got into this industry accidentally. I was— when I was a freshman in high school, I had this class project and we were to develop a business model. And I came up with this idea of a pizza video delivery company that was the, the, it was all based on the laziness of, of humans and saying like, if, if I can get your movie delivered to you with the pizza, you don't even have to leave the house.

6:41I love this idea. And the pizza doesn't even have to be good. I mean, it's, and, and so I, I pitched this model, uh, to my classroom and my teacher loved it and actually said, I want to go into business with you. And so here I had my, you know, my, uh, history teacher in high school telling me that I had a really good idea and he wanted to do it.

6:59And it was the first time that an adult said, "Hey, that's a good idea, you should do it." And, and so I was laser-focused, locked in, that was my plan. Uh, you know, started working in a video store, uh, working in a pizza parlor. I was like, I need to learn this industry. Uh, and then in the early 2000s, we saw the transition to DVDs becoming more popular.

7:19Uh, internet was getting faster, movies were going from VHS to a digital format. I saw the writing on the wall and I said, Nobody is going to be having anything physical delivered to their house anymore. As far as media goes, the internet is going to solve that problem. And there's, there's already enough pizza delivery places. So I went back to school. I thought, I'm going to join the fire academy or something.

7:39And a really close friend of our family, Henry Hink, was working at this shop, Schneider Auto House in Santa Barbara. He was over at the house, family dinner, talking to my dad about this desire to start an apprenticeship program modeled after the apprenticeship program he went through in Germany. And he's like, I want to do it. There's nothing like this here. And I'm overhearing this conversation and I just say, that sounds like a really cool opportunity.

8:01I'd love to do something like that. And that was it. I went into the shop the very next day and, and I was hired. I didn't know anything. I didn't know how to drive a manual transmission. I didn't know what four-stroke meant or electricity or anything. And I was spending every day, half day in school, half day in the shop, learning on the job with an incredible mentor that really pushed me and encouraged me to do my best and learn and be curious, which then led me to, you know, starting my career in this industry and then having a desire to share my knowledge, what I've learned with others.

8:35And so be active on tech forums, helping people fix cars. And WTI recognized me. I was going to classes, BMW classes, and the instructor's like, man, you should be teaching this class. What do I have to offer? And so I got thrown a bone and said, hey, teach a class. Went off successful, and that was in 2010, 2009. And so I was a technical trainer, you know, specializing in BMW engines for 12 years.

9:05And then 2018, WorldPac hired me full-time as an employee, said, we want you to manage this training program and, you know, build it out bigger. And then just last year, I transferred over to the business management side of training from technical. Okay. And now in Leading a whole new side of this industry, uh, with, you know, business coaching and, and everything like that.

9:29So it's— Leading a shop can be isolating, especially when you're trying to grow and still take care of your people. Tectonic 2026 brings together shop teams who care about the same things you hear on this podcast: coaching, accountability, training, and building leaders at every level. Expect hands-on workshops, role-based sessions, and honest conversations you can take back to the shop on Monday. Tectonic is happening April 9th through the 11th.

9:51In Houston, Texas. Tickets are on sale now, and Limitless Leadership Podcast listeners can, can get $500 off standard pricing with code LIMITLESS500. Go to tekmetric.com/tectonic, that's T-E-K-T-O-N-I-C, or use the link in the show notes. All right folks, as you know, great leadership isn't about doing everything the best. It's actually about having the right partners in your corner to build your shop success.

10:17It's about putting the right team in place. It's about choosing the right vendors to make you a pro, making pro moves. And when I think about the pros, I think about Shop Marketing Pros. The know, like, and trust factor, that's a real thing. And Shop Marketing Pros understands that. That's why I wanna recommend Shop Marketing Pros to become your marketing partner in your shop.

10:37They get to know, like, and trust you and your business to then help your audience get to know, like, and trust you too, and bring your shop to the next level. So when I talk about making pro moves, this is the kind of move I'm talking about. This is the kind of standard-setting partnership that's gonna elevate your shop. So if you're ready to become a pro in your shop, visit shopmarketingpros.com and partner with the best.

11:02Well, thank you for sharing that, Luke. You know, as a leadership coach in this industry, I, I have a high respect and regard for any kind of training, especially business and management and leadership training. So the focus that you guys have is something I really admire and respect. You know, it's interesting, as you're sharing your story, Luke, it makes me think about one of the, one of the encouragements that I give to every client of mine is to lead in a way where your team members' voices heard, their opinions matter, and their ideas are considered.

11:34Yeah. Think about dating back to high school. If your teacher didn't give you the perspective, which became your reality, that, hey, Luke, this is a great idea. And if they were to just shut that idea down, which a lot of us as leaders do, unfortunately, we silence a voice by saying, ah, that's not going to work. That's not a good idea. And we don't go any further with that.

11:55We just, we take what they say and we, it silenced our voice. That idea is squashed. And so we don't move forward. Just imagine how different your life would have been. Oh, yeah. If that teacher didn't say, Luke, this is a great idea. In other words, Luke, I believe in you. Like, those 4 words are powerful for someone. Yeah. Especially for a high schooler, right?

12:16Yeah. It's pretty incredible to think about. But all that to say this, I'm glad that your teacher saw the idea that you had and recognized it as a great idea. I know Charlie is as well. You guys work together. Yeah. So let's talk about training because I also am a trainer in the industry and I I love training. I recognize the importance of training.

12:37Unfortunately, not everyone does. In fact, some people might be listening saying, hey guys, that sounds great, but I can't afford training. We know that they can't not afford training. Exactly. But what do you say to someone who doesn't truly believe in the value or the investment in training? Yeah, those are the— the shop owner is, I don't have the time. I had a hard time paying payroll last week.

13:03I don't have the money. What are you guys gonna teach me anyways? I've read everything. I've looked at every blog. I've done the whole thing. Yeah. You know, and I, and I, you know, it's, I've got some amazing stories of shop owners that were on the brink of bankruptcy. You know, Shari Pezen was on stage this weekend and she, she won Shop Owner of the Year.

13:26Yeah. She came to us in desperation. Probably 15 years ago, and we had the Smart Group, which is Tony Group, Peer Group. And she's like, we had no money in the bank, we couldn't pay our parts bills, we were going out of business. And look at her today, you know. So I think the one thing is to just try it, take the plunge, try it.

13:47You know, we do a course called 12 Keys to Success. Okay. And it's the basics of the economic model that a business runs on, you know, the KPIs, the basic things. And when folks take that class, their eyes open. Yeah. And they're, you know, we all know most shop owners are technicians. They came from the dealership world, they came from somewhere, they took the business over from their boss and they don't have a business background, you know.

14:15And so that's really what we're trying to do is to get them to see that this business is it's not fixing cars, you know. I love that. I love that you share that, Charlie. We know that the business really is about people. It's about serving people. It's about making an impact, making a difference in your community. We just happen to be using the vessel of automotive repair to do so.

14:36We also know that, to your point, a lot of owners are former technicians because they were great at being a player, and then they suddenly became a coach when they started their own business, and a coach wears multiple hats, much, you know, many more hats than the player or the technician in this regard. How do we get shop owners who are former technicians specifically to start viewing what they're doing now as a coach and not a player any longer, where now they're going from working in the business to working on the business?

15:12How do we start that conversation with them to help them shift a perspective? It's a great question. I think a lot of it boils down to the essence of training. So on the technical side, it was an easier sell, right? We need to know how these systems work. And my big philosophy on training was if you don't understand how it works, how can you effectively diagnose it?

15:32Okay. You're just guessing. Yeah, right. And as technicians, we're really good guessers. Yeah, we have, you know, and every time we guess correctly, We get a confidence boost. But if you don't truly understand how something works, how are you going to identify that it's not doing what it's supposed to do and that that's what's causing your symptoms? Well, on the technical side, I think that's an easy concept to embrace, but it's the exact same concept for the shop owner.

15:57If you don't understand how the business works, if you don't understand financials, then every business choice you make is a guess. Based on nothing. That's a great analogy. And unfortunately, when running a business, those guesses are costly and those guesses affect the lives of your employees. And I think it's so important to understand how a business works, how your finances work, how— what your KPIs are, how to understand what's going on under the hood of a business.

16:30And I would hope that that message would resonate with a shop owner that was a former technician to say, yeah, because I have a desire to understand how the car works so that I can better service and fix, repair, diagnose that car. I should want to understand how businesses work. Absolutely. To be successful. Yeah. Those mistakes can be costly. We know that training doesn't cost, it pays.

16:53But a lot of us view training as, as a cost and not as an investment. And the difference is with a cost, you're only giving up something. With an investment, you're giving up something, but you're getting way more in return. And, you know, when you have events like STX, which I'm gonna ask you to share about STX and what someone can expect when they come to an event like that, I'm gonna say it again, it's world-class trainers delivering world-class training through a world-class organization.

17:19Yeah. So you don't have to worry about what it's gonna cost you. It's an investment. Not as a shop owner, don't, don't just come out yourself. Bring the, bring the whole team. I mean, I, I would go— now granted, it's easy for me to say this, I'm not a shop owner, so I'm, I was going to say just shut the shop down for a couple days and send your whole team.

17:36Some people do that, a lot of people do that, right? But, but speak to listening audience, uh, on the concept of how training is an investment. And furthermore, speak about STX. What is STX? What can we expect from STX, uh, in August of 2026? Yes. Okay, well, I mean Training as an investment is, is to me a lot more than just the knowledge you get out of the classroom.

18:02It's the experience of going to the class. Early on in my career when I started to go to training, I met technicians from other shops in other cities and, and you start to realize and embrace the fact that this is an industry, right? We are a part of something so big and keeping cars on the road, keeping society moving globally. And we're a part of that.

18:25But I think so many technicians and shop owners are so focused in their little bubble that they forget how big the industry is. Yeah. And, and I think that recognizing and truly feeling like you're a part of something bigger, that you are part of this industry, I think it elevates you, lifts your spirits to say, I want to do better. Yeah. This isn't just a job.

18:48This isn't what I do 9 to 5 to pay the bills. I'm, I'm a part of something big. And at an event like STX, because it's so encompassing, STX is— it's an all-inclusive package. Our customers come, they sign up for their classes, but you're getting breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You're at the trade show. You are captivated in this large industry bubble. And the networking opportunities beyond the training, I think, are equally, if not more so, valuable than the training itself.

19:22I like that you shared that, Luke, because a lot of folks who have attended events like the one that we're at, APEX 2025, there's CEMA that's happening right across the street here pretty much. And there's other events like STX and other great events around the industry. But I think everyone would say that training is amazing, but the real I shouldn't say the real additional value, perhaps more value can be received at the networking events, at the restaurant, at the bar, at the wherever people are at afterwards, because you're talking about the things that you just learned.

19:55It's knowledge gained, but knowledge without action is just information. Yeah, I like that you talked about how this industry, while it is big, it's also small enough in a way where you get to know people from around the country, around the globe, quite frankly, who recognize there is a greater calling, there's a greater purpose. And you know, I'm a quote guy as a trainer.

20:16I mean, every trainer has a lot of quotes. One of my favorite quotes comes from Steve Harvey: your career is what you're paid for, your calling is what you're made for. And this is the biggest little industry out there, you know. It's like, it's a massive industry, but there's a, there's a sense of community. And when you meet people who are experiencing the same wins going through the same losses, having the same challenges that you do day in and day out, and they live across the country, that's pretty special because when you get to revisit with them and communicate and have conversations with them at each of these events, you get to talk about the

20:48growth that you've collectively been able to make over the years because you didn't just get the knowledge, you applied it when you got back to your shop. How important is it to implement the practice beyond the training? You want to go? Yeah, just a couple more things on STX. It, you know, it's 400 classes across 3 days. Huge. And you can only take 6.

21:15Okay. And so it's very intentional that we put everyone together at lunch and breakfast and so forth. So, and we have paper hard copy workbooks for every single class. Okay. And some of these things are giant, you know. So when you're sitting at that table with your buddies and their books are out there, they're like, what class is that? Who taught that one?

21:33You know, tell me about this one. And it really creates a buzz around the whole event. So I didn't want to throw that. It's a very cool dynamic that happens there. I love that. So actually, I mean, you're kind of segueing into the question that I just asked too, Charlie, because you have the books, which has the content that you're going to forget because statistically speaking, 70% of what you're getting today is forgotten tomorrow.

21:5490% is forgotten in just a week. So the fact that they have the books, they got the pens, the highlighters, they're taking a lot of notes. Hopefully our chance of retaining those notes increases by 17% when you actually take the notes. So you take the notes, but here's the— here's going back to the question. You get this knowledge. It's pivotal that you're not treating STX like a once a year training.

22:15You're taking the knowledge and you're going back and applying it and practicing and practicing and practicing. And you're not just living in the game because living in the game is when you're working with guests. Every single day, which is all the time. And here's the analogy I like to give. We're in football season right now, and even in a training, I'll often share like, look, let's look at a football team across a 53-man roster.

22:35The average playing time that the average football player plays in a game is only 5 to 7 minutes. Yeah, but how much— how many hours of practice is going into that 5 to 7 minutes of game time? Now, in our industry, you think about in the shop, it's the complete opposite. It's very little practice and a lot of game. So how do we begin to shift paradigms and shift perspectives within our industry to say like, look, you're going to come to STX and get amazing knowledge.

23:02It's not just going to be information if you begin to apply it. So we've got to practice, practice, practice so that we're not just living in the game. Thoughts? I agree completely. Right. And that's the learning process. I, before I went into this industry and I was dabbling in, in the fire academy, I was doing EMT training. I had to do these observation hours in an emergency room.

23:24And, and the person I was shadowing, this nurse, he shows me how to do an EKG on, on a patient, putting all these sensors and wires and clipping them up and getting the readout right. And I, and so he has me watch it. And then the next patient that needed it, He's like, go do it. Right? I'm like, okay. So I'm doing this.

23:46I'm nervous. I'm terrified. I'm actually doing a procedure on a human being. And I do it and I come back. I give the nurse the printout. He's like, perfect. So you learned it. You did it. And now you can teach it. It's a do-show-tell review approach. My own method is the MALL method. MAWL. You model, assist, watch, and launch. Mm-hmm. So you model for someone what this practice looks like.

24:17They're watching you. They're observing you. They're asking a lot of questions. They're in learning mode. You're modeling for them. Then the next phase is when you're assisting them as they do it. So you're locking arms with them, walking hand in hand, supporting them, assisting them. So it's the, it's the assist, uh, um, phase. Then you get into the watch phase where you unlock your arms, but you're watching them from afar.

24:38And not every single time they do it, but you're watching them and you're, you're coaching them along the way. And eventually you can say, you know what, Luke, now you can launch. Like, we're good. You've mastered this process. And the interesting thing, if you guys have kids, we have 4 and I have 6. Okay. Oh man. So a lot of kids collectively between 3 of us, right?

24:57But we do this with our kids. I mean, at a young age, we're modeling for them really how to— I mean, we're doing the best we can to live our own life, let alone lead other people that were— that are depending on us, but we're modeling for them. And then as they get older, we start assisting them, and then we start watching them.

25:13And we got 3 of our 4 teenagers right now, and right now we're in the watch phase with 3 of them. And we're like, oh, I mean, like, we're just pulling whatever hair I have left out of my head. And because they're— it's weird. When they became teenagers, I suddenly knew nothing, which is— I'm still trying to learn, understand that whole concept.

25:30But anyway, All that to say this, my wife and I are doing the best that we can to lead them and serve them and support them and grow and develop them so that when they do launch after high school, presumably, that's the plan anyway, when they launch, we can say, you know what, we did the best we could, but we've modeled, assisted, and watched over the years.

25:49Now they get to launch, and the hope is that we prepared them in a way that they're ready for the world. And I'll say this, and I'll shut up. I know you guys should be doing way more talking than I am. I apologize. But speaking of quotes, Chris Voss, he wrote a book called Never Split the Difference. It's a fantastic book on negotiations.

26:07It's great for sales professionals. But towards the end of the book, there's a quote that stood out where he says, when the pressure's on, we don't rise to the occasion, we fall to our highest level of preparation. Training will allow you to prepare for what's next. And too many of us don't do training. We don't practice the training that we obviously didn't get.

26:26And so we're fully, like, we're unprepared. And it just feels like everything's on fire. We're part-time firefighters because everything's on fire. Nothing's a priority because it feels like everything's a priority, which means nothing's a priority. And we struggle. So, I mean, again, I didn't mean to go on a rant here, but that's why I found training is a great foundation for any organization.

26:46Yeah, I love that. And, you know, it's a perfect example. So I'm a Cub Scout leader. Okay. And And now my group is getting ready to transition over to a troop. And the Scout motto is be prepared. Yeah. Right? And I always, when I'm doing these classes and I'm teaching these young children how to start a fire, how to do first aid, treat all these injuries, and the Heimlich maneuver.

27:13And obviously, I don't want them to have to ever use these skills, right? Craft a shelter in the woods because you were in a plane crash or something. Yeah, but, but you're prepared. You have that knowledge so that when the crisis happens, when the emergency happens, you're prepared. And like you said, you are going to, you know, drop down to the highest level of preparation that you have.

27:36And, and yeah, that's— I mean, that's what training in this industry is, is 100% all about, you know. So you learn about a new technology on a car and we hope that technology never fails. But if it does, we have the knowledge, we're ready to tackle it. I love that. You go to a business management class and maybe the topic is on, you know, having to deal with an employee that's embezzling and how to recognize fraud and all of this stuff.

28:04And you hope that you never have to experience that. Yeah. But it's nice to have the knowledge so that should it happen, you're prepared. With how to deal with it. And as leaders, we get to help our team members be prepared. We get to guide them in a way where they see, they see things that they otherwise didn't see because we're helping them identify blind spots.

28:24We're asking a lot of good questions. We're listening. I'm going to ask you, this is a leadership podcast, and either one of you or both of you can take this question, but what does leadership mean to you? You know, you're your thoughts become your beliefs, your beliefs become your habits, your habits become your character, and your character defines your destiny. Right? And so, you know, a long time ago, it was, you know, you, you, you, you teach someone how to treat you, right?

28:57And my whole thing on leadership is to become that person, that role model, and not, not through my words necessarily, but through my actions. Raising children. Yeah, they just, they just look at what you do and how you do it and how you treat people, you know. And to have that role model, the role model that I think would be good for a young person to become an adult, and to just project that.

29:24That's good. That's my leadership model. Things are often caught, not taught. Now, I don't want to speak out of the other side of my mouth because we're talking about teaching and training and how important that is, but you're right, Charlie. I mean, especially with the kids. I mean, as effective as a coach as I think I am, which, you know, thankfully I'm getting enough feedback to say, hey, doing a good job.

29:43But I'll tell my kids something over and over and over and over again. And I'm like, man, like it's going in one ear, out the other. That's why I'm trying to understand how did all of a sudden, how did I all of a sudden not know anything when my kids became teenagers? But I really appreciate what you just shared. That's a big, it's a big word.

30:00Leadership is a big word. It is. It is. There's lots of ways to define it, but that's a simple kind of way that I look at the world. It's strong. I love it. Luke, anything to— Yeah, it's regardless of what leadership role you're in as a parent, as a youth group leader, as a leader in this industry, as a boss with employees, you know, a shop owner.

30:22Those are all different leadership opportunities, leadership roles. And I'm a firm believer that The best leaders lead by example, right? And the example that you set is going to be picked up. So whether you're happy is going to determine whether or not every— all of your followers, everyone that you're leading is happy. If you're concerned, if you're nervous, they're nervous. Oh, that's good.

30:45Yeah. When I was training, when I was doing technical training, I recognized that I am the leader in this classroom. I am representing a leadership position in this industry, and I needed to lead by example in the front of the classroom. I would attend technical training classes where the instructor is so negative and, you know, like, oh, let's learn about this technology.

31:11This is a piece of garbage. This thing fails. And you walk away from that classroom thinking, this instructor, this subject matter expert, hates what he's working on, hates the technology, hates what the manufacturer has done and the decisions that were made. And all this new modern technology is garbage and it just breaks and fails. Mm-hmm. When I would teach a class, I have to do the same thing.

31:37I have to teach how this technology works, what it does. But I would focus on the why. Why did they do that? Because it's really exciting and awesome. Was it implemented and engineered in a way that was reliable and dependable? Probably not. But it's really cool what they're trying to do. Yeah. What the manufacturer is attempting to accomplish with this technology is awesome.

32:01And I realized that I needed to inspire this classroom. I needed to lead by example. And if I'm excited and I'm passionate about this technology and this desire to learn more and to be curious about why things are the way they are, that the students, the customers would walk away from that experience also being empowered, impassioned to want to learn, to, to look at their job from a new perspective and say, this is really cool.

32:30I am on the cutting edge of technology, understanding how it works, what they're trying to do, what they're trying to accomplish. And by repairing it, I'm maintaining that goal to do what the end goal was. I mean, we hoped that it would just do it and never have to be fixed, but let's let it do what it's supposed to do because there was a reason behind that technology.

32:55When the why is clear, the how is easy. Yeah. And I think for a lot of us, especially as leaders, we're trying to lead a team. We're struggling to get buy-in. We feel like our culture could be way better. And in a lot of cases, we just haven't properly explained or conveyed the why, the purpose. And so the how is not easy.

33:14It's very ambiguous. And team members are thinking differently than the other team members because no one really knows exactly what we're supposed to be doing or why we're doing it. And, and I, I love that you just highlighted, Luke, how ultimately what you're saying, what you're sharing is that we're contagious. We can either infect or we can affect. And a question I ask every client of mine to ask themself is, does my team feel the weight of my title or the energy or influence of my leadership?

33:40And you think about the first trainer that you shared, that you, uh, referenced where it's like you got a guy who's just negative about everything. I mean, he's just, um, kind of a negative Nelly about this and that and all the other things, right? You could, you could teach the exact same class, do the exact same training but approach it differently, and one trainer is conveying the weight of this responsibility, this title, what have you, the other trainer, that's you, is portraying this incredible infectious energy.

34:12It's this level of influence. The audience is going to walk away from both feeling two separate things based on how each led that class. 100%. And that's, and that's the same can be said in a shop. And so as the shop, as the leader goes, the shop goes, right? So let's speak to the listening audience who struggles right now with having that positive, infectious, positive infectious energy where they're just struggling because they're barely keeping their head above water.

34:45They're walking into the shop and they've got, they're trying to lead themselves and they're struggling with that, let alone leading a team effectively. What advice would you give to someone who's experiencing this right now where they're just struggling to get through each day because it's just tough, it's just hard? This came from a long time ago. Jeff Bezos said this and he said, you know, people come to me, you know, ask me what the work-life balance is like at Amazon, you know, and he's like, you know, that's just a debilitating way to look at the world, just a debilitating word and phrase.

35:22And he says it's more like life balance harmony. He says if you're, if you're at home and you're in a bad mood, something went bad, you know, the kids, you know, you're bringing that to work, you know. And if, and if you had a bad day at work, you're bringing that home. So I guess I would say to those people is to try to look at what's putting you there.

35:43Look at what's happening in your life. Is it at home? Is it at work? And troubleshoot that. Just get to the bottom of that one little piece. Because if you're not happy at any point in your life, you're going to bring that to every other, you know, wherever you go, there you are. That's good. You know, love that. So let me ask the next question I ask every guest on this, this podcast.

36:05And you kind of segued us into this, Charlie. So I appreciate you doing this. The question is, what is the best advice you've ever received from a coach or a mentor. I don't know if Jeff Bezos is a coach or mentor for you. He's certainly an influence for a lot of folks, but I'll ask you, what is the best advice that you've ever received from a coach or mentor?

36:24The best advice I ever received, besides my teacher that encouraged me to start a pizza video delivery, was to be curious, to ask questions, and fuel your desire and your passion to learn. And I remember when I applied that in the early stages, it was the asking about the why, right? The how, like you said, the how, that's the easy part. Yeah.

36:53The why is the important part. Yeah. And the why is, that's where the passion comes from. That's where the desire to grow comes from, the why. And so, yeah, the best advice I got was be curious, ask questions. Excellent. Love that. Charlie, best advice you've ever received from a coach or a mentor? Wow. You know, well, the first one that came to mind is to— is you have to be a good listener in life.

37:16Be an active listener. And things— your life will change when you do that versus just puking stuff out, you know? So that was a good one. And the other one, and I teach it to my kids too, was that, you know, you can worry about something, but if you think about worrying about something, What's that going to do for you? That's good.

37:36Two steps closer to the grave. I don't know. Right. Or you can go into problem-solving mode. Solve the problem. You're not worrying anymore because you don't have the brain space. We can't multitask. So now you're trying to solve the problem. You stop worrying. And that was a great tool that I learned a long, long time ago. Love that. Hey, you guys have been great.

37:56As we wrap up, I am going to ask you to share How can our audience learn more about where— well, really, where do we go to sign up for STX? And is it even open right now to sign up for STX for next year? STX is still open. There are a few remaining spots left for to register. You do have to be a WorldPAC customer.

38:18It is a private event just for our customers. So assuming you're a WorldPAC customer, you would Talk to your salesperson, go to worldpack.com and you will find the links. But ultimately, you know, Worldpack is very much a people business and that's the easiest way as a Worldpack customer, the easiest way to sign up for this event. Talk to your sales rep. Excellent.

38:41Have a conversation about STX. Great. And if you're not a Worldpack customer, then become a Worldpack customer. Go to worldpack.com and become a customer. If you're not a customer, what are you even doing with your life? I mean, this is a huge opportunity. Well, hey, thank you. Thank you guys both again. I mentioned STX next year, but by the time of— by the timing of this release, it might actually be next year in 2026.

39:03So just so I'm clear with everyone, STX is August 2026. You said in Washington, D.C., correct, Charlie? Yeah. Awesome. Well, Charlie Burke, Nick Murray, thanks for being here. Thanks, Josh. Yeah, my pleasure. Thank you, guys. And thank you for tuning in to another episode of The Limitless Leadership Podcast. As you know, every episode we look to transform our leadership skills by tapping into unrecognized potential to achieve limitless results.

39:27So thanks again. Have a great day, everyone. Don't forget to smile today. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. I'm Josh Parnell reminding you to keep leading well.