“Remember, when you’re good, you learn. When you’re great, you understand. When you’re unstoppable, you master.” – Tim Grover, from “Winners Are Obsessed” – on the Motiv8 podcast, a world-renowned performance coach and motivational speaker who helped Michael Jordan become a bona fide champion and arguably the greatest of all time (GOAT) in his sport.
As a manager or business leader, how can you make certain you’re encouraging lifelong learning at your dealership? It would be best to lead by example as a lifelong learner (try new things, be adaptable, read, enroll in training, etc.). Your efforts will help establish a culture of learning at your business. A dealership that prioritizes employee engagement and training for career development sets itself apart from the rest of the field by building a culture determined to succeed, individually and together.
Imagine that your service advisor is doing well and that you’re super happy with the work they are doing for your dealership. But “good” is not necessarily great. You know that and so do they. How can you help them and your dealership advance to greatness? Expose them to advanced education, training and certification programs.
You get the picture. As THE leader, you can’t rest on your laurels. You have to do the hard things and continue to learn and advance in your role. You want them to desire the same approach and keep encouraging lifelong learning opportunities.
To go from good to great and beyond, it’s vital to invest in your team or, in this case, your service advisor. You want them to desire to be the best they can be. And once you help them become great, don’t stop. Sure, it offers you and your entire team a chance to celebrate their accomplishment and what it can bring to the dealership, but it’s not time to stop. You must continue to pursue learning and develop a continuous improvement mindset.
Because they have advanced in their career, they gain the courage and the confidence to push further. Their success helps them understand to strive, again, for more … continue learning, expand their knowledge and enhance their approach. You want them to continue to work on their abilities to push them (and your dealership) higher. When they reach “master status” it is as encouraging for them as it is for you, as their leader. Additionally, you want them to not only lead when the time comes but to do so in a manner that improves on their talents and leadership traits.
It’s hard for decision-makers like you to justify training due to the time it takes to devote to continued learning, the budgetary hit and the concern for employees feeling burned out by managing training and their day-to-day activities. But imagine a day when your empowered Service Advisor flourishes in their leadership role at your dealership. A day when their gained knowledge makes their life easier, and your role as a leader simpler.
The first step in helping your employees advance is to invest in them. Yes, even if they eventually leave. Would you rather train them and see them depart than not train them and have them stay? The answer is “train them.” That workforce enigma has been proven by numerous businesses. By encouraging lifelong learning, you help strengthen careers and your workforce family while also establishing accountability and trust.
The MRAA Service Advisor Certification Program provides training for both hard and soft skills to create respected, qualified and Certified leaders that contribute daily to your business’s success. They can grow in their vital role at your dealership to enhance your service department’s efficiency and elevate your customer communication. Program participants will have, a 90-day window, from Oct. 22, 2024, to Jan. 20, 2025, to complete the program on their schedule.
The training does not take 90 full days, so you still have time to enroll or enroll your team members. A thorough effort would take about a month, where the advisor is not just participating in the training but also implementing the tools and skills they are learning. They can earn their official credential through a proctored online exam and finish by the mid-January deadline.
