This week's guest: Brad Mugg, Managing Partner at Honda of Downtown Los Angeles
Is there something that you do each and every day or each and every week to ensure that you have a cohesive and strong commitment to the positive culture at your dealerships?
Everyone has their own way of developing culture in their business. For me the first thing I do is get my mind set for the day by hitting the gym at 4:30 am 365. We open the service department at 6:00 am, so that is when I start my day at the store. When I get to the dealership I make it a point to walk all departments and greet as many employees and guest as I can at least 3 times throughout the day. All of us also preach the 10 foot rule, saying hi, with a smile, to all of our guest and employees. Culture doesn’t happen overnight, it takes commitment every minute of every day, and it has end date. At our department meeting we spend 15 minutes discussing culture and we are always reading a book together, discussing one chapter at each meeting on culture. Currently we are reading Dave Anderson’s Intentional Mindset, which if you haven’t read it, it is a must read.
How important is delegation on your leadership team and what do you do when looking for either emerging new leaders from inside your organization or bringing in fresh leadership and prospective from outside the organization?
You must let your leaders lead, and not micromanage them. Having confidence in your team, and letting them make it happen, only gives them more confidence and drive. It also earns you respect as well as them. Our goal is to always promote within, and it is easy to find the right person who deserves to be next. They just always stick out and the great thing about promoting within is you already know and trust them. The are time to where you have to go outside of the organization, and when this happens, we have 3-4 managers interview them, invite them back a second and sometimes third time, just to make sure they are the right fit. When we hire a high level manager from the outside, this process takes even longer. It is always smart to hire slow, do your homework, and make sure they will fit in the culture that you expect.
Your reputation as a high level producer and a winner in your capacity as a GM & Managing Partner during your career seems to be a consistent and omnipresent in terms of building great teams. What is the guiding principle that you commit to that drives such incredible results and how do you gain buy in at scale?
Your reputation is all you have. A great friend of mine always says we have one life, one time, and one try. I am such a believer of this because you don’t get a second change on your reputation. This is built over a lifetime. One thing I have learned early on is attitude. It all starts with attitude, always being positive, always motivating others, always having a smile, and always giving it 100% no matter what you do. I think my biggest contribution to success is being a great cheerleader with the entire team, no matter what position they are currently in. Everyone matters, absolutely everyone, and they all carry the same value, all they have to do is go after it, and they have the opportunity with me to get what they want! One of my favorite things, that really excites me, is seeing the valet, that goes into sales, then gets to management, then says, wow, I never thought I would ever do this well in life. I have seen this so many times and this is what really gets me excited. This business is amazing, and anyone and everyone can succeed, if they just do what it takes. Never give up, always push past your limits, and you will get anything you want in life!
What is the most exciting thing going on for you and your team right now?
The most exciting thing going on right now is we are opening a new Hyundai dealership in downtown Los Angeles. This is one that doesn’t currently exist so we have a clean slate to make this place super special. This means we will bring some people over from the Honda store, with some promotions, and hiring a team to build a new dealership. I believe this will be the most fun I will ever have in the business. One of my favorite things is taking a store that is performing average and making it something super special. The awesome thing about this one, is we are starting with nothing, so the thrill of building a team and making this store super successful will be an absolute blast! This new store has unlimited potential so yes, I am super excited about this chapter in my career!
