Leading with Clarity: Lessons for dealers from a Military Strategist

Leadership in the dealership isn’t just about selling cars—it’s about creating alignment, inspiring people, and making sure your team can execute the plan you put in place. In a recent episode of LotTalk, hosts Chris Keene, John Anderson, and Renaldo Leonard sat down with Bryant Love, a retired Army officer and leadership strategist, to talk about what great leadership looks like in high-stakes environments—and how those lessons translate directly to running a dealership.

Bryant’s career includes leading strategic operations across twenty-plus nations, developing leaders under pressure, and coordinating large-scale plans where the stakes were life or death. His insights cut through the fluff and provide actionable ways dealers can build stronger teams and better results.

Shared Understanding: The Starting Line for Any Plan

Bryant emphasized that before execution comes alignment. In the military, a single directive can be interpreted ten different ways if there isn’t a shared understanding of the mission. The same applies in a dealership.

“If everyone sees it differently, then when the starting gun fires, people scatter across the track instead of running in the same direction,” Bryant explained .

For dealers, this means clarity is non-negotiable. Before rolling out a new process—whether it’s a lead management tool, a pricing strategy, or a sales contest—take the time to ensure everyone truly understands the “what” and the “why.” If not, you’ll spend more time putting out fires than selling cars.

Takeaway for dealers: Don’t just issue orders. Ask your managers and frontline staff to explain back what they’ve heard in their own words. Alignment is earned, not assumed.

Clarity, Direction, Inspiration

Bryant boiled down a leader’s job into three responsibilities: provide clarity, give direction, and inspire.

• Clarity: Remove ambiguity. Be specific in expectations and outcomes.
• Direction: Point the team toward the goal and keep them on course.
• Inspiration: Lead by example. Motivation flows from the top.

Without these three, teams default to confusion and frustration. With them, dealerships can run like high-performing units.

Put Yourself in Their Boots

One of the strongest points Bryant made was the importance of empathy in leadership. Leaders must put themselves in the shoes of their frontline employees.

Chris Keene summarized it with five questions leaders should ask:

• How is this person feeling?
• What are they thinking?
• Where are their obstacles?
• Who are they counting on?
• Why are they here?

The kicker? Every employee will answer those questions differently. Great leaders tailor their coaching and support to fit those individual needs rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Takeaway for dealers: When onboarding new salespeople, don’t just hand them a phone and a desk. Walk them through expectations, support them through their early struggles, and make them feel part of the mission.

The Mirror Effect: Leaders Set the Tone

Bryant told a story about being remembered as “the steady hand on the tiller” during his military service. Leaders, he said, act like a mirror for their team. If you project calm, your team feels steady. If you bring stress, panic, or urgency without purpose, your team reflects it back.

“As a leader, you control the climate. If you come in stressed, everybody’s going to sense that,” Bryant said .

Takeaway for dealers: When the showroom is tense or numbers are lagging, your demeanor matters. A steady presence can stabilize the team and keep them focused on the mission.

Developing Leaders, Not Just Employees

One theme Bryant returned to repeatedly was that leaders must develop other leaders. Blaming employees for not following through is a failure of leadership.

“It’s inexcusable as a leader to blame your subordinates,” he stressed .

Dealers often say, “I can’t get my people to do that.” Bryant pushed back hard: if your team isn’t executing, it’s on you to train, develop, and inspire them until they do.

Takeaway for dealers: Invest in leadership development for your managers. The payoff is long-term loyalty, higher performance, and a culture where people want to stay—even if offered more money elsewhere.

Four Pillars of Critical Thinking

To cap the conversation, Bryant laid out four pillars of critical thinking that every leader should adopt:

1. Self-awareness: Understand your biases, triggers, and personality.
2. Applied critical thinking: Use tools to make better decisions, not just reflect.
3. Groupthink mitigation: Prevent dominant voices from drowning out valuable perspectives.
4. Cultural empathy: See problems from multiple viewpoints and adapt your approach .

For dealerships, applying these means listening to fresh salespeople as much as seasoned veterans, questioning your own assumptions about the market, and creating space for innovation rather than just following old habits.

Key Takeaways for Dealers

• Ensure shared understanding before launching any new initiative.
• Provide clarity, direction, and inspiration consistently.
• Put yourself in the boots of your frontline staff to better support them.
• Remember that leaders set the tone—your team mirrors your demeanor.
• Stop blaming employees; invest in developing leaders at every level.
• Use the four pillars of critical thinking to strengthen decision-making and culture.

Bryant summed it up powerfully: “To grow, you have to be willing to destroy a part of yourself and rebuild it.” That kind of humility and adaptability is what separates great dealerships from average ones.