From somebody who really knows
This summer, I had the privilege of sitting down with Marcus Breitschwedt, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, for an in-depth chat about that company’s phenomenal success in recent years, and the reasons behind it. Much of that interview is reported in this issue (page 27), and more can be accessed in video form on our website (www.canadianautodealer.ca).
Part of Breitschwerdt’s job is to oversee the operation of 13 corporate stores, which gives him a unique perspective on this side of the business. And much of what he had to say is equally as applicable to running a dealership as it is to running any corporation.
Among the ideas he shared is the notion that, as an executive, it’s not your job to know all the facts and figures. You have people who are experts in those details. Your role is to think about the strategy, why you are doing something, why you should do something and what it should be. The rest is for others to deal with.
A lot of failure happens, he says, because we too often ask, “do I do the thing right,” when we should be asking, “do I do the right thing?” And “why?” That’s your “added value” as a leader. The rest can be done by people who are focused on the doing.
People and processes are key, he says. Go to your people, talk about processes – who are your core customers and how you want to deal with them –
and talk about attitude – how you want to run
the dealership.
“The word ‘service’ comes from ‘to serve’ and the person who serves is a ‘servant’,” Breitschwerdt explains. “I am the number one servant in my company – I serve my customers – this is my attitude – this has to be my attitude! If we keep that in mind we can do
a perfect job.”
Words of wisdom for us all.
