From finding a leadership style that fits to embracing technology to government affairs, the NOLN columnists weighed in a wide range of topics of interest for quick lube operators. Catch up on our most read columns for 2025.
Tatum: Learn What Kind of Leader You Are
In September, Adam Tatum launched a series on different leadership styles. Knowing how you lead will allow you to fine-tune your rough edges and become a well-rounded manager. It will also help you in choosing and training your teams, he wrote. The first installment of Tatum’s leadership styles series looked into transactional and transformational leadership.
Hempy: Be Fluent in the ‘Language of the Service Center’
The language we use matters, wrote Scott Hempy. In the service industry, word choices have a profound impact on guests as they are served. The choice of words that your team uses when communicating with a guest is an important part of that guest’s service experience, and it’s why many of the nation’s most respected brands are intentional about their language.
Tatum: 7 Habits of an Effective Lube Manager
Throughout the first half of the year, Tatum discussed the habits of effective quick lube managers, paying homage to the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” written by Stephen Covey. Be proactive in all that you do, Tatum wrote. Look for ways to eliminate issues in advance. Look for the next talented employee and train them up. These are the best ways to stay ahead of issues and become more effective in proactive management and less reliant on reactive situations.
Hempy: AI Tools Show Potential to Streamline Tasks
The jury is still out on the full impact that breakthroughs in artificial intelligence will have on our world. In the meantime, Hempy shared some practical ways that his team at Oilstop have found to leverage the new AI tools to help in the quick lube industry.
Tatum: Rise Up the Ranks Requires Ambition, Initiative
If you're a tech with hopes of climbing the ranks in your shop, showing initiative and dedication will get your leadership team's attention. In one of his Technician’s Toolbox columns, Tatum shared advice for techs looking to get a foot in the door and stand out among their piers.
Hempy: It Pays to Invest in the Tech in Your Bays
As a quick lube operator, it’s important to keep an eye on new technologies that could help improve efficiency, improve service for your guests, or simply make it easy to manage your operation, Hempy wrote. He offered several easy ways that technology can be leveraged in as a quick lube operator.
Johnson: Volkswagen Tiguan is Latest Example of Defect Warning Via Magnuson-Moss Violation
Language in Volkswagen Tiguan owners' manuals calling for a tie-in brand service requirement prohibited by law was at the crux of class action lawsuit. Former NOLN columnist Joanna Johnson offered her insights and explained why automotive aftermarket service providers and consumers should be on the lookout for warranty denials based on the use of non-Volkswagen brand service and parts.
About the Author
Tom Valentino
Editor
Tom Valentino is the editor of National Oil and Lube News. A graduate of Ohio University, he has more than two decades of experience in newspapers, public relations and trade magazines, covering everything from high school sports to behavioral health care. Tom’s first vehicle was a 1990 Mazda 626, which he used to deliver pizzas in the summer after graduating high school. Today, he drives a 2019 Jeep Compass, which usually has a trunk full of his daughter’s sports gear. In his spare time, Tom is an avid Cleveland sports fan and a volunteer youth sports coach.
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