Are your staff ready to take on new challenges and deliver business results?
As business leaders we are surrounded by discussions around quiet quitting, the great resignation, employee engagement and many related topics about the employee experience.
Let's talk about the other side of the coin- Driving performance and getting results from the people that are already under your roof, including what is needed beyond their current role.
We often refer to the idea of developing our people for other roles as succession planning, but preparing our people for promotional opportunities is so much more than that.
Yes, succession planning for role advancement is important, and it is a foundational part of the topic of preparation, but there are other types of promotions that also need focus.
Who is going to coordinate our social media marketing? Who is responsible for our virtual website sales activity? Who has influence over buy in on the next initiative?
The answer doesn't always need to be the Dept. Manager, or the next in line for the role.
The answer is also about using your informal leaders, building leadership (and sales) skillsets within the dealership, and of course, looking at potential successors for future roles.
Look at your dealership's skill set. Are there at least three people who have (or are developing skills) in these areas?
Knowing, understanding, and using your competitive edge
Breaking inter-departmental silos
Current trends in sales technology, customer behaviour and expectations
Building a culture that endures
The after sales experience
Leading from behind and organizational success
If not, then there is a great opportunity to build leadership from within, prepare your team for future advancement, promotions, and accountability. Great teams are built on the interests, skills, and abilities of all team members, not just the managers.
Embedding the development of leadership skills in your dealership doesn't need to be complicated.
Adopting a training program that addresses the fundamentals of whole organization performance and providing the opportunity for growth to those that may not yet be leading can be done easily with virtual learning and development programs such as our Performance Academy.
The rewards and benefits are extensive.
What dealership can honestly say that they wouldn't benefit from:
Having in-house candidates to fill leadership roles
Having people on the team (in every department) who can influence others to contribute to your vision with every task
Knowing that members of the team have the Power of Purpose
Trusting that every department knows the value of the after-sales experience and strives to excel at it
Believing that your sales team are ready for the next evolution of customer expectation
Not worrying about recruitment or retention because the dealership is prepared for change, planning for the future and has a team that is engaged in being a part of it.
How do you get there?
Provide leadership training opportunities to staff that are NOT your managers or leaders today but have a desire or aptitude to be one of your leaders tomorrow.
Make sure your leaders and managers have the same training to help coach and guide those future leaders (and build their own skills too!)
Ensure that training and development content is consistent across the dealership
Reiterate where you are going and how each employee contributes to getting there
Look within before you start a search for people externally
Share your vision, and then share it some more
Pinpoint your influencers, and give them a voice to be a positive influence
Start your succession and development plans now, for results in 2023.
If you need more information on the Performance Academy and the potential it holds to achieve these results, email us at info@dealerpilothr.com .
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