When I grow up, I want to be a car salesman, said no-one ever…
Personally, I have found that being in the car sales industry is an incredible way to grow myself and help others. With about three decades as a working professional, I’d not be the man I am today without the lessons learnt and the people I’ve worked with and helped along the way in this industry. Yes, there were seasons when I was focused on sales, targets and profits, but I’ve learnt, time and time again, that there can be none of that without the people.
I’ve also learnt that people come with tons of their own baggage, more than most car boots can carry! Much of this baggage comes from the messages we were told as kids.
We would think things like: when I grow up, I’d like to be a doctor, a pilot, a vet, or a teacher. We looked at what the adults around us do and believed that it’s what we do that adds meaning. These messages and conversations were sparked and reinforced not only by the adults who took care of us but also by the systems in which we were enrolled. From school to college to work, we are often evaluated on what we can do and our skill development. When our achievements and qualifications outweigh our character, our self-worth becomes unbalanced, and we will struggle to find happiness.
We forget that it’s not only about what we do, but who we are, that creates meaning. It’s in the balance of doing and being, which is also true for our colleagues, staff and customers.
We need to value people for who they are and what they bring to our teams and dealership, not just the positions they’ve held or the skills they’ve learned. The more we learn, the more we learn how much there is still to learn, and often we need to break down what we learned years ago, and rebuild a new way of doing things. This is a good reminder that it’s more about our ability to learn and relearn new skills, which speaks to character.
And, do we ever feel like we’ve grown up? If you’re like me, you’ll still feel like you’ve got a way to go. This means that we can reframe the questions we were asked as kids and answer them differently.
We can say: When I grow up, I want to be kind, tolerant, generous, patient and open-minded. We can say that we want to be more forgiving and listen more. This is how we can bring about change: by starting with our own personal growth.
Whatever your goals are for you and your team this year, I hope you will find the space to focus on what helps you find and shape deeper meaning and value, for yourself, your family, your staff and your customers.