âAre you coachable?â might seem like a question reserved for rookies. But as this episode highlights, itâs a challenge for every tier of dealership leadershipâfrom lot porters to dealer principals.
According to Gartner, 60% of new managers fail within their first 24 months due to lack of training and leadership development. That stat was the springboard for the episodeâs core thesis: your team canât be coachable if you arenât.
âIf youâre a people leader, make sure youâre taking your one thought cap off, putting another thought cap on, and saying: âFeed me. Be coachable.ââ â Chris Keene
The team draws heavily from sports analogies, especially football and basketball, to illustrate their points. Whether itâs John Wooden teaching his players how to put on their socks or Belichick quizzing Patriots in the hallway, the metaphor is clear: fundamentals and constant reinforcement build champions.
Dealerships are no different. You wouldnât put a third-string cornerback in during a critical play unless you knew he was coached up and ready. So why let a barely-trained salesperson handle a $90,000 deal?
âEverybody in the building has to be coachable. I donât care if itâs your lot porter or your dealer principal.â â Renaldo Leonard
Another big issue? Promoting top performers into leadership roles without assessing their coachability or preparing them to lead. The crew invokes the âPeter Principleââthe idea that people rise to their level of incompetence because promotions are based on current performance, not leadership potential.
Hiring or promoting someone without evaluating:
âŚcan undermine the whole operation.
âAre they coachable? And can they now take what they were coached on and go coach the next one?â â Chris Keene
John Anderson touched on a critical point: some dealerships thrive with tools like inventory management systems or CRMs, while others flounder. The difference? Engagement and coachability.
The problem isnât always the product; itâs the partnership.
âYou have the same product, but some folks excel and others donât. Coaching gets tuned out.â â John Anderson
Vendors canât be expected to shoulder the whole burden. Leaders must:
In a powerful guest segment, Chris Palmer from the Casa Auto Group delivered a seven-minute leadership clinic. His approach: set clear KPIs, tie compensation to performance, and define paths for growthâfrom lot porters to GMs.
Palmer asks his leaders three monthly questions:
If they canât answer all three, they arenât leading effectively.
âWe are responsible for giving the opportunity for growth. They are responsible for the growth.â â Chris Palmer
His example of demoting two salespeople who failed to show up after asking for higher roles proved a simple truth: effort must match ambition.
If youâre not open to being coached, donât expect your team to be. Invest in your own development first.
Promote based on coachability and leadership traitsânot just sales performance.
Tie growth and compensation to measurable results. Reinforce them consistently.
CRMs and inventory software arenât just data repositoriesâtheyâre training tools. Use them to monitor and guide.
When budgets tighten, training is often the first thing cut. Donât fall into that trap. Itâs the most costly mistake you can make long-term.
Ensure every team memberâfrom leadership to lot techâunderstands your dealershipâs mission and how tools and training support that.
In one of the more memorable analogies of the episode, the hosts compare breakfast to commitment. The chicken is dedicatedâit lays an egg. The pig is committedâit provides the bacon.
So ask yourself: Are you dedicated, or are you committed?
Because in todayâs ultra-competitive used car market, only the committed win.