"Make it Count" ... A Look Back at Notes from a 1997 Managers Meeting
Over the weekend, I was sifting through boxes and boxes of dealership "stuff" in preparation for my presentation at the Automotive Super Conference in June. I came across notes from a "Kick-off" Department Head Meeting I conducted in 1997, in the spirit of Jack Dawson's famous speech in the movie Titanic. I thought this was pretty remarkable as the remake is soon to be released in 3-D. I scanned over my notes and chuckled..."Some things are still so relevant today, 15 years later." I want to share with you my "wrap-up" comments here:
"Make it Count"...(In the Spirit of Jack Dawson from the Movie, Titanic)
In this world of uncertainty, uncertainty of world peace, the economy, the stock market, interest rates, unemployment and the automotive industry, one thing is for certain! We must focus on the PRESENT, our current status, day by day. Take each day, each prospect that walks through the door, and give them the attention as if they were our last. I am not saying that we are perishing, or that the ship is sinking, I am stressing to make EACH and EVERY day COUNT! It's merely a concept to pull forward, full steam ahead, and embark to a powerful future by building each opportunity into a promising day, week, month and year!
We must all work together, setting short term goals, such as: "What am I going to do today, this week, to enhance the state of the dealership?" FULFILL THESE GOALS! Along with the usual "laundry list" on the Things to Do pad, I challenge each and every one of you to add one thing you wish to accomplish. Put it on an email to yourself, and a post-it note taped right onto your monitor, so that it may always be in view. It's amazing how we will prosper! I can smell the excitement in the air now as we would see these goals turn into success stories, and I sense the positive vibes would spread like the plague!
Albert Einstein once said, "The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Think about that....CHANGE....ADAPTATION....
The Visionary Leaders of Yesterday must learn to be the Enlightened Leaders of today! (source: Enlightened Leadership by Ed Oakley and Doug Krug). Leaders who not only have the vision for a plan, but have the ability to get all the employees of the dealership to accept ownership for that vision and develop the commitment to carry it through to completion. Taking this concept a step further, this leader does not have to have the vision themselves, but the willingness and ability to draw the vision from the people in the dealership and inspire them to make their vision reality... ENCOURAGE, EQUIP AND EMPOWER EXCELLENCE!
Because we realize that people are the most important resource we have in our organization, we must also distinguish if we have the right people in place! If we do, FIRE THEM UP, If we don't FIRE THEM! We need to employ managers who are leaders and leaders who can motivate, and motivators who can carry out the plan and MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
In our establishment we have talents which are buried and stifled by ego-centric management. Identify their abilities, share with them the positive outcome which can be accomplished by putting these talents to work in the fullest, and allow their creative ingenuity to go to work! Let them know you believe in them and you care about them! Make it a blast to come to work each day and MAKE EACH DAY COUNT!
How are we going to achieve this???
Time, Energy, Attitude, Focus, Commitment! I COMMIT....DO YOU?
Comment
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Comment by NANCY SIMMONS on April 3, 2012 at 8:19pm
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Thanks Fran! You are truly Frantastic...I will save my notes for 50 years and reopen it!
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Comment by Fran Taylor on April 3, 2012 at 8:08pm
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This can be used 50 years from now or longer. Really nice Nancy.
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Thanks so much Joe...Wow...15 years...Seems like yesterday! It is funny how time goes by and we stay young!
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Comment by Joe Brunner on April 3, 2012 at 7:11pm
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Some things never change Nancy. Thanks for sharing this precious time capsule with all of us. Great post!
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Comment by Troy Spring on April 3, 2012 at 8:47am
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Klayton, I am a "Hoarder" I have almost everything related to my career and I will tell you that there are days when i need a "Think Tank" session and I pull out those notes and ads, etc... Nancy... like I said... Dead on with this one.
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Klayton Kelso...Thank you so much for your kind words...I truly appreciate them! The standard business practices will always remain the same...may present themselves with a more stylish flair, but the fundamentals of business are just that...the fundamentals! My notes from this meeting caused me to feel a little prophetic as it was prior to 9/11, the auto bailouts, and the book "The Secret".... but I sort of instilled references to all three within the content of my message!
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Comment by Klayton E Kelso on April 2, 2012 at 8:21pm
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The fundamentals never change do they Nancy. Not long ago I came across a notebook full of notes I took in my first year in sales. I was taken at how relevant the messages were to what we all do today. And I wasn't even in the Car Business at that time. I love your upbeat positive message. Much needed reminder/message to managers and DPs in today dealership environment.
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Thanks so much Craig and Jae... I certainly appreciate your comments!
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Comment by Craig Darling on April 2, 2012 at 5:26pm -
Once again Nancy proves that she has paid attention to the car biz over the years. Absolutely Correct. Can you imagine what would happen to, not only the car business but to the entire country, if we once again, all of us, set lofty goals and then worked toward achieving them? Wow.
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Comment by Jae Chang on April 2, 2012 at 4:30pm
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Nancy,
Your perspective is as always Spot On! Just proves that Best Practices of years ago still apply even more now than ever as @Jim Radogna stated.
Thanks!
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