Accountability Should Be a Positive Thing
The right culture produces accountability – and when there’s accountability, the culture is what it should be. It’s the perfect synergy; culture and accountability go hand-in-hand. When everyone knows, embraces and appreciates their roles at an automotive dealership (or any business, for that matter), that dealership will flourish.
Every relationship you have involves some degree of accountability; it isn’t always talked about, but you know it’s there. So why should the workplace be any different?
Dealership Accountability is Vital
Some dealerships, however, don’t make their employees accountable – at least, not until the sales numbers get so low it becomes cause for concern. For this reason, the word “accountability” is scary to some. It’s like getting called into the proverbial principal’s office, and you’re shaking in your shoes because you know something bad is about to happen.
But here’s the thing: accountability doesn’t always have to be negative! When you are made accountable for your actions the right way … consistently … it’s something a dealership owner can use as a huge positive; something upon which you build both individual and dealership momentum.
So let’s say you have a culture problem at your dealership, and you’d like to change things for the better. Just as you might imagine, it all starts at the top. Ownership and upper management create the culture of a dealership, and by making your employees more responsible for their actions they’ll take increased pride in their jobs, and positive results will come from the changes you put in place. (Hint: Don’t forget that while you’re holding your employees accountable, they’re holding you accountable, too!)
You may run into a small handful of folks who will push back a little bit … but if they aren’t willing to be held accountable for anything, are they really the people you want representing your dealership?
When you identify a problem, begin to formulate a way to fix it right away. Then, make sure that plan gets carried out by using … you guessed it … accountability! When the everyday fires come up that need extinguishing, it’s easy to put culture change on the back burner – so don’t let that happen.
How would you describe the current culture at your dealership? Is it time for a change?
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