At the end of a recent coaching session with the management team of a large dealership, where the focus was teamwork, or lack thereof, the Finance Director came up to me, thanked me for the materials I had shared, and captured the essence of why so many dealerships are dysfunctional and struggle with teamwork, when he said, “we’re all mercenaries.”

I had been contemplating similar thoughts for some time, but he captured the essence of the issue in a simple succinct and insightful statement. Without realizing the profoundness of his statement, nor the response I was about to give, I said without hesitation, “then maybe we need to start hiring more Patriots.” And there it was, the source of the issue, explained in a manner that anybody can understand and relate to, and a solution for those who want to improve teamwork in their stores.

I am almost finished writing an article on mercenaries and patriots in the car business. When it is done I will post it online and it will give more in-depth perspective on the topic. In the meantime, here are a few perspectives of why patriots build better teams and ultimately achieve better and more sustainable results:

• Patriots don’t tell people what to do. Rather, they lay out a vision, assemble an aligned and accountable team, and lead the team on a journey of mutual sacrifice, celebration, and gain.
• Patriots focus themselves and their teams on the task at hand and view results as the fruits of their mutual labors.
• Patriots value people above themselves, recognizing little can be accomplished without a talented and engaged team.

Herb Mast is Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.