Your People are Your Most Powerful Resource. (Wait, My People?

Tracks Your People are Your Most Your People are Your Most Powerful Resource. (Wait, My People?)NATM Dealer Corner Powerful Resource. (Wait, My People?)

By Bob Clements & Sara Hey, Bob Clements International

An excerpt from “You’re the Problem (and the Solution)” by Bob Clements and Sara Hey

When I talk to owners and managers about the power of their team, regardless of its size, many times their eyes glaze over and they say, “Sara, that’s nice, but you don’t know my people.” You’re right. I don’t, but our team knows thousands of other people just like yours. And when the owners or managers get out of their way and let them do their job, they can become unstoppable. Ouch, did that hurt?

I’ll say it again for the people in the back. The most powerful resources you have in your dealership are the people you pay to be at your dealership every single day. That’s right, your employees. No one has a more in-depth look or better insight into your dealership than the people who show up every single day. The struggle is that often, as an owner, you don’t want to let go of control. There, I said it. Most dealership owners and managers we work with (over five thousand of you) are control freaks. You have hired highly capable people to take things off your plate, but you never actually let them help you in the way you need.

Our focus here is on one thing—how to fully utilize your people. Don’t dismiss this idea too quickly. If you want to change the direction of your business, take an objective look at who on your team is willing and able to move your dealership forward.

Have you ever driven on an icy road before? Specifically, a road covered in black ice where everyone travels half the speed limit just to get to the grocery store and stock up on toilet paper that they don’t actually need? Our team is based out of Kansas City, Missouri, right in the middle of the United States. In what seems like a day, we can experience ninety-degree heat, followed by a tornado, and then, before we know it, we are in the midst of a snowstorm.

Regardless of the weather event, what typically shuts down our city is ice. When you drive on ice, you utilize a different driving technique than what is needed for any other time on the road. When you are learning to drive in Missouri, it’s not uncommon for a driving instructor to take you to a big open parking lot the morning after an ice storm occurs and spend a significant amount of time teaching you to drive on the dangerous road. When you drive on ice, your natural tendency is to tense up and grip the wheel with strength that would rival the Hulk. In reality, to safely drive on ice you need to relax, slow down, and have a comfortable grip on the wheel. (I’m sure when you picked up this book, you didn’t know you were going to get lessons on how to drive on ice, but you’re welcome.)

As an owner or manager, when things start moving into panic mode and getting out of control, you typically match the level of panic and hold the pieces of the business closer to you. Your grip gets tighter, much like inexperienced drivers on ice. You don’t let others help with the problem because you are convinced that you are the only one capable of dealing with it.

For more information, visit www.BobClements.com.