Many successful people find their way into the car business. They have backgrounds in education, finance, and other industries. They've been managers and business owners, and they have a wealth of knowledge and ideas. Even those who have not worked anywhere else have much to bring to the table. Yet these assets are often overlooked due to ignorance, neglect and/or fear.

Real leaders rely on the talents and abilities of their team members. Bosses rely on themselves. When was the last time you had a big decision to make and you involved your team members in helping to make the decision? Did you actually take their advice?

Leadership Case Study

I recently sat in on a "brain storming" session with a major automotive manufacturer. The meeting included the Vice President of Parts and Service, one of his Directors, and the Project Manager. At the end of the meeting, the Vice President asked everyone to provide their thoughts on how the meeting went including the good, the not so good, and any other ideas.

When it was his turn to address the group, the VP said that he was concerned that he may have taken too much control of the conversation and didn't allow enough time for other people to share their ideas. What a concept! This was an example of true leadership!

The Weekly Brainstorm

Regardless of how smart you think you are, you are not the keeper of all knowledge or great ideas. So many things that could help you improve are just waiting to be unleashed from the minds of your people. So take advantage of it by having a weekly brainstorming meeting. Make it an open forum to discuss whatever is on the minds of your team.

To jump start the discussion, print out one of our articles and read it out loud to the group. Then think of ways to improve our ideas, or all new strategies that arise from the discussion. Then let us know about your ideas!