I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a "car guy," but apparently, I’m not a very observant one.

A few years ago, I bought a Hyundai Palisade. If you’ve seen them, you know they’re great, smooth ride, plenty of room for the kids, and that "new car smell" that makes you feel like you’ve actually made it in life. For the first two years, it was a dream. But then, slowly... almost imperceptibly... the ride started to get a little bit "jangly."

At first, I didn’t think much of it. I live in the Midwest, and if you’ve ever driven through a Chicago spring, you know that our potholes have their own zip codes. I just figured the roads were getting worse. Every time the car hit a seam in the highway and sent a shudder through the chassis, I’d just white-knuckle the steering wheel and mutter something about the state of our infrastructure.

But then, the feedback started coming from the "consultants" in the back seat.

My kids started complaining that they were getting bounced around like popcorn. My wife mentioned, more than once, that the car felt "loose." And me? Being the stubborn, slightly-too-proud owner (and, if I'm honest, a bit of a know-it-all), I got offended. I told them they were imagining it. I told them it was the tires. I told them everything except the truth... which was that something was actually wrong.

I was ignoring the bumps. And as it turns out, ignoring the bumps is a really expensive way to run a vehicle, and an even more expensive way to run a business.

The 300-Mile Heartbreak

Eventually, the noise got too loud to ignore. It wasn't just a thump anymore; it was a rhythmic clunk-clunk that sounded like I was dragging a bag of hammers behind me.

I finally swallowed my pride and did what I should have done six months earlier: I hopped on a forum. Within five minutes of searching, I found a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB). It turns out, there was a known issue with the rear shocks on certain Palisade models. They were failing prematurely.

I felt a wave of relief. "See!" I thought. "I knew I wasn't crazy!" (Even though I spent months telling my family they were the crazy ones).

I checked my odometer. It read 60,300 miles.

Now, if you know anything about Hyundai warranties, they are famous for that 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage. I was exactly 300 miles over the limit. Because I had spent months "waiting and seeing," because I had chalked up a mechanical failure to "external factors" (the roads), I was now looking at a very beefy repair bill that should have been free.

I drove into the dealership feeling like a total amateur. That’s where I met Darrell. Darrell was the guy at the service desk who has seen it all. I told him the story, the whole embarrassing thing, about how I’d ignored the noise for 5,000 miles.

Darrell looked at the odometer, looked at me, and just sighed. He could have told me I was out of luck. But instead, he went to bat for me. He petitioned Hyundai for a "goodwill repair." He told them I was a loyal customer who had just... missed the window.

Hyundai ended up covering the parts, and I just had to pay the labor. It was a win, but the stress of that $1,200 "almost mistake" stayed with me. It made me realize how often I do this in my professional life, too.

Are You Normalizing the Noise?

In the world of Operations & Management Solutions, I see this "Hyundai Shocks" syndrome everywhere.

Organizations start to develop a "rattle." Maybe it’s a process that used to work but now requires three extra emails to complete. Maybe it’s a specific team member who is consistently "missing the mark," but because they’re "nice" or "have been here forever," the leader just learns to drive around the problem.

We call this Normalization of Deviance. It’s a fancy way of saying we get used to things being broken.

Think about your own organization for a second. What are the "bumps" you’ve been ignoring?

• Is there a weekly meeting that everyone hates, but you keep having it "just because"?
• Is there a software tool that doesn't actually talk to your other tools, so someone has to manually copy-paste data for four hours every Friday?
• Is there a communication breakdown that you’ve blamed on "the busy season," even though the busy season ended three months ago?

If you’re the leader, you might be like me in the driver’s seat. You’ve got your hands on the wheel, you’re focused on the destination, and you’ve developed a subconscious way of bracing yourself for the jolts. You don’t even feel them anymore. But your "passengers", your team, your clients, your board, they feel every single one. And eventually, they’re going to get tired of the ride.

The "Independence Indicators": Is Your Car Even Road-Worthy?

One of the biggest reasons we ignore the bumps is that we’re too busy driving to pull over and look under the hood. As an Executive Director or an Owner, your value isn't just in driving the car; it's in ensuring the car can drive without you constantly white-knuckling the steering wheel.

When I work with leaders, I look for Independence Indicators. These are signs that the organization is healthy enough to handle the bumps on its own.

If you want to know if you’re ignoring the shocks, ask yourself these questions:

1. Where are the decisions made? If every "thump" requires you to personally inspect the tires, you’ve failed at delegation. Decisions should be made at the appropriate levels.
2. Are the relationships distributed? If the "ride" only feels smooth because you are personally managing every key client or donor, that’s a failing shock absorber.
3. Are the processes documented? If the "manual" for how to fix a problem lives only in your head, the organization can't fix itself when you're not there.
4. Can you leave? If you took a two-week vacation today, would the organization hit a pothole and lose an axle?

If the answer to these is "no," you’re not just ignoring the bumps: you’re the only thing keeping the wheels from falling off. And that, my friend, is an exhausting way to live.

How to Fix the Bumps: Reduce -> Route -> Resolve

When Darrell and I were looking at the TSB for my Palisade, we weren't just guessing. We were following a diagnostic framework. In your business, you need a triage framework to handle operational failures before they cost you $1,200 (or a key employee).

I use a simple method: Reduce -> Route -> Resolve.

1. Reduce

Before you try to fix a "bump," ask if that part of the car even needs to exist. In operations, this means removing tasks that don’t move the needle. If a report is causing a "rattle" because it’s hard to produce, does anyone actually read it? If not, stop doing it. Reduce the friction by eliminating the unnecessary.

2. Route

If the task is necessary, who is the "natural owner"? In my story, I tried to be the mechanic, the driver, and the warranty expert. I should have Routed the problem to Darrell much sooner. In your office, this means delegating to the person with the right context and skills. Don’t just hand it off; give them the context they need to succeed.

3. Resolve

Only when a task requires your specific judgment or authority should you "Resolve" it personally. As a leader, your "Resolve" pile should be the smallest one. If you’re personally resolving every minor billing error or scheduling conflict, your "shocks" are shot because you’re carrying too much weight.

The Darrell Factor

I got lucky with Darrell. He was the bridge between my mistake and a solution. But in business, you can't always count on a "goodwill repair." Sometimes, the warranty expires for real. You lose that star employee. You lose that major donor. You lose the trust of your board.

The "bumps" in your organization are not just annoyances; they are early warning signs. They are invitations to pull over, look at the data, and make a change.

If I'm honest... I knew the car was riding rough. I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of the dealership. I didn't want to admit I'd bought a car with a flaw. I didn't want to spend the time.

Don't be like me. Listen to your "passengers." If your team is telling you the ride is getting rough, believe them. Don't blame the "roads" (the economy, the industry, the "way things are"). Check your shocks.

If you’re feeling the jolts and you’re not sure how to fix them, let’s talk. Whether it’s through Operational Consulting or a deep dive into your team’s dynamics using DiSC, we can help you find where the "clunk" is coming from.

I’d love to hear from you: what’s a "bump" in your organization that you’ve been ignoring lately? Drop me a line or reach out here. Let’s get your ride smoothed out before you hit that 60,000-mile mark.

...And seriously, if your Palisade starts clunking, call Darrell. He's the best.