A lot of things have changed in the 40+ years I have been working with tires, wheels and vehicles.

One of the things that has not changed is people and attitude.  There are some people that “know it all”. I will call them “know it all’s.” They have learned some things and as far as they are concerned, they have nothing more to learn.

Then there are some people who want to question everything. They ask questions about everything they encounter. What is this? What does this thing do? Why does this look the way it does? Much of the problem with the “want to know’s” is that they don’t retain anything. They don’t really want to know, they just want to question everything.

                The ones who impress me most are the “sponges”. These guys and gals will soak up everything. They don’t have preconceived notions about anything. If it is knowledge they want, then they will accept it from any source. The problem with these people is that they are willing to absorb knowledge no matter what the source. Like unfiltered water, as they absorb everything, they sometimes pick up contaminated material, and information. That can be hazardous.

The people who end up being the most successful are the ones who absorb knowledge like a sponge, filter the crap out of it, question everything, and end up with a lot of knowledge. But they are willing to accept the fact that they do not yet know it all. They are prepared to continue learning, adapting and filtering knowledge. They are also the ones who do not jump to conclusions, they are diligent about following the rules of safety and are willing to pass their knowledge on to the “newbies”.

The most important characteristic of the most successful people is that they learn from everyone. They learn what not to do from those who will not do it right. They are willing to learn new methods and ways of doing things from those with a better idea, and they are a good example for those who are willing to learn from them.