One of the most interesting things about the automobile business is the dealer has “the power.” The dealer has the power to fix anything that needs to be fixed.

That being the case, the only real question becomes if the dealer has the will and the money to fix what needs to be fixed.

Think about that for just a moment. They have the power. They often have the money. But, more often than not they don’t have the will.

So, there you have it. It’s not money or power. It’s a matter of having the will to fix what needs fixing. Having the will means dealing with all the messy details to get it done.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

Leaders and achievers have pep in their step. Show me a slow walker and I’ll show you someone that’s not going anywhere.

Think about the people you know who are achievers and real leaders and one of the things that should pop out to you is the pace of their gait. Most of them are getting it on.

They have an air about them that says, I’m in a hurry, either step it up and come with me or get out of the way. They will run over you. I don’t mean as in they will do things to you in order to succeed.

I literally mean they really will run over you. You might compare them to a running back in the NFL, or a centerfielder in MLB, or a quick guard in the NBA. Leaders totally get after it.

At the first new car dealership I owned, I had my office located on the 2nd floor of the service building directly behind the circular shaped showroom. It was easy to observe team members coming and going.

Whenever we hired a new sales person I could place a pretty sure bet on whether they would be successful or not purely based on the pace of their walk.

So, if you want to make a major change in your walk towards leadership and success, then pick up the pace. Act like you’re in a hurry, even if you aren’t.

Never forget, others are watching you. If you want the team to pick up the pace then you need to pick up the pace.

Pick it up, that’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

I know this is hard to believe, but sometimes people in leadership positions are pretending to be leaders.

They pretend to be on the same team, but they aren’t.

They pretend to support the changes, but they don’t.

They pretend to say yes, when inside their head they are saying no.

They pretend they get it, but they don’t.

They pretend to support the dealer, but they don’t.

They pretend to do what’s in the best interest of the company, but they don’t.

They pretend to support technology, but they don’t.

They pretend to work with the other departments, but they don’t.

They pretend to understand the millennials, but they don’t.

They pretend to work hard, but they don’t.

Pretenders can fool some of the people some of the time, but they can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

You need to get rid of the pretenders. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

I’m not suggesting you take such a bold step as to change your company’s dress code, but maybe you should change your personal dress code?

I’m talking about you giving up that casual look that so many dealerships have gone to.

The argument and justification for the casual look is that the customer feels more comfortable and relaxed. The only person feeling more relaxed is you.

The customer is making the second largest purchase in their life next to a home. Do you think they want to do business with a slob? You can hide a lot of flaws with a nice business suit.

Oh, I know if you are dressed in a suit then it’s too intimidating for the customer and they won’t buy the car. Really? You’ve got to be kidding me. Look, if your people skills aren’t any better than that and you can’t overcome wearing a suit, then it’s a miracle you’ve lasted this long.

Not to bring politics into this, but I think most would agree that the President of the United States is one of the most powerful people in the world. Does he really need to wear a suit? No, but it brings respect to the office and the position. You are no different.

I’ve had 20 Group consultants tell me, “Hey, we will all be dressed casual, so feel free to dress casual for the meeting.” As much as I appreciate the offer I have never taken them up on it.

For me it’s not about trying to create respect for me, it’s about being respectful of my audience. For you, it’s about being respectful of your clients and your associates. When you give respect, you get respect.

Dressing up never goes out of styyle, I don’t care who your audience might be. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

The great Tennessee women’s basketball coach, Pat Summitt, passed away this week. She will go down in history as one of the greatest coaches of any sport at any level.

In Pat Summitt’s book, “Reach for the Summitt,” she states, “Here’s how I’m going to beat you: I’m going to outwork you.”

I put myself and some of my business teammates into the category of we will outwork you.

I don’t think there’s any greater attribute that one can have than the will to outwork their fellow man/woman.

For those of us who have that mindset, we can point to person after person who had more talent, but we ate their lunch in the game of life, business and leadership. We’ve passed them on the stairway to success time and time again.

I’m seeing fewer and fewer people willing to carry the mantle of “I’ll outwork you.”

It’s getting easier and easier to outwork some of the workers of today.

Maybe we should just hand them a “participation trophy” and send them home. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

As a leader, one of your most important functions is thinking.

Yes, thinking.

Thinking about the possibilities.
Thinking about how to fix this and that.
Thinking about what’s next.
Thinking about the mistakes.
Thinking about how to fix the mistakes.
Thinking about the future.

Leaders are always thinking.

I realize you may not have a lot of control over the amount of space you have for an office. But could it be you’re working out of a closet and it’s hampering your ability to think?

Suppose you had a nicer office?
Suppose you had a nicer view?
Suppose you had a bigger office?
Suppose you had some windows?
Suppose you cleaned up the clutter?
Suppose you had some time to yourself?

Maybe your office isn’t the problem. But, suppose it is? That’s all I’m gonna ask, Tommy Gibbs

Did you ever wonder how easy it might be to be a great leader? For sure there’s a long list of traits that we would like
for leaders to have, but there’s one very special trait that great leaders are constantly putting into play.

“The Golden Rule.” It’s really that simple.

To quote the Bible, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Most people state it as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Can it get any easier? If we would just take a moment to apply this to most decisions when dealing with customers or team members, think how simple things would be?

Maybe it’s a bit far-fetched to think that every issue and every decision can be resolved using the golden rule. However, if you would apply it as many times as possible, then at the end of the day you will be doing a much better job of leading.

Leading is easy. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

Would you like to you improve your overall business model?

Want to improve customer satisfaction?

Want to reduce ongoing daily issues?

Want to improve your work environment?

One of the guiding principles of the Ritz Carlton hotel chain is, “If you get a complaint, you own the complaint.” That’s what you need to instill in every member of your team. “If you get a complaint, you own the complaint,” should become one of your core principles of leadership.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you might not have to hand it off. But, if you hand a complaint off then it’s your responsibility to follow up and make sure it’s been handled.

We often overthink things in business. Keeping things simple is always the best method. If you develop a culture of wild and crazy team members who own the complaints, life is going to be so much easier and a lot more fun.

You’ll also spend a lot less time in court and/or listening to angry customers. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

As leaders, we often struggle with too much or too little. Let’s just talk about the too much part, realizing there’s also the too little part.

Too many meetings
Too many expenses
Too many processes
Too much data
Too much pressure
Too much fun
Too much tracking
Too many sales people
Too much inventory
Too much software
Too much discipline
Too many managers
Too much advertising
Too many aged units (Any aged unit is too many)
Too much family
Too many days in recon
Too much time in F&I
Too many excuses
Too many decisions to make

We all have these struggles. I’m struggling with sending you too many newsletters.
I now send two a week.
Maybe I should send one?
Or maybe just one a month?
Or maybe none?

Yep, we all have decisions to make.

The best leaders know when it’s too much or even too little. How do they know? They just know. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs

I’m going to be discussing and commenting on what’s commonly known as the “Four Stages Of Learning” plus two others that I know you have never heard of because I made them up. I don’t know where the first four originated, I just know I stole them.

All six stages of learning apply regardless of the application. They can be applied in sports, business, social activities, and life in general.

All 6 stages of learning apply regardless of the application. They can be applied in sports, business, social activities, and life in general.

1. Unconscious incompetence-The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage.

The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn. The more time they are willing to spend learning the skill or activity the faster they move to the next stage.Example: You decide to take up golf so you go out to the driving range, whack at a few balls. 1 out of 10 you make great contact, but you have no clue what you’re doing. You know you love the feeling and you know you want some more of it so you keep returning to the driving range and/or play a few rounds of awful golf.

2. Conscious incompetence-Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage. Example: After going to the driving range for a while and playing a few rounds you begin taking lessons with a golf pro and quickly realize how little you know. You observe others either at the golf course or on video, etc. and the realization of how much there is to this game starts to sink in.

3. Conscious competence-The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill. Example: More golf lessons, more golf rounds played and you are starting to understand the integral parts of the swing. You haven’t mastered the swing yet, but you are starting to strike the ball more consistently especially when you think it through. It’s not automatic, but your skills are improving as your knowledge starts to grow. This can be the most frustrating stage of the first four. You still have to think about it. When you do your results are much better and when you don’t you want to throw your clubs in the lake.

4. Unconscious competence-The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become “second nature.” and can be performed easily. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.Example: You’ve now repeated your golf swing enough times, played enough rounds, attempted enough different types of shots that you can break par or better and have reached a very competitive level. You no longer have to think about the elements of your swing, you just do it. The physical and mental muscle memory is locked in.

5. Competent Incompetence-is the most dangerous of the six. It’s when you have years of experience, know your stuff and have become convinced you have nothing else to learn. Your success has convinced you that you are “the man,” (or woman) and you are done learning. Seeking more knowledge is the last thing on your mind. What got you to where you are today is what you think is going to keep you where you are and beyond.

6. Learning to be competent-this stage never stops. It’s a life long journey that keeps life interesting and challenging. You know that learning is a journey, not a destination. (That would be you and I.)

The most successful people at any skill, business or activity are the ones who continue to do two things:

1. They keep going back to the basics
2. They continue searching for answers even when they think they already have many of them.

What stage are you in? I’m in the “Learning To Be Competent” stage and I hope it never ends. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs