Why does one dealership perform better than another?

I have yet to meet members of a leadership team who I thought lacked the intelligence or the domain expertise required to be successful. I’ve met many, however, who failed to foster organizational health. Their companies were riddled with politics, various forms of dysfunction, and confusion about their direction and mission. – Patrick Lencioni, author of the book The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business.

Investing in the health of your organization is one of the best business decisions you can make considering that the average US worker is only 40-70% productive due to poor leadership, dysfunctional teams, weak cultures, and poor communication. Gallup reports in their annual State of the American Workplace (2015) that only 32% of US workers are considered to be engaged at work. Of the other 68%, 50.8% are unengaged and 17.2% are actively disengaged.

According to the Corporate Leadership Council the benefit of employee engagement to business is:

• 87% increased employee retention
• 21% improved productivity levels
• 10% greater customer retention
• 22% greater overall profitability

The fact is that people tend to be less engaged in an unhealthy environment. It’s no different than when you have a cold, the flu, a headache, or something more serious. When you are not feeling well motivation and the ability to think reduces dramatically.

Unfortunately our society is more reactive, than proactive. We spend multiple times more on fixing things than what it would have cost had things been maintained. It is the same with health care—most people wait until they get sick before they seek help. And, then, it is not because they necessarily want to get healthy as much as they just want to feel better so they can continue doing what they were doing without the pain and discomfort of being sick. It’s such an illusion. The truth is, we all function better when we are actually healthy and fit.

There is no clearer example of the importance and benefit of health than in sports. And, when it really matters, like in professional sports, the idea of NOT having a trainer and team doctor on hand is short sighted—not only for issues and injuries during the game, but to help players get in, and stay in, the best possible shape so they can perform at their best, and avoid illness and injuries. Sports understands that health and performance are inextricably linked.

It’s time for business to take another lesson from sports and invest more in organizational health. Even Benjamin Franklin told us that, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” which suggests that prevention has a 1600% ROI.

What are you doing in 2018 to increase employee engagement? I have great ideas if you need some.

Let me know what questions you have or how I can assist you in achieving greater health and performance within your store.

 

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Business Consultant specializing in the Automotive industry. He would love to assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented above. He is confident that in the process you will enjoy a 10X ROI.

Click here to schedule a free no-obligation introductory consultation.