When I was first starting at Automotive News a few years back and trying to learn the service and parts business, Lee Harkins, CEO of dealership training company M5 Management Services, let me be a fly on the wall at one of his performance group meetings. I must not have made too big of a nuisance of myself because I’ve been invited back to every meeting since, including one a couple weeks ago in Orlando.
The discussions there were the same: What are you struggling with? Where are you having success? What’s one best practice you want to share with the group? Later on, the conversation turned to books and what the service managers and directors attended in attendance read to learn new skills and get inspired.
Here are a few titles that were mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, by Will Guidara; The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox; and Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
What titles would you add to this list and why? Email me at [email protected] and let me know. Also, which service departments have book clubs? Tell me about those, too!