You’re Only as Good as Your Pit-Crew

By Christine Corelli

There’s no doubt that teamwork is important to the success of any business. This is especially true in today’s business climate. But is it easy to establish highly effective and proficient work teams? Absolutely not. Does it simply mean that everyone on your team is working toward a common goal? That would be too easy.

There are three major challenges when it comes to creating a true team culture. The first consideration is that teamwork is voluntary. You cannot force anyone to be a team player. The second is that it does not necessarily come naturally; teamwork requires training. Here’s why. Most individuals have been programmed from childhood to excel as individuals and not as team players. Unless a person has had a teamwork training program, or experience on a sports team under the direction of that rare dynamic coach, he or she does not know how to perform effectively as a member of a team. The third challenge is to make remote workers feel part of a team.

There are more challenges. Teamwork requires that people keep their egos in check, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts and, above all, commit to one another and to a common goal.

In spite of these obstacles, it is absolutely critical to develop teamwork within your dealership, regardless of whether you are a team of twenty, or two thousand.  You simply can’t create and sustain success in today’s highly competitive world without the full support of every employee.

You’re Only as Good as Your Pit Crew

It shouldn’t be hard to imagine yourself as a professional racecar driver. No matter how proficient and daring you are behind the wheel, a split second can make or break you on the course. You cannot win the race for new and more loyal customers and increased profitability without a highly cohesive and dynamic pit crew.

A pit crew is a great example of teamwork, as they must work together as a highly cohesive team to assist the driver in winning the race.  There are many similarities in what a pit crew must do for their professional driver and what your team must do for you –

• A pit crew is committed to the driver and focused on the goal of helping them win the race. Each individual must perform to the highest capacity and as a unified team, just as your team must deliver their best performance each day, be committed to helping you achieve your goals, and be focused on your competitive strategy. 

•  A pit crew has all parts pre-staged and tools ready before the race for greater speed and efficiency when the driver is being serviced.  Your parts and service areas should be neat and organized, all parts should be shipped by the end of every day, and new parts should be put away unless they are being installed. Your team should also have procedures and practices in place for fast and efficient service to customers.

• A pit crew practices gassing, changing tires, engines, parts, and tearing off breakaway windshields to achieve ever greater speed and efficiency.  In addition, they train continuously. Training should be a priority in your dealership. In fact, many dealers known for world-class customer service role-play during down time.

• Pit crews have meetings to share ideas for continuous improvement with an atmosphere of open communication.  These meetings can be formal or informal. A huddle will do just fine. They stick to an agenda, and don’t go off into discussions other than what has been set. Communication is “open,” where everyone feels free to voice an opinion or bring forth an idea and speaks up without being asked. Holding weekly meetings that last no more than a half-hour to discuss sales, service problems, ideas or value-added service packages to offer customers is smart.

Many companies hold Monday Morning Meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page, and any conflicts are resolved. Managers and supervisors should set the tone for open communication in your business and they will speak openly.

•  Often, a pit crew will participate in competitions with other race drivers. Does your team recognize that each and everyday, they are competing against other businesses?

•  You can be sure pit crew team members and drivers love the thrill of the race. They are  both passionate. Do the people on your team love what they do? Do they truly enjoy working at your company? Do you treat your team so well that they want to deliver their best performance each and every day, just like a pit crew. Do they love YOU?

Winning the Competitive Battle

Establishing highly effective and proficient team of professionals who can perform together in an environment of open communication and idea sharing—both internally and externally— is critical. It is the only way to ensure that your company can perform at the highest level of quality in all you do.  And it is certainly key to whether you can stay in the race. Think what can happen when there is a lack of teamwork.

Without teamwork…

…Organization for projects can be compromised. Lack of coordination and planning can cause problems for you and customers.

…You can bring disharmony into your company. That’s not healthy in today’s highly competitive and often stressful environment. Harmony within your team is critical to job satisfaction, customer retention, and business growth.

…The people in your business can fail to assist you and each other in driving business growth and doing all they can to increase revenue, control costs, and obtain higher levels of profitability.

…Your people can lack the capacity to understand the pressures you face of keeping your business afloat and keeping customers happy.

…Your people will lack a clear understanding of what customers want, need and expect.

…Barriers can develop among people.  Finger-pointing and blaming can occur.

…Walls can build.  Territorialism can exist within your team. An “It’s not my job” attitude can exist, instead of “What can I do to help you?” attitude.

…Silos can form, where each department or branch operates in its own way and does not share best practices.

…Quality work can be compromised.

…Conflict can arise and not be resolved. Problems and can occur and not be “nipped in the bud.”

…Customers will not receive service that is far superior than any of your competitors – something that is an absolute necessity  

No business can afford any of these situations. On the other hand, when there is a true team culture, positive outcomes are achievable.

Effective teams can take problems and fragments of ideas and mold them into solutions and positive results. Ideas can build one on top of another. Individuals, working as a team, can take these scattered bits of information and structure a wide variety of options and solutions to the problems you encounter.

Consequently, teamwork promotes creativity and innovation. Relationships are strengthened—inside and outside your dealership. Issues are uncovered, conflict is resolved, and people all pull in the same direction to achieve their goals and provide exceptional service. Voila! Individuals are effectively becoming solid team players, and strong leaders emerge.

Sound too ideal? It’s not. It’s achievable. All progressive companies operate at this level and their leaders insist they do. Why shouldn’t yours? To begin, follow these steps to move your company forward to take its place among those who will be able to not simply survive, but prosper in the future.

1.  Practice dynamic leadership.

Remember whose job it is to keep your team motivated in today’s tough business environment. It’s yours! If they see worry, doom, and gloom on your face they won’t be inspired. You, as their team leader, must display dynamic leadership. As a leader, you are also a teacher. Think of yourself as a great sports coach, coaching and encouraging your team to excel.  Coach them toward greatness.

Make your team members feel as if they are working WITH you, and not FOR YOU.  If they feel they are working for you, you will get robots that go through the motions of their job, and never show initiative beyond their job description.  If they feel they are working with you they are more likely to look forward to coming to work each day.

2. Get the right players on the team.

Have the courage to remove anyone who might prevent the team from performing at the highest possible level. You can’t afford to have even one weak player. Once you have the right people on your team, your job will be infinitely easier. When you have people who perform to their highest capacity and provide outstanding service to customers and the other members of their team, you will be able to focus on customers, business growth, and development.

3. Communicate.

Sit down with your team and tell them how much you appreciate the good job they do for you. Then, describe what you would like to accomplish. Explain that you need their involvement in an important team-building and idea-sharing process. People tend to promote what they help to create. Asking for their ideas and input in this initiative is the first step in effective team-building. Employee involvement is key.

4. Set expectations and competencies specific to each job role.

Communicate your expectations for each team member, and also the expectations you have of them as a team. As a team they should demonstrate the following,

•  They are all working toward the common goal of carrying your organization into a more          successful future.

•  Peer support will be practiced day to day.

•  Conflict will be resolved amongst each other. If it cannot be resolved, they are to come to you.

•  The team is empowered to solve problems on their own.

•  Team members will speak openly about their opinions without being asked.

•  Team member will not be afraid of losing their job when they do speak up.

•  A high-level of trust must exist between you, your team, and the team members with each other.

•  Team members are to demonstrate the core values of honesty, integrity, safety, respect, customer focus, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, family, and concern for Earth and the environment.

5. Set high the highest standards for yourself and your team.

Never settle for mediocre performance from an individual or your team. You will never be able to achieve success if you do. Another reason to set the highest standards is that your people will respect you for it!

6. Ask for ideas.

Ask for ideas on how you can modify or eliminate any procedure that does not allow for flawless execution. Ask them how you can avoid issues and problems. Ask how you can improve productivity and morale. It is amazing how many great ideas you will obtain if you do it right.

7. Create guiding principles for the way the team will communicate and operate, and how all customers will be treated.

Create guiding principles, have them printed out and posted around the office. Have each team member sign them, and agree to adhere to them. Then, assign a team to add to them Quarterly. Use this document for new hires.  Let them know that they won’t fit in with the team if they don’t practice these guiding principles. 

8. Set rigorous, but achievable goals for sales, error-free performance, customer complaints, and safety.

You can keep your team pumped up by setting goals and then, giving the entire team a when they reach these goals.

9. Train your team!

Arm your team with knowledge and skills so they can drive faster and smarter than your competitors. Better yet, consider teamwork training in the form of a “hands-on” workshop to help your team become a truly effective entity. Attend the session the Illinois Chamber is holding. This program has received excellent reviews from an abundance of companies.

10. Establish five critical success factors and use it as your road map.

Work with your team to establish five critical success factors for business success for the remainder of 2022.  This will be your road map to get you where you want to go. Print them out and put them on cards and on your walls so that your team doesn’t forget to stay the course.

Take a good hard look at your team and begin these ten steps as soon as possible.

Look Who’s Driving?

You are behind the wheel in the racecar, striving to drive your business forward.  Drive as smart and safely as you can and surround yourself with the smartest and most supportive pit crew you can possibly find.

The Biggest Difference

There is one major difference between a professional racecar driver and you running your business: for them, there’s a finish line to cross.  For you,

The race for business growth and profitability has no finish line.

Business can be tough. Real tough. Forget the old adage, “When the going gets tough…” and remember what the racecar driver uses for fuel—the love of the race. As you are driving, remember how much you love your team – which you should. Put your heart into it. 

Just remember to enjoy the ride.  I, for one, choose to do so. – Christine Corelli

Join us for the program on August 1. Register here

©Copyright, 2023, Christine Corelli & Associates, Inc. visit www.christinespeaks.com

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