At the recent Service Dealer Conference, held at the Crowne Plaza Stratford Upon Avon, I had the chance to hear five guest speakers, one of whom was Ellis Watson, a business leader, whose impressive career has taken him on a journey including senor roles with Mirror Group Newspapers and Simon Cowell - leading businesses through change and disruption.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to hear many motivational speakers, however listening to Ellis was a real eye opener, especially reflecting on how communication skills between people have changed in recent years and will continue to change as technologies develop.
It seems face-to-face communication has changed dramatically, with most people relying on their phone, tablets and computers to connect and correspond with other people.
As a business leader he was aware of the issues facing machinery dealerships. He talked about how dealers should build their passion into their work. He told the room how it's vital to make customers feel that as businesses, we are really pleased to see them.
He also stressed how dealers need to be open to change and disruption. He said a dealer's greatest strength will be their years and years of experience - but how their greatest weakness could also be their years and years of experience! He said, "It's so bloody important to challenge your own model."
He went on to tell delegates, "The joy of surpassing your own ceiling of potential, is so fulfilling." He said dealers have the ability evolve themselves and their businesses, concluding, "You'll say with this disruption has come this amazing opportunity."
Ellis emphasised the importance of personal interactions and passion in dealerships, arguing that electronic communication is diminishing human connection. He stressed that leadership must demonstrate values and inspire staff to enhance productivity and job satisfaction. Sharing a personal anecdote, he highlighted the impact of a dynamic, honest leader on employee motivation.
Ellis also advocated for continuous self-improvement and challenging the status quo, using his own experience of running a marathon as a metaphor for overcoming personal and professional challenges. He concluded by urging leaders to foster a culture of collaboration and open communication to adapt to industry changes and enhance business models.
I believe you must reflect on your own business models and identify opportunities for disruption and improvement and seek feedback from your team on how you can be a better leader and improve the efficiency of your operations.
Encourage a culture of kindness, sincerity, and integrity in your workplace’s interactions with customers and staff.
Ellis also highlighted the importance of productive work over just being busy and how it impacts the overall success of the workplace.
He stressed the importance of leaders demonstrating values, being dynamic and honest. He encouraged leaders to take control of what they can and not to be dispassionate about productivity.
He emphasised that the way leaders behave and interact with their teams significantly impacts the overall culture and productivity of a workplace.
For me, listening to this speech, was one of those special moments when you realise that by working together, we can achieve almost anything. I strongly believe our industry is all about people. We all play our part in driving our sector forward and delivering such a vast range of services to maintain our unique landscape, public services plus providing a pleasing environment for people to live in.
