When leadership breaks down, processes fall apart fast. But rebuilding doesn’t start with systems. It starts with people.

In this episode of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel sit down with Chris Darmody, General Manager at Graham Auto Repair, to explore what it takes to turn around a struggling organization. When Chris joined the shop, leadership gaps, inconsistent processes, and fading accountability had left the team adrift. Instead of walking away, he leaned into the fire.

Drawing on 22 years of experience in the automotive industry, Chris shares how he reignited the culture at Graham by focusing on empowerment, accountability, and communication. He explains how creating structure through SOPs, while keeping the shop’s personality intact, rebuilt trust and consistency, and why real empowerment means giving people both the freedom and the authority to lead. Kim and Jason also draw powerful parallels between diagnosing car issues and diagnosing leadership problems, showing how the same mindset of testing, learning, and refining can transform both people and performance.

Tune in to episode 129 of Maximum Octane if you’ve ever inherited a broken team, felt stuck in the weeds, or wondered how to rebuild trust after disruption. Chris’s story proves that great leadership doesn’t just fix problems; it rebuilds belief.

Episode Takeaways:

3:30 How Chris’s “trial by fire” background prepared him to take over at Graham Auto Repair

5:50 The leadership vacuum Chris walked into and how he stabilized two struggling shops

7:30 Why passion and purpose matter more than position titles

8:10 The hidden truth about inventory, diagnostics, and industry perception

11:20 The first red flags Chris noticed and how he rebuilt integrity into daily operations

13:20 Why accountability is the ultimate form of empowerment

14:50 How team-built SOPs create buy-in and drive consistency

18:00 What rebuilding a culture really looks like and why it takes patience

21:50 Why every business, no matter how small, needs documented processes

26:40 How to truly empower leaders by giving them real authority

27:20 Trust, audit, and verify: how to stop micromanaging and start leading

32:50 How developing backups for every role sets the stage for expansion

Connect with Chris Darmody:

• LinkedIn
• Graham Auto Repair

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

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