Page 184 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Power of “We” to Magnify Engagement C171

Q: Have you done anything in particular to eliminate “silo-ing,”
or lack of teamwork among senior functional leaders?
Day: We have had silo-ing in the past, generally between dealerships,
and it has been a problem. It’s something we have addressed by re-
quiring previously unavailable information to be shared, which has
encouraged more open and regular communication between dealer-
ships. Sooner or later, every organization faces the problem of having
to deal with pathological egos who can’t work well in a strong team-
based culture. We have not hesitated to let them go. We don’t tolerate
this behavior, even among top producers. You just have to cut out the
cancer and move on.

Q: Have you trained managers in effective team building?
Owen: Yes, we emphasize team building in all our supervisory train-
ing. We have seen changes in many who have attended the training;
they have become much more interactive than they were before the
training.

Q: Is there anything else you do that promotes and encourages
teamwork?
Day: One of the biggest things that serves to bond people together, and
is often underestimated, is food. Everyone is running around and so
busy all the time that we need to slow people down and create fun
and relaxing moments here and there. Therefore, we encourage our
managers to have cookouts. We will fire up the grills during the lunch
hour and also encourage managers to interact with their people daily,
especially to thank them for their good work.

Q: How would you summarize your secret to being a Best Place
to Work?
Day: Many companies don’t stay focused on what their goals are—
they get off-track with changes in leadership and direction. We are
consistent, accountable, and provide the opportunity for a career. We
have car washers who move into the shop, then up into management.
We are out-of-the-box thinkers leading change in the car business,