Rethink your approach to management and leadership

Historically leadership, especially in the motor industry, has been characterised by alpha males who supposedly have a clear vision of the future. They perhaps naively believe that there are a lot of people who were prepared to blindly follow them too. In some cases, this is true but there are now major questions being asked if that approach is possible in today’s world, and if you should even want to follow that route.

When I raise the subject with automotive students and ask them to name a great leader, they often give Winston Churchill as an example. But there’s nuance to that answer. Until the World War II Churchill was a complete disaster as a leader when he was First Sea Lord of the Admiralty. His grasp of strategy was poor, and his approach accounted for the heavy losses suffered by the allied troops at the Gallipoli landings in 1915. The problem was that Churchill failed to grasp the complexity of the situation and made bad choices and as a result was demoted.

Today the motor industry faces complex challenges, the change in powertrain, the possibility of moving from a franchise to an agency model, the control that China has over battery production, the semi-conductor supply issues and the lack of cars available to sell. The issues can seem endless.

Keep it human

One attribute of modern leadership that seems to be gaining success is simply humility; where the person in charge doesn’t pretend to know it all but seeks insight from those around them. I personally have always taken the view that I should always recruit people better than myself because if I am the best there is then we are all ‘stuffed’ and secondly there is a chance that these brilliant people that I work with will make me look good. This approach lends itself to being humble and prepared to collaborate.

I was sat in a recent presentation by the Arbinger Institute who talked about having an outward mindset where they suggested setting up meetings in organisations where departments sit down and actually work out how they can help each other. They suggested addressing questions like where do we cause a problem for you and how can we help you?

As I sat there, I reflected on the number of battles I have witnessed between different departments in car dealerships. A battle between sales and aftersales, a skirmish between new and used car salespeople, the tension and the rivalries are numerous. Maybe it’s because each departmental leader feels they’re competing against one another. The issue is that they all work for the same organisation. Being humble and seeking advice on how things could be done better for the mutual benefit of all sides makes perfect sense.

This mindset recognises one’s own weaknesses and seeks to solve them with the help of others.

As for Churchill, the question is why he is regarded as a great leader now? Fundamentally he learnt from his mistakes. In one telling speech he said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” He recognised that his strength in leadership was in words and making inspiring speeches while relying on others to do the strategy that led to success.

President John F Kennedy agreed, saying of Churchill: “He mobilised the English language and sent it into battle.”

Great leadership can take many forms, but increasingly in this complex world it must start from a position of humility not arrogance. It’s how we’re going to succeed.

Professor Jim Saker is President of the Institute of the Motor Industry and a long-standing Professor of Retail Management at Loughborough University