Digital Dealer - February 2020 - 8

DEALER OPS & LEADERSHIP

Culture

By
Dave Anderson
President,
LearnToLead

Three Key
First Quarter
Resolutions
for 2020

Crush Your
First Quarter
& Set the
Tempo and
Pace for 2020
Following are three resolutions
to evaluate and consider, and to
adjust as necessary, to shift your
dealership into attack mode
early in the first quarter.

B
Define or redefine
performance standards for
each department and for
each team member within
that department.

Einstein famously observed that insanity

is doing the same thing over again and expecting a
different result. Early in a new year is an ideal time
to evaluate your dealership for "insane" behaviors
and make needed adjustments. One key reason
dealership leadership fails in this regard is that
their current success drains urgency and fosters complacency. They point to how well they've done and use it as
a permission slip to pledge allegiance to the status quo,
and thus precipitate their eventual decline by adopting
a maintenance - rather than a stretching - mindset and
approach.
Even if you're at the top of your game, if you aspire to
climb higher, it's important to remember that whatever
got you here won't get you there. If what got you here
was enough to get you there, you'd already be there;
and the fact you're not there indicates something must
change.

To submit editorial feedback and topic suggestions, email
magazine@digitaldealer.com.

[ d i g i t a l d e a l e r. c o m ]

If you want great job performance, you've got to define it,
train people to execute it, and
hold them accountable daily
for doing so. Here are five
guidelines for performance
standards:
1. They should be in writing
and gone over with each team
member. If you're not serious
enough to put them in writing
and have people sign off to
acknowledge that you've
explained them and that they
understand them, you're just
not serious enough about
results, period.
2. There should be consequences for performance failure. The difference between a
performance standard and a
performance suggestion is the
consequence.
3. They should be introduced positively and not in
a threatening, high-handed

manner. Something like this
may work well for you: Team,
it's early in a new year and we
have some lofty goals to hit in
2020. As I look in the mirror, I
realize I haven't been as clear as
I should be in the past concerning what I expect from each of
you and by when. I own that,
and I'm changing it today. When
this meeting is over, I want to
get with each of you individually
and get us on the same page
with clearer targets that will
help you become more successful and take better care of
your families. If we all step up a
little bit this year, we can make
something very special happen
in this dealership.
4. You need a blend of activity
and outcome performance
standards. Most dealerships
do far better with the latter: "x"
number of units this month,
"x" hours per RO, etc. However,
since the activities create the
outcomes, you can dramatically
improve performance by doing
a better job of outlining the key
daily activities in each position
most predictive of attaining the
desired outcome and holding

February 2020

http://www.digitaldealer.com

Digital Dealer - February 2020

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