By: George Nenni, Vice President of Operations
If you’ve been in management for any period of time at a dealership, you know the importance of delegation. Without effective delegation, managers become overwhelmed with details. When a manager cannot delegate effectively, the team is not empowered or challenged, creating flight risks for the dealership.
This happens to individual contributors who obtain their first management promotion and fall into old habit of “doing”. To them, a job well done is not training and developing teams. They have been programmed to attempt to do it all themselves. If left unchecked, this leads to stagnation for the team and decision-making bottlenecks.
I learned an important lesson about delegation early on in my career, prior to being in management. My first job out of college was at CompuServe. They offered online services before the Internet was widespread. CompuServe is a true case study of a company that did not recognize market disruption and, as a result, eventually closed its doors.
CompuServe was purchased in 1980 by H & R Block. Their president, Henry Bloch, would visit and speak to employees annually. One year, someone asked about H&R Block’s history. Henry explained that the company got a quick start and grew rapidly. In an effort to ensure quality, he personally reviewed every tax return that was prepared. The company’s growth was limited by his ability to personally review and approve each tax return. Mr. Bloch said the company only realized true growth when he started to delegate the responsibility.
Of course, this story stuck with me. I try to keep it in mind when reviewing operational efficiencies at Dominion Dealer Solutions. If you have bottlenecks in your automotive dealership, or a manager who is always overwhelmed, there is likely a delegation problem. Managers need to know that if they hire good people, train them well, and create standards and metrics for success, their operation will flourish. The ultimate goal of the manager is that a few of their team members can be developed to assume that manager’s role, eventually allowing the manager to be promoted to the next level.
I hope this story sticks with you, as it stuck with me. Remember the wise advice of Henry Bloch, and don’t let a lack of delegation limit the success of your automotive business!
Dominion Dealer Solutions can help your dealership delegate. Our products are designed to be efficient, effective, and easy to use. Instead of sifting through reviews, generating enticing content for inventory, or viewing search results yourself, let Dominion Dealer Solutions provide the solution best for your dealership. The support staff is always willing to help answer any questions. Our specialists are geared toward driving success for you and your dealership.
