It is a sense of professionalism which permeates the work place and as a consequence, has a positive influence on their customers. Which is, of course, what it is all about.
Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Our Insight
Essentially, over the years I have found that most managers have not been given the educational opportunity to be exposed to what real leadership is all about. It has been defined various ways but I like Napoleon's the best; "A Leader is a dealer in hope". He went on the say that if a leader gives hope to their people, that if they make positive improvements and change that their life and business will improve, the people are most likely to make the required changes.
In my Leadership workshops I strive to impinge upon the management team a course of action that will build their people up, build team effort, get more out of the people they now have, define their role as a leader in this business, dealership task management understanding, educating their people, sales process alignment, increasing unit sales and gross profits, reducing attrition and how to become a great leader.
I like to open these workshops with a little CRM and gain an understanding of what your managers consider their problematic issues, where they feel they need to become stronger and discussions revolving around our business. Then proceed to curriculums to enhance their understanding of how leadership is the one thing that will grow their people and as a consequence the store.
A few of my "first time" leadership course curriculums which have proven valuable to dealerships are:
Personality Profiles: We conduct a profile analysis on each manager to determine their personality then teach a course on how to recognize different personalities of their people and customers alike as to address them the way those profiles respond best. In other words, know what buttons to push and which to stay away from.