Leaders are made...not born! From NCM

Over the last 15 years, NCM Associates has provided hundreds of educational programs that delivered unparalleled training to thousands of dealers, general managers and department managers. However, there is one area in which we have admittedly fallen short…focused leadership training. Up until now, our primary focus has been on the “nuts and bolts” of dealership management. However, the NCM Institute faculty members, as well as many of the dealership personnel that we teach, understand that there are significant differences between leadership and management. Both are important to the success of the dealership, but in our industry there are a lot fewer effective leaders than there are effective managers. Many dealership managers recognize their leadership deficiencies and are craving in-depth training in that critical area.

Early in 2012, NCMi® committed to address this leadership training need, beginning at the general management level. Next month in Dallas, we will introduce our new curriculum with Leading Your Dealership Team to Success, one of three consecutive 1½-day “deep-dive” training classes for general managers. I have personally accepted accountability for developing and teaching this class.

In putting together the content for this class, my research resulted in some revelations for me (and probably for the GMs who attend) that I like to refer to as “punches in the nose!” Though I didn’t get physically bloodied, these surprises really got my attention:

Right now, 77% of business leaders believe their employees are not giving 100%; apparently they’re not far off in their assessment, because 72% of employees admit they are not giving 100%!
Employees don’t leave dealerships…they leave managers.
In order to effectively challenge and motivate an employee to excel, you must successfully connect with the employee on an interpersonal basis.
Leadership cannot be taught, it can only be learned. (Maybe that lets me off the hook!)

That first bullet point is pretty scary. Nearly 75% of our employees are giving less than 100%...and more than 75% of our managers know about it!

So now that you know that leadership is now on the NCMi front burner, here’s some more good news. Dave Anderson, president of LearnToLead.com, has agreed to become a contributing guest expert for Up to Speed. We very much look forward to Dave’s fresh and inspiring input. Maybe we’ll even get to see some of the really great stuff from his archives.

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Comment by Jim Hughes on May 16, 2012 at 1:49pm: Here, Here! Love that you are taking this on, Garry. Also excited that you are engaging Dave Anderson. He's one of my favorite "no nonsense, let's do it the right way" kind of guys. This is so needed in our industry. It's time for managers to become leaders and positive encouragers. Set clear, attainable, yet high standards for sales teams and hold them to it. Laziness and dulling their brains hanging out doing nothing between ups is no longer acceptable. Continual learning and growing are required. DealerElite needs to be a must for inspiration and learning. Most dealers I speak with haven't even heard of it. On all the IntellaCar iPads our dealers are using, we have a direct link to DealerElite. Great place to learn "on the go".

Lastly, I wanted to share this Apple credo that fits with this discussion: "We are at our best when we deliver enriching experiences." This is also IntellaCar's passion and commitment. The dealership experience must evolve. Afterall, the customer experience is the next competitive battleground.

Garry, I am excited to hear about NCM's and Dave Anderson's commitement to dealership leadership. I know there are ways IntellaCar can assist in that important goal. Let's talk soon.

Jim 805-492-4188

Comment by Mark Dubis on May 16, 2012 at 10:42am: Developing leaders in any business is the "conundrum of the day," Companies that talk about leadership often mean management. Most organizations want managers who will tow the company line, keep employees focused on daily activities and get the job done. If anyone at the lower levels exhibits "leadership traits" they are quickly ostracized, and questioned why they are "not a team player."

The current system won't allow or encourage those leadership traits UNTIL you have been elevated to a management position.

Leaders by their nature always question the status quo, look for different paths to solve issues, and provide an inspiration for their followers/employees. For some companies that can be very scary. A good portion of managers in dealerships today do not inspire their employees and too often they are the reason employees are demoralized. We have all heard the quote, "You don't manage people into battle, you lead them." If we want to improve we really do need more strong leaders willing to take the risks needed in today's environment.

While the auto retailing market has the ability to re-create itself into something very dynamic, most stores follow a "that's the way it's always been done" attitude that just continues the same results.

We need to have more people say, "If I had no idea on how to run a dealership, and was starting from scratch how would I design the system, the processes and what would the people in that model be doing?" I guarantee you the result would be very different from what we have today. I can listen to all the Dave Anderson courses and read the articles but if the management in the store doesn't allow their people to aspire to those heights, it is all for naught.

A critical component of success for any dealer is to be able to measure results and in this area NCM Benchmarking Reports and coaching in the stores has been invaluable. You can't change and improve unless you know where to begin.

Gary, thanks for everything you do to help our industry and dealers improve.