Recently the Toronto Blue Jays designated Shea Hillenbrand (first and third baseman) for assignment, which in basic terms means he has been fired from the organization and locker emptied.

It is alleged that after batting practice, Hillenbrand wrote defamatory comments about the team on the clubhouse billboard ("The ship is sinking!"). An argument ensued between Manager John Gibbons and Shea. Tensions escalated and Gibbons challenged Shea to a fight. Hillenbrand was then asked to leave the team.

Shea has since been traded to the San Francisco Giants and the Blue Jays have gone on to beat their rival Yankees, taking three of four games during the weekend series.

On Sunday the Chicago White Sox were victorious against the Texas Rangers, yet it left Manager Ozzie Guillen very heated. He threw down a towel, then a water cooler and ultimately verbally abused his starting pitcher, Jon Garland. Why this show of anger? Texas Rangers starter Vicente Padilla hit a batter; subsequently, Jon Garland barely missed hitting Ian Kinsler the next inning.

Both of these instances show how difficult it’s become to manage the various personalities on a team. Each person on a team has an ego. Each member of a team has either a good or bad chemistry with his team mates and manager/coaches. The cited examples above emphasize how even the boss can break down under certain circumstances and lose control of his emotions.

Management and Coaching

One can think of management as the action of measuring or evaluating a quantity on a regular basis and then adjusting the initial plan’s actions in order to reach the intended goal. A coach is the individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations.

Neither one of the managers in the above examples was required to coach his team because they have individuals who do that; however, one might believe that it would create a better atmosphere if they would coach as well.

In each dealership there are teams of people who conduct business like a sporting event. There are players and there are managers. Management needs to understand each player on the team in order to maximize each individual’s ability through appropriate managing and coaching. The same type of management is necessary in your dealership. At times, managing becomes the main concern consisting of weekly meetings, tracking numbers, dealing with clients and other issues. One has to remember that the key to success in our industry is the creation of a culture in the dealership that can ensure the following:

• Proper customer handling skills
• Product knowledge
• Improved service, part, accessory sales, etc.
• High CSI/SSI score standards
• Selling more cars

Similar to a sports team that has specific coaches for specific needs, the dealership team sometimes needs an outside source who offers the best coaching to your dealership in order to ensure that individuals reach their full potential and maintain the proper motivation to win the game!

Auto University offers the ability to conduct coaching sessions at your dealership to assist management in increasing reservations, 100% walk-around with every customer, increasing CSI scores and selling more service or vehicles!

Auto University is here to help. Contact us today to assist in coaching your team and working behind the scenes to drive in the winning run!