DRIVE YOUR TEAM TO SUCCESS - HOW TO BECOME A BETTER LEADER

WHETHER YOU’RE RUNNING A DEALERSHIP OR A DEPARTMENT STORE, you need to be able to effectively lead your team to success. And that doesn’t just happen. Good managers take the time to develop their leadership skills, address their weak spots, and continually look for ways to improve.

This is easier said than done in a busy dealership, of course, when team leaders are typically more concerned with hitting their sales targets than brushing up on their communication skills. But neglecting leadership development can negatively impact your business over the long-term.

Poor leaders mean poor performance. Employees who aren’t given the support, guidance, and encouragement they need will be a drain on your dealership. They’re also more likely to leave. Two in five Canadians have quit a job due to a bad boss, according to research from recruitment specialists Robert Half.

By Angela West

Given the ongoing labour shortage, it’s more important than ever to hold onto your workforce. Providing them with a leader who inspires, motivates, and helps them realize their potential is one of the best ways to achieve that. What does a good leader look like?

Good leadership is both an art and a science, involving a blend of skills that focus not just on the practicalities of the job but also on nurturing personal relationships.

Every boss has their own leadership style but research shows that effective leaders possess an optimal mix of the so-called ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills. The former include time management, organizational skills, and intelligence, while the latter are attributes like empathy, communication, creativity, and problem-solving.

For leaders in the automotive industry in particular, their skills wishlist should also include:

Industry expertise

You should be up to date with the latest industry trends and forecasts so you can help your team adjust to meet the market. As Canada heads into a recession, how will that change consumer behaviour? Will supply chain disruption continue into 2023? What makes and models are growing in popularity? How are Canadians paying for their vehicle purchases? No-one expects you to have a crystal ball, but it’s important to stay aware of any current and future shockwaves in the industry.

Customer service

Model the behaviour you want your team to emulate, especially when it comes to customers. Every dealership is, at heart, a retail business with customers at its core. You need to excel at managing customers as much as managing your team.

Innovative thinking

Every leader needs a good dose of entrepreneurial spirit, someone who’s always looking for the next opportunity in the market - whether that’s investing in EV charging stations, ramping up online marketing, or pivoting to preowned vehicles.

How to develop & prioritize leadership skills

Don’t leave good leadership up to chance, treat it like any other operational need in your business and make a plan. To train your current and future leaders, you’ll need a comprehensive leadership strategy that covers:

Company culture

Leaders set the tone so it’s helpful to establish exactly what kind of tone you want for your leadership. Think about how leaders across departments can build the kind of supportive and inclusive environment that will help your dealership thrive. Think about the values of your company and how you can embed those into all operations.

Clearly defined procedures

Having a set of policies and practices in place for common issues like employee discipline, job responsibilities, project management, and customer relationships helps your employees know exactly what’s expected of them. It also gives managers a game plan for goal-setting and ensures consistency from senior executives on down to new hires. It’s easier to lead when everyone’s working from the same playbook.

Introductory and ongoing training

Owners and senior management can fall into a rut just like any other member of staff so don’t forget to make room in your plan for ongoing leadership training. This should be provided at different levels to help junior staff rise through the ranks and make the most of opportunities for promotion.

Leadership training for automotive professionals

The Canadian Dealer Academy (CDA), run by Georgian College, offers executive-level training for general managers and dealership owners. The Automotive Dealership Management Ontario College Graduate Certificate program consists of 7 courses, designed to build on participant’s previous experience and help them lead their dealerships to success in the competitive Canadian market.

Courses are delivered part-time through both online and in-person learning. Topics covered include dealership financial management, service management, new and used sales management, and parts/accessories management.

The CDA program also includes a look at current issues, trends, and technologies so leaders and future leaders can put what they’ve learned about management theory into context, guiding the growth of their dealerships to overcome market challenges.

Georgian College also offers two Automotive Business programs - an Automotive Business Diploma and an Honours Bachelor of Business

Administration (Automotive Management).

Further south in Ontario, Fanshawe College offers a one-year college graduate certificate program in Automotive Service Management from its campus in London. This consists of a combination of courses that teach students a business-focused curriculum alongside automotive-specific courses. It’s designed to prepare learners for managerial positions with a focus on leadership and management, HR, operations, accounting, and communications.

Preparing the next generation of leaders

Canada’s employment landscape has undergone a demographic shift in recent years as Gen Z enters the workforce. These younger workers are making their mark in a variety of industries, including the automotive sector, bringing their own values, needs, and aspirations to the workplace. They’ll need help if they want to build rewarding careers, and that’s where leaders come in.

An often overlooked aspect of a leader’s role is to motivate and inspire. Leaders produce leaders while managers produce followers, meaning that those who act as mentors are more likely to equip their employees with the skills they need to one day step into a leadership role themselves. Those who view their position as purely managerial, on the other hand, are just giving orders and while their team might do the work, they won’t be as motivated or engaged.

Research shows that Gen Z workers value leadership that is results-driven, influential, and service-minded. They want bosses that can push them to deliver, but also display empathy, good communication skills, and who lead by example.

With leadership, as in many areas of life, you get what you give. Invest in your team’s success, and they’ll invest in the success of your business. ■