Page 183 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

170B RE-ENGAGE

and show leadership; only the most top-notch are selected. They are
voted on by senior team members. Every dealership has a plaque on
the wall showing all guild members companywide. You can also get
voted out of the guild if you don’t maintain the standards. Hav-
ing these guilds shows new employees that there is something higher
to strive for. Guild members also get distinctive uniforms and extra
benefits, such as more time off, a tool allowance, and higher pay.
Day: There’s a place for rookies as well. We identify high-potential
candidates through a college recruitment program. When those candi-
dates exhibit exceptional leadership skills, they’re put on the fast track
to a general manager position. We believe strongly in promoting from
within; the average tenure of our 50 or so service and parts manag-
ers is nearly 20 years. Employees meet with their managers regularly
and talk about the employee’s personal and professional goals. It’s an
exchange of information that helps the employee see that there is a
future here for them. Turnover bothers me. If an employee who has
worked at Nalley for more than 5 years decides to leave, the first place
I look is in the mirror.

Q: How do you deal with poor performers and poor team players?
Day: Our standards are so high that people who can’t meet them don’t
stay. The bottom 10 percent know they don’t fit. About 80 percent of
our associates are strongly influenced by the work environment, our
culture, and are generally more engaged because of it.
Owen: We are known as a place to learn the right way to do things,
and not everyone can make it here. Not everyone can work at Nalley.
Our teams will reject poor performers. They spit them out. They will
report nonperformers to their managers.

Q: Are team members involved in the hiring process?
Owen: Yes. Team members sit in on interviews with job candidates
and have input on who gets hired. Because they work so closely with
their own team members, they have a strong vested interest in mak-
ing sure the right person gets hired. We also pay $500 to employees
who refer someone who is hired and stays for at least six months.