by Terry MacCauley - Posted 12 minutes ago
There has never been a better time to talk about leadership.
Sales have been off across the board. Independent dealers, Buy Here Pay Here stores, and even the domestic OEMs are all feeling the pressure. When the numbers dip, true leadership shows itself. You either have leaders who rally their teams and refocus them, or leaders who tear down what they built by letting emotion run the show.
Every dealership has that moment when somebody mistakes noise for leadership.
Meetings stretch longer, the tone tightens, and suddenly, the team is not focused on customers or creativity; they are focused on surviving the next conversation.
It usually starts from a good place. A manager wants results, accountability, and improvement. But frustration becomes ego, and ego becomes noise. Before long, the loudest voice in the building is the least effective one.
That is not leadership. That is emotion disguised as drive.
Real, authentic leadership is quiet confidence. It is focused under fire. It is walking through the store and earning trust by listening more than talking.
The best Dealer Principals, General Managers, and Sales Managers control the energy in the room.
When sales are slow or an ad campaign underperforms, the true leader does not start swinging. They breathe, gather facts, and look people in the eye. They know everyone in the building already feels the pressure—what the team needs is direction, not drama.
I have seen GMs who treat every challenge like a four-alarm fire. They shout about accountability and threaten to “fix the process,” but all they fix is the mood—into panic. Then I have watched other GMs who step into the same storm, lower their voice, and start asking questions. “What changed?” “What are customers saying?” “How do we adjust?” Those are the stores that rebound fastest.
Energy spreads. If you are calm, your people stay focused. If you are angry, they go silent. And when the showroom goes silent, so do sales.
Nothing replaces a private conversation.
A Sales Manager who calls a rep into their office, shuts the door, and says, “Walk me through your week,” will always get further than one who unloads on the floor.
A Dealer Principal who pulls a department head aside and asks, “What do you need from me?” will find the truth faster than one who fires off another group email.
One-on-ones are where trust is built. In private, people tell you what is actually wrong—the lead source that is broken, the CRM glitch, the personal stress they have been hiding.
A ten-minute talk can save ten thousand dollars in turnover.
At one Midwest store, a GM started weekly ten-minute one-on-ones on Fridays. He asked three questions:
What went well this week?
What is standing in your way?
What can I do to help?
Sixty days later, turnover dropped by half, closing ratios climbed, and the floor had life again. Nothing else changed—only leadership.
You call people out publicly instead of privately.
That is not coaching; that is theater.
You talk more about problems than solutions.
Repeating what went wrong does not repair it.
You mistake fear for respect.
People might nod in meetings, but they will not run through a wall for someone they do not trust.
You talk about accountability but avoid ownership.
If you are not in the grind with your people, your words carry no weight.
Some managers hide behind buzzwords. They claim they are being “transparent,” “direct,” or “brutally honest,” but it is really about control.
They use words like gaslighting to flip the narrative, accusing others of manipulation while they are the ones twisting facts.
They parade frustration as passion, confuse sarcasm with strength, and leave their teams walking on eggshells.
In dealerships, that behavior kills creativity. No one wants to share new ideas when every comment risks becoming tomorrow’s target.
The result is a store full of people waiting for direction instead of taking initiative.
A loud leader might think they are holding people accountable. In reality, they are holding them hostage to their own insecurity.
Real leaders do not perform; they participate.
Think of Howard Schultz returning to Starbucks, walking through stores, listening, and learning before making changes. He was never too proud to pick up a cup and talk to the team.
Think of Mary Barra at General Motors, facing one of the largest recalls in history. She took ownership publicly and privately, showing what calm accountability looks like.
That kind of steadiness builds the kind of loyalty no slogan can buy.
They correct in private and praise in public.
They listen before they speak.
They ask questions before they make statements.
They understand that consistency beats charisma every single time.
They also take responsibility for everything that happens on their watch. As Jocko Willink writes in Extreme Ownership, true leaders “own it all.” When something breaks, they look in the mirror first. That single discipline separates champions from complainers.
I have witnessed firsthand one Sales Manager completely change a store just by changing tone. He stopped sending all-caps “accountability” messages and started scheduling one-on-ones, refraining from talking negatively about others on the team behind their backs. Within a month, the team stopped hiding mistakes and started fixing them.
Another Dealer Principal began starting every Monday meeting with one sentence: “Tell me one win from last week.” That simple shift set a new tone. People left those meetings motivated, rather than nervous.
Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating an environment where your team wants to find them.
Not everyone reading this runs a store or manages a team. Many of you are working inside dealerships where leadership styles vary—some inspiring, some frustrating. If you find yourself working under someone who leads through emotion, criticism, or chaos, you still have power in how you respond.
Here are a few ways to protect your mindset and your productivity when leadership gets loud:
Control what you can control.
You may not set the tone of the room, but you can set your own. Stay focused on what matters: your customers, follow-ups, and effective communication. Tune out the noise and focus on the results.
Do not take it personally.
When a leader lashes out, it is rarely about you. It is about their own stress or insecurity. Take feedback where it is useful and leave the emotion behind. Carrying their tone home with you only hurts your own peace.
Communicate clearly and calmly.
Respond to emotion with professionalism. If something is unclear, ask for clarification. If an accusation is unfair, document the facts to support your position. Calm communication disarms chaos.
Find your positive circle.
Every store has people who lift others up, and we must seek them out. Surround yourself with those who remind you why you love the business. Energy, good or bad, spreads fast. Choose your source.
Keep your long game in mind.
Great people rise above bad leadership all the time. Do your job well, protect your reputation, and focus on learning. The lessons you gain working through tough leadership will make you stronger when it is your turn to lead.
Remember, your happiness and success do not belong to anyone else. You can work in a challenging environment and still protect your peace, attitude, and performance.
Leadership is not a speech. It is a series of choices made under pressure.
Every email, every meeting, every reaction tells your people what kind of leader you are.
It takes five minutes to destroy trust and months to rebuild it.
If you want to grow your dealership, start by growing your leadership. Talk less. Listen more. Coach instead of criticizing. Replace frustration with focus and ego with empathy.
The strongest dealerships are built on trust and communication, not fear and finger-pointing. They are led by people who prove through their actions that they are in it with their team.
Anyone can raise their voice. Very few can raise a team.
That is Big Time Leadership.
When you feel the urge to send a long “accountability” email or blast the team chat, stop.
Walk the lot. Have the conversation. Ask questions.
Great managers solve problems face-to-face. The best leaders never hide behind a keyboard, they look their people in the eye and move them forward.
-by Terry MacCauley, Founder & CEO
As the strategic advertising partner for Tax Max, Big Time Advertising highly recommends the NEW Tax Season Consulting Groups for dealers who want to maximize this tax season's opportunities.
Starting November 4 for BHPH dealers and December 2 for Retail dealers, Tax Max will host weekly 30-minute Zoom sessions every Tuesday. Each session will begin with 5–10 minutes of key updates, followed by an open Q&A to help your Sales, Collections, and Advertising & Marketing Teams stay aligned and proactive.
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These sessions will continue through March, helping you stay ahead of the curve and maximize your performance throughout tax season.
To learn more or reserve your spot, visit taxmax.com/TaxMax/car-dealers-overview, email trs@taxrefundservices.com, or call 813-987-2199 for immediate assistance.
This week’s Big Time Educational video is "How to WIN Friends and Influence People" by Motivation2Study.
Based on one of the best-selling books of all time, this video breaks down five powerful principles that have helped millions build better relationships, gain influence, and create success—since 1936. Still relevant, still game-changing.
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