Chris CollinsHelping Struggling Dealerships Build Profitable, High-Performing Service Departments | Automotive Coaching Expert | CEO

Stop Giving Out Participation Trophies! 🏆

15 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:11

In this segment of the YouTube video "Stop Giving Out Participation Trophies! 🏆," Speaker A argues that shop managers should implement visible performance hierarchies—such as leaderboards, monthly top‑dog awards, and a "winner's circle"—to clearly distinguish high‑performing technicians from the rest. He contends that these recognitions motivate staff, provide managers with clear performance data, and should not be opposed. Speaker B counters by questioning whether contemporary cultural emphasis on participation trophies explains the resistance to such hierarchical reward systems. The exchange highlights a tension between traditional performance‑based recognition and modern inclusive attitudes toward employee acknowledgment.

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hierarchy. And a lot of times managers are really apprehensive to put a board out in the shop and have a hierarchy of performance, have a winner every month. But having some sort of top dog award every month, having a, you know, a little shop meeting and giving away first, second, and third place, have a little trophy. That the top technician gets really does a lot, but it creates a hierarchy. And when there's a hierarchy, there's a clear understanding of who's winning and who's losing. And for you as the manager, but also for the technicians. And I never understand why anybody's against that, like why you would let the people that are anti-performance run the shop. It doesn't make any sense to me. But having a clear hierarchy of a board or a screen in the shop, having awards, having some sort of top dog club, winner's circle, whatever, you know, whatever you want to call it.
Yeah. Do you think that's because of, uh, today's society is all about participation trophies?