While America celebrated its birthday this past week, our 5-year old daughter had the great pleasure of watching the 1939 Victor Fleming classic "The Wizard of Oz" for her very first time.  I had the even greater fortune of watching it alongside her!

Now mind you, it has been some 20 years or so since I'd last witnessed Dorothy and Toto finding their way home along a Yellow Brick Road.  This classic has been remade, sequeled, spoofed and referenced throughout our everyday life.

I did not know how our 5-year old would react. Would the storyline be dismissed as "boring" and out of date compared to today's high-tech entertainment? Would she be scared by the theme music of Miss Gulch's demonic bicycle ride or the march of the Wicked Witch's palace guards?

Hardly. She became instantly enthralled with this classic movie and I could not tear her away from the screen. At times frightening, and always wonderful, I soon remembered that the imaginative power of the Hollywood classic serves as an expression of the strange and wonderful encounters in life and in business, too.

"Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!"

The fear of the unknown or a scary situation often elicits this famous quote. And the phrase, "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" has become a part of everyday life.

That pieces from his book would become a part of a culture probably never crossed the mind of L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).  This book was the first of his 16 successful books employing the characters and setting of the fantasy land beyond the rainbow. The automotive retail professional has many of the same traits found in the characters Dorothy meets on her way to Oz.

Think about it. Did the Scarecrow really lack the "brains" he was so desperately seeking? Hardly. How about the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion? And did Dorothy find the grass was really "greener" on the other side of the rainbow? In hindsight, we viewers know that the "heart" and "courage" were always within their grasp. There's no place like home.

You and I have the fundamental tools within us to succeed. Not just in the auto industry, but also in life. Usually it is not until we are called upon to complete a special task, sell that extra unit, go that extra mile or recover "the witch's broomstick" that we realize we had the power all along.

The Emerald City and Lessons Learned

The Wizard's author, Baum, was a devoted family man and dreamer who had little success at his various vocations ­ storeowner, stamp collector, newspaper publisher and actor. His lack of business sense brought just about every venture to ruin and he filed for bankruptcy only a year before the first Oz book appeared.
In writing children's fantasies, he had at last found his calling.

What's your calling? Is it sales, service, or leadership?

I'll bet that when you put your mind to it, you already have many of the natural talents you need to succeed. Just add a little specialized knowledge and you can make it to the Emerald City, as well as to the top of your profession!

Auto University is here to help. Enroll as a student today and unleash the power within you!