Ed Roberts, the Chief Operations Officer at Bozard Ford Lincoln, has released his new book, Mile One: A Leadership Journey. Throughout his career, Roberts has gained extensive experience in various leadership positions and has developed a deep understanding of what it takes to inspire and motivate people to achieve their goals. So on today’s Inside Automotive, Roberts will walk us through what readers can expect to take away from the new book.
Mile One
Mile One: A Leadership Journey is available and out now. The text is based on Robert’s connections with people and breaks down key leadership elements into manageable steps. By compiling a series of steps, Roberts hopes to make the team’s vision more cohesive instead of “traveling the journey of a thousand steps.” Therefore, he asserts, “It breaks it down into simple terms where everyone on board understands what the next element is.”
Regarding management training within the industry, developing leaders at the dealership level is imperative. Roberts explains, “Most of the time, there is excellent talent among our staff, but just because there may be a good salesperson doesn’t mean they will be a good desk manager. So what ends up happening, as laid out in the book as ‘busy versus effective.’ We typically promote someone who has done great in a previous role. But the last position isn’t doing that job anymore, therefore, the next role is doing that job through people.” Through leadership, Roberts highlights how crucial it is not only to delegate for the purpose of removing tasks from managers’ plates but to delegate authority.
"To be a great leader, you must be an ongoing learner. And to be an ongoing learner means preparing yourself and creating your path to overcoming challenges." — Ed Roberts
Roberts encourages those interested in leadership roles not just to wait for these opportunities to be offered but to go chase them. However, if you’re at a store where nothing is offered, then Roberts asserts, “You need to go and get it.”
More like this: 5 dealership performance reports management must track
Common Error
A common misconception, Roberts notes, is leaders need to realize their greatest strength comes from their people. The sole reason someone gets promoted into leadership is their performance, but with that being said, they tend to forget that they don’t have to take ownership of everything else. “They don’t ask for feedback or give out feedback or push the team to a better outcome,” stated Roberts.
