Get out your October financial statement. It’s just a few weeks old, so pull it out. From a timing standpoint this is a perfect time of the year. I always looked forward to analyzing the October financial statement. I can’t say that math was one of my best subjects, but I can divide by 10 real easy. At a glance I know what the averages are for any line item expenses, sales volume and gross profit.

What also makes October a perfect time is it sets the stage for the next year. Now is the time to start planning for 2012. Waiting until the last week in December to get your plan together is a really bad strategy.

This is the perfect time to dig in and firm up your fundamentals in all departments. This is the time to get back to basics. This is not the time to cut back on your training. This is when you need to amp up your thinking and stretch your organization.

If you don’t have a solid foundation of basic processes you will never maximize your success. This is the time to take control of the "evaporation factor" that’s been occurring all year long. This is the time to stop the "process bleeding."

Your long term plan should include joining a Twenty Group and attending the NADA convention. Look, we all get lazy, and get caught up in our daily routines. Attending these meetings gets you revitalized. It gets you outside of your daily box and opens your eyes up to what the possibilities might be. Seems like a no brainer.
  
Teamwork is critical if you’re going to maximize your bottom line. To keep your team on the same page you have to constantly communicate to them what the expectations are and what processes they are expected to follow. There is no "shake ‘n bake" solution. You don’t fix it and walk away. You fix it and re-fix it.

What to do?

1. Ask yourself if you can improve your processes?  If you focus on revamping your processes, what effect do you think it will have on your business? It is an absolute fact, that regardless of how well disciplined you are, over time your processes are going to evaporate. The best piece of advice I can give you is to lock yourself and your management team in a room and review every detail of your selling processes.
Be bluntly honest with yourself. Then take the necessary action to get you back on track. 

2. Can you improve your team? Got the wrong players? Now is the time to make the changes. If you already have the right team in place then it’s time to let them know what your expectations are and show them the plan and the path to achieve those expectations.

3. Don’t think of your planning as "you now having a plan." Think of it as a "mission." Plans can fall apart. When you’re on a mission you stay after it until you succeed. 

I’m on a mission to get you to re-think what you’re doing…That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

Last week I wrote about my top 40 Leadership skills that every leader in any business would be wise to incorporate into their daily action plan. 

As was pointed out by several very astute readers I actually had "Sense of Humor" listed twice. Number 4 and number 32. Not only was it my mistake but in two different emails my proof reader pointed it out to me.

Number 23 on the list was, "Leaders take the blame when something fails and they give others credit when it works."

I screwed up. Or did I? Maybe subconsciously I deep down feel that having a sense of humor is so important I listed it twice? Having a sense of humor plays a huge role in your ability to lead and an even bigger role in the game of life.

I often go into workplaces where there’s an environment of intimidation. People are afraid to speak, let alone have a sense of humor. Having a sense of humor doesn’t mean that you don’t get the job done or that you are not serious about your work.

It simply makes for a happier workplace. A happier workplace means happier workers. Happier workers mean happier customers. Happier customers mean you make more money.

Had I not listed a "Sense of Humor" twice I would have added "Enthusiasm" as another trait a leader has to possess. From my perspective enthusiasm is a component of sense of humor. I realize this thinking might be a stretch for some of my readers, but if you show me someone with a sense of humor in most cases you will see someone with a ton of enthusiasm.

One of my great mentors, Thomas Johnson, who passed away at a very early age, was one of the most enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. And, he had an amazing sense of humor. These two strengths had a major impact on his ability to lead. From one end of the dealership to the other people would run through a brick wall for Thomas.

Enthusiasm is one of those attributes that doesn’t necessarily come natural for a lot of people. We’ve all heard the phrase "fake it ’til you make it." If you are struggling with your enthusiasm maybe you just need to pretend you are enthusiastic and pretty soon you will be.

Ok, so let’s put my mistake into a workable deal for you. Try to have more fun in the workplace and do it with enthusiasm. That’s all I’m gonna say…Tommy Gibbs