Automotive News - June 10, 2019 - Bank of America - S8

TIPS FOR DEALERS AND LEADERS

Three Leadership Strategies
How to create a culture 'where people want to work'
If you're a dealer principal or general manager, you may think that the day-to-day burden of attracting
and retaining employees falls to your human resources team or department managers. But experts say
the personal involvement of dealership owners and GMs can make or break a workforce.
"The success of any business starts with the culture, and that starts with the leadership of a dealership,"
says Brian Gruber, a market manager for Bank of America Merrill Lynch Dealer Financial Services. "If
folks are comfortable working there, if they're happy and feel they have the opportunity to learn
and grow and be promoted, they will stay longer. But it starts with the leadership." Here are
three things that Fleming Ford of ESI Trends says leaders can do to make the difference.

Make a personal
connection with
prospective
and new hires

Ford says her firm's research indicates
that just in the past year, the importance
of how dealers and GMs connect with
employees has risen - and that connection
correlates directly with employee retention.
"What I'm recommending now to GMs is
that they participate in the hiring process,"
she says. "Talking to new hires about
what the dealership stands for is a
way to differentiate themselves, and it
should start from the beginning. And
who wouldn't want to work for the one
dealership where the GM shows up to
your interview?" Ford recommends the
dealership conduct three interviews with
serious job candidates - with the third
interview conducted by the GM. "Even a
quick, 10-minute interview with the GM
helps build loyalty and commitment from
the candidate's standpoint and helps build
the value proposition about why people
work at the dealership," she says

Ask your employees
what they want and
what they think

In ESI studies, employees say one of
the top things they want is a dealership
manager who encourages their suggestions.
"In the past, dealerships might have made
employees feel they were in a dictatorship -
a command-and-control model that said,
'Listen to us, we have the answers,' " Ford
says. "But today's workforce is smart and
has so much knowledge at their fingertips.
They talk a lot, they move around and
they have a lot of good ideas. A key thing
leaders can do is to sit down with their
team on a regular basis and ask for
ideas. Ask what the dealership can do
to improve the customer and employee
experience. Your staff can give you
really good advice - but often no one
is asking." Ford says that if a dealership
registers poor employee engagement scores
on surveys, ESI recommends the dealer or
GM immediately start organizing breakfasts
or lunches with small groups of employees
from all departments, six to seven people
at a time. "It's important that the dealership
leaders hear from the employees and that
the team hears from the leaders as well,"
she says.

Develop a relationship
with your employees -
in every department

Because GMs usually come up through
the sales ranks, they often work closely
with the sales team. "Walking through the
service department in the morning and
saying 'Hi' isn't enough," Ford says. "You
need to spend quality time not just with
the sales team but with techs, service
advisers, F&I and the back office staff,
too." If departments are struggling with
employee retention, she says, the GM
should get involved. If sales techs are
unhappy or leaving, the GM should meet
with the techs one-on-one or take a couple
of them out for coffee. "Get to know them
on a personal level, and let them know that
the GM is taking a personal interest in their
needs," Ford says.
"Being a leader is not about being in
charge but about taking care of the people
in your charge," Ford says. "That means
inspiring, motivating and caring about
people in order to keep them at your
store. Dealerships with those kinds of
leaders are the dealerships where
people want to work."

Automotive News - June 10, 2019 - Bank of America

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