Do the "RIGHT THING".. You can make mistakes and be forgiven,but dishonesty lingers in people's memories forever.It's much easier to keep your reputation than rebuild it. Nothing will turn people against you more than being percieved as dishonest.People forgive for making mistakes.In LINCOLN ON LEADERSHIP , Author Donald Phillips writes about the perception of honesty was at the root of Lincoln's presidential election and was a major component of the campaign strategy. The best tool you have is speaking the truth  Pick your Battles... If you are going to square off with people, make sure it's over issues worth fighting for.Nothing causes resentment mmore than a leader who is constanty dictatoral.When I was young I always wanted to be right, and I wanted to be persuasive, to have people view the world as I saw it. Eventually, as I evolved as a leader  I came to understand that wanting to be right all the time is anthithetical to being a leader. Effective leaders lose a few batlles but hopes of winning the war. Know your negotiables...You have to be flexible and adaptive , but don't sacrifice your core principlesAlways look for better ways of doing things.and for ways to improve.Strive to be more creative in your methods. Become an "Intentional Leader... Set out to learn the methods other successful leaders have used.Learn what worked and what didn't.Be familiar with a wide variety of of leadership styles and choose which one works for you and your dealership. Regardless of individual styles, all successful leaders do several things: hey develop roles, determining who is responsible for what within the dealership , so that everyone is clear on the chain of command. They  implement daily  goals and hold everyone acountable to successfully achieve them. They educate for the future, realizing tha this is essential in keeping ahead of the competition.