“That is not my job.”

Your dealership, like any business, has a mission. It might be to sell the most cars in the region. Maybe you’re focused on retention through your service department or simply providing the best dealership shopping experience for your customers. Whatever your business goals are, you’re not going to achieve them all on your own. You need the help of team players on your staff to support the entire organization. But just a few toxic words can poison the whole process: “That’s not MY job.”

If you’ve heard this one before, it might be time to seriously examine your corporate culture. Running a business always has unexpected curves, and you occasionally need things done that are outside of any one member’s job description. Whether you’re working on a big project, promotion, or sales push, you’re going to need all hands on deck – but “that’s not my job” means that your team members are more focused on their individual performance than your store’s success as a whole.

How can you combat a culture of self-interest?

• Constant communication. If you’re an organizational leader, you must be highly visible to the rest of your team. Make the effort to meet with your other departmental heads so that you can promote a culture of unity. Use this opportunity to clarify your store’s goals, weaknesses, and strategy.

• Host team-building exercises. ActivEngage believes that happy and fulfilled staff members make the most productive team. Earlier this week, we gave our Customer Success Managers a chance to cut loose by playing laser tag. Nothing helps vent frustration and build teamwork like shooting at each other with toy guns. Try taking your staff on a retreat or out to lunch – getting to know your employees outside of work can build trust and loyalty in the office.

• Ensure fairness in the workplace.  “That’s not my job” usually translates to “I’m not getting paid enough for this” or “I have too much to do already.” Take a hands-on approach to measuring your team’s workload; keep track of the tasks you’ve assigned and try to make sure that no one is overburdened with an unfair share.

Don’t let bureaucracy and compartmentalization tear down the team dynamic that you desperately need. Make your team feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves. Eliminate “that’s not my job” from your store.