And the biggest challenge a manager will face.
As a manager in an automotive setting, you will face many challenges. The biggest one of all is how to manage your staff. Some issues you are aware of and some are brewing without you even knowing it. They are like a looming storm cloud ready to touch down.
When it comes to conflict resolution of the internal variety, you basically need to take a four-year course on how to do it effectively.
Some companies even take time to train their managers in conflict resolution at a professional level before putting them on the floor. It is interesting that in the automotive world, an industry responsible for literally trillions of dollars of revenue and countless employees worldwide, the majority of dealerships do not invest this kind of time and money into the training of their managers.
Imagine the reduction in our turnover if this was done.
As I have played key roles in the service department all of my life, I will say that when it comes to managing people, there is no bigger challenge for me either.
Advising is simple. Selling $200,000 in labor in a month is simple. I can break it down into basic steps and if I stay focused there is no limit to how I can exceed the customer's expectations around the entire service experience. As an advisor, one must be driven by will, ego, and consistency. But as a manager, one must be a totally different animal. You must bury the ego, pride, and drive to be the best. You must learn one very important thing.
Sometimes for the team to "win" you must personally feel like you have "lost."
Managing is about serving the people you are responsible for.
Why is managing people so tricky? From what I have observed, it usually boils down to ego and the fact that each person wants to be or thinks they are completely right. Which of course is rarely the case. From the point of view of each party, there can be a strong case made for each person involved in the conflict.
Each of us would do well to learn the skill of empathy to gain perspective on how the other person may be feeling in those moments. As well, we must consider, in the end, the most important aspect of any conflict... How will the customer be affected by the possible outcomes of this situation?
To proceed without any regard for the customer when making decisions is the calling card of a very inexperienced manager. Or a psychopathic one.
If you are the manager of your department, the following may help you. I have always found that there are a few things to keep your focus on at all times to avoid major staffing issues.
You need to take the temperature of the room consistently to keep ahead of any growing dissension amongst the ranks. You must connect with your staff, all of them. Take mental notes of sudden changes in your staff's attitude, performance, irritability, and general mood. Why have they started to act out? Why has their performance changed?
These are usually the first signs your staff will give you, subconsciously at times, that something is not right for them. Some may just need your attention. Several are like children who are trying to get their parents to pay attention to them instead of the other kids.
Others may have some serious stuff going on. To get to the bottom of the issue you must ask what has changed. Is it work-related or personal? How can you help?
These behavioral markers usually point to several issues that they are getting frustrated by consistently. You should be very interested in what those issues are so that you can solve them. Why? Because, if the issue is work-related, you can bet, that if one person is frustrated by something, others are likely experiencing the same level of frustration as well, and have not communicated it to you or they are better at hiding their emotions.
As well, when you solve a problem for someone, you usually make things better for others on your staff at the same time.
Tah-dah!! You are now a "proactive leader" who "gets" people and what they need.
I truly do feel that as a manager your most important job is keeping your staff balanced, learning, motivated, eager to perform, and focused. Without this skill, you will never have a profitable department. Why? People will not do their best job for you. That means the customer and the rest of your team will suffer in the end. Your retention, profits, and survey scores will inevitably suffer proportionately as well. This will all reflect on you as the head coach of the team.
So when conflict occurs, the best thing to do is roll up your sleeves and get into it elbow-deep to figure out where things can change for the better. It is ill-advised to avoid conflict or push it as far away as possible. If you do this, you will never learn how to mitigate it. Even your top performer will have their moments. Usually, these are the ones to really pay attention to.
You should be asking:
- What has changed?
- When did it change?
- How can I help correct what has gone on to affect this person this way?
If you do not think you are there to support, lend a helping hand, or get there as a team, you are not in the right chair.
Sitting in the chair, you must realize that there will be very few days where there will not be some sort of issue to resolve. Every day, you will have to solve issues for customers and issues for staff. Forever. So, learn to seek out and deal with these issues head-on before you are blindsided by them.
There are some basic facts that managers must keep in mind when dealing with staff and the culture around those they work with and for.
Human beings are emotional beings. On top of that, we are all irrational.
This means people will do things and say things that do not make sense all the time. They may do things out of a feeling of intuition sometimes called a "gut feeling" and if these people are your key players, then you need to trust them and their "gut feeling" as well.
We do things out of fear, ego, and ambition.
We are insecure.
All of us need connection. Since the majority of us spend 8-12 hours on the job, we must have that connection at work so that we feel like we matter. We must feel we make a difference and we are appreciated for that effort.
The job is the rational and tactical part. But it is not the essence of human connection.
Leaders must build a following through these connections. Locking yourself in your office and avoiding issues is not the way to do this. Pressing the mute button on those around you is equally devastating to your long-term relationships in your department. You must get out on the floor, and see how your staff are interacting with the customer and each other. If you don't do this you will never get a sense of who your people are and how they respect or do not respect the relationship with the customer. They will also struggle to respect you.
You might have an inherent issue with someone on your staff, but if they are taking care of the customer and if they perform well, is that not worth a bit of extra time to find a way to work together? If you don't try and connect with that person, you could be cutting off your nose to save your face. If pushing the conflict out of sight is your plan, you will never learn to save worthwhile relationships. The only thing you will save is your pride.
Remember that people do not quit companies, they quit managers. This simple, proven fact as stated should help keep your eye on the prize when it comes to paying attention to the people around you. With no one in your corner, it is impossible to build a thriving environment of success for your staff, yourself, and your customers.
If you need help identifying and correcting issues, or connecting with your staff, please reach out!
Or check out my books for guidance
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