Last year, 27 MRAA Certified Dealers earned 90% positive responses on their annual Employee Satisfaction Surveys (ESS). They were honored with an MRAA Great Dealership to Work For award live on stage at Dealer Week in Austin, Texas. This year, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, dozens more Certified Dealers will receive this valuable recognition amongst their industry peers, friends, partners and competitors.
Getting this level of recognition is treasurable for numerous reasons, but I will cover three. The first is that the dealership employees provided the feedback that led to the award. Artificial Intelligence (AI) had nothing to do with the results. True leaders cherish the wholesome, honest feedback for the insight and direction it provides for the dealership. I know because the MRAA staff has done an ESS, and our leadership team studied the results and implemented tactics based on the input. Participating in it gave me a voice and helped me feel more engaged as an employee.
The second is scoring 90% positive responses, which reveals that you must be doing something right by taking care of your workforce. We have all heard the phrase, “employees are the lifeblood of your company.” For many of these dealers, that sentiment rings true. If not, the results would reveal it. In fact, a 90 percent score leaves room for improvement and identifies areas for enhancement even for top dealers like these. As a leader, that, too, should excite you. When you can learn ways to improve your communication and processes and boost staff morale, then your employees, in turn, feel connected and will take care of you and your customers!
Third, Certified Dealerships are already considered top decision-makers and influencers within the marine industry because of a commitment to their staff, business and everyone they interact with, from suppliers to clients to local municipalities. But taking home a Great Dealership to Work For award reinforces why they enrolled in Certification in the first place. They have a growth mindset. Along with the blood, sweat and tears spilled by these teams comes humility, accountability and unwavering trust.
All leaders, particularly those with deep-seated moral integrity, know that they should have goals and objectives in both life and business. They can help their employees take a similar approach by showing empathy and providing encouragement.
“People are built to walk uphill,” says Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Canadian author, psychologist and podcast host. Essentially, he references our need to reach the mountain top, to take in the view and feel rewarded. However, he adds that it is also natural for us to seek another hill to climb – to go higher still – when we reach the summit because that is where we obtain value.
The MRAA Certification team created an outstanding free resource for your dealership to use to start your journey or speed your pace up the hill your team is currently ascending. The seven-page MRAA Dealer Certification Mini Guide to Common Workplace Culture Challenges resource shares more details about the role of the ESS in the MRAA Dealership Certification program as well as three notable pain points revealed by dealership staff within the ESS and solutions to each. Most impressive, these results stem from six years of surveys completed by more than 16,000 dealership employees!
This invaluable resource, complete with data, best practices and implementable solutions, will help you invest in the heart and soul of your business. At the very least, it should inspire you to mountain climb to build a unified front and an indisputably positive culture.
You can take a short survey to assess your employee satisfaction to find out how you stack up against others. After completion, you will receive a free copy of the MRAA Certification Mini Guide to Common Workplace Culture Challenges.