Execution & Engagement

An interviewee recently asked me what I’m most proud of about GWC.  I instinctively reached for two charts.

Chart 1: 

I have always believed that the truth is in the numbers.  Having worked with many people over the years who do everything they can to talk around and even avoid the facts, I’ve taken the opposite approach:  Transparency.  In fact, I like to tell people that I should be judged on more than my effervescent personality ;)   Instead, I believe that any individual or company should be primarily evaluated on the points they put on the scoreboard.

To that end, the GWC profitability story since the current leadership team took charge at the end of 2009 is pretty spectacular:  In summary, GWC’s profitability grew by 127% between 2009 and 2014.  This is very exciting as it means that the team exceeded its stated goal of doubling profitability every five years.  And its even more impressive considering that Independent dealer vehicle sales, GWC’s industry benchmark, rose by only 19% during the same period.

Chart 2:

Achieving those results coincided with an intense effort to define and establish specific cultural values at GWC.  Those values have helped us create a company that demands a lot of its people while rewarding performance.  So, when we had the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) conduct our first-ever Employee Engagement Survey at the end of last year, I had some well-founded anxiety.  I wondered if we were succeeding in creating a thriving company that was also a great place to work.

 The results of the survey left no doubt:  GWC’s top-line score (88% of GWC employees “Satisfied” with their jobs versus 70% in other companies) was very gratifying.  Taking a deeper dive into the survey, GWC’s results on particular aspects of Job Satisfaction were even more impressive, garnering scores as much as 33% higher than those of average employers.

I took particular satisfaction from the many verbatim comments that our employees shared with us.  To wit:

“This place isn’t for everyone (and I think that’s a good thing.)

Test Template 1

Testing …….Colleen and I just returned from an amazing trip to Cuba that was organized by our friend Larry Dorfman from GWC’s sister company APCO.  Our travel companions included dealers, agents and others who, I have to say, were among the nicest people I’ve ever bonded with in the auto space.  They were also prodigious rum consumers but what happens in Havana stays in Havana!

Overall, much of what I had imagined about Cuba was true:  The cars were mostly pre-1960 American models, the architecture hearkened from the same atomic age and the people were relatively poor but surprisingly happy.  We didn’t experience a sense of oppression (in fact, I’ve found Washington DC to be a much more intimidating, security-conscious venue since 9/11) and met a number of Cubans who travel freely in and out of the country.  More surprisingly, the television in our hotel included U.S. channels such as Disney, HBO, CNN and ESPN (generally translated to Spanish); i.e., this is NOT North Korea.

Rather, it’s a solidly Communist country where, for more than 50 years and several generations, people have lived peacefully.  They’ve received good educations and world-class health care along with provisions for their minimum needs even as they live under an extremely authoritarian dictatorship.  However, it’s strange to experience a dearth of stores and markets with virtually no brand competition or other commercial opportunities.  As a lifelong American, it’s hard to reconcile the minimalistic living, oppressive government and reasonable contentment of many of the people.

What really struck me was the lack of initiative and innovation.  I joked that if Raul Castro simply named 2015 “The Year of Painting” and required every Cuban to pick up a brush and adopt a building, the place would look 10 times better than it does today!  And, despite the well-educated population, there do not appear to be any significant inventions being developed to make life easier or better for people (despite the obvious need.)  I can only chalk this up to the lack of profit and status incentives to stand out, to innovate, to be better than the rest.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., despite our many internal political challenges and increasing wealth inequality, we continue to rapidly evolve, with new thinking and new businesses leading us to even more relative prosperity.  It’s a fascinating comparison with our neighbors only 90 miles south of Miami.

Testing What Am I Reading?

Testing Template I’ve been re-telling the “20-Mile-Marchers” story about the 1911 quest to reach the South Pole as relayed by Jim Collins for several years and apparently have unconsciously developed a keen interest in arctic expeditions!  “In The Kingdom of Ice” by Harrison Sides takes place a few decades earlier and tells the tale of the ill-fated explorers on board the USS Jeanette who attempted to reach the North Pole.  It’s a gripping story of bravery and heroism in the name of exploration.  It also demonstrates how little we actually knew about the world’s geography; some people actually believed that the North Pole was an open circle of warm waters that may have even led to a Jules Verne-esque underground civilization!  If only that were true….

test ing

Rather, it’s a solidly Communist country where, for more than 50 years and several generations, people have lived peacefully.  They’ve received good educations and world-class health care along with provisions for their minimum needs even as they live

what am i reading

The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.

March Madness: Notre Dame wins in scary game vs Northeastern

PITTSBURGH -- Zach Auguste scored 25 points, Jerian Grant added 17 and Notre Dame dodged a scare trying to erase its futile NCAA tournament history with a 69-65 win over Northeastern on Thursday.

The Fighting Irish (30-5) will play the winner of Texas-Butler on Saturday.

The third-seeded Irish returned to the tournament after a one-year absence determined to build off their ACC tournament title and make a deep run in March.

The Irish have traditionally struggled in the tournament under coach Mike Brey. They made only one Sweet 16 since 2001.

Northeastern (23-12) gave the Irish fits and threatened to keep Notre Dame's March malaise going. Scott Eatherton had 18 points and David Walker 15.

What Am I Drinking? 

There is simply no excuse for any sane person to live in this sun-forsaken quadrant of the country anymore. They have pizza and the internet everywhere now! Even in the less expensive, more pleasant, college footballier places that we snow-dwellers disdain out of knee-jerk jealousy and pettiness! Sure, some of the social values are different down there, but how much do any of us really care? Besides, maybe they're right? Has my brain been so thoroughly sleet-battered that I now kind of believe that the catastrophic winter was god's punishment for gay marriage, gun control, and minority enfranchisement? Maybe.

But then, perhaps it's time to just flee the country altogether. There's no need to get all NASCAR about it if you broaden your scope and realize they have most of the basic necessities covered in a lot of your warmer countries these days. Beer, even! Take a look at this map from VinePair. It shows you the best-selling beer in most countries around the world. They sent it to us a couple weeks ago, and I thought, "Oh, interesting, maybe I should write about this" and then I got drunk and screamed at the snow for 10 days straight while Sploid, the Daily Mail, and The Economist made what should have been Drunkspin's hay. Dammit. Anyhow, here we are, late to the party with this cool map.

March Madness: UAB stuns Iowa State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- William Lee scored the last four points for 14th-seeded UAB, and the Blazers upset ninth-ranked Iowa State 60-59 on Thursday in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blazers (20-15) came in with the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament and with nobody having played in this tournament before. They wound up winning the program's first NCAA game since 2005 by notching the first big upset of this tournament.

The Cyclones (25-9) came in seeded third in the South Regional looking for a much longer run than a year ago when they reached the Sweet 16 without top scorer Georges Niang due to injury. But they just couldn't match the scrappy Blazers on the boards in a second half where the Cyclones couldn't hold onto a 55-51 lead with 3:13 left.

The Blazers, who outscored Iowa State 9-4 down the stretch, will play either SMU or UCLA on Saturday.

What I Am Reading?

Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story—so they lie.

The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.

In this intriguing tale of survival, secrets, and redemption, two everyday people thrown together by tragedy must finally face the truth…even if it tears them apart.

Your Man in Havana

Your Man in Havana

Colleen and I just returned from an amazing trip to Cuba that was organized by our friend Larry Dorfman from GWC’s sister company APCO.  Our travel companions included dealers, agents and others who, I have to say, were among the nicest people I’ve ever bonded with in the auto space.  They were also prodigious rum consumers but what happens in Havana stays in Havana!

Overall, much of what I had imagined about Cuba was true:  The cars were mostly pre-1960 American models, the architecture hearkened from the same atomic age and the people were relatively poor but surprisingly happy.  We didn’t experience a sense of oppression (in fact, I’ve found Washington DC to be a much more intimidating, security-conscious venue since 9/11) and met a number of Cubans who travel freely in and out of the country.  More surprisingly, the television in our hotel included U.S. channels such as Disney, HBO, CNN and ESPN (generally translated to Spanish); i.e., this is NOT North Korea.

Rather, it’s a solidly Communist country where, for more than 50 years and several generations, people have lived peacefully.  They’ve received good educations and world-class health care along with provisions for their minimum needs even as they live under an extremely authoritarian dictatorship.  However, it’s strange to experience a dearth of stores and markets with virtually no brand competition or other commercial opportunities.  As a lifelong American, it’s hard to reconcile the minimalistic living, oppressive government and reasonable contentment of many of the people.

What really struck me was the lack of initiative and innovation.  I joked that if Raul Castro simply named 2015 “The Year of Painting” and required every Cuban to pick up a brush and adopt a building, the place would look 10 times better than it does today!  And, despite the well-educated population, there do not appear to be any significant inventions being developed to make life easier or better for people (despite the obvious need.)  I can only chalk this up to the lack of profit and status incentives to stand out, to innovate, to be better than the rest.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., despite our many internal political challenges and increasing wealth inequality, we continue to rapidly evolve, with new thinking and new businesses leading us to even more relative prosperity.  It’s a fascinating comparison with our neighbors only 90 miles south of Miami.

What Am I Reading?

I’ve been re-telling the “20-Mile-Marchers” story about the 1911 quest to reach the South Pole as relayed by Jim Collins for several years and apparently have unconsciously developed a keen interest in arctic expeditions!  “In The Kingdom of Ice” by Harrison Sides takes place a few decades earlier and tells the tale of the ill-fated explorers on board the USS Jeanette who attempted to reach the North Pole.  It’s a gripping story of bravery and heroism in the name of exploration.  It also demonstrates how little we actually knew about the world’s geography; some people actually believed that the North Pole was an open circle of warm waters that may have even led to a Jules Verne-esque underground civilization!  If only that were true….

Your Man in Havana

Colleen and I just returned from an amazing trip to Cuba that was organized by our friend Larry Dorfman from GWC’s sister company APCO.  Our travel companions included dealers, agents and others who, I have to say, were among the nicest people I’ve ever bonded with in the auto space.  They were also prodigious rum consumers but what happens in Havana stays in Havana!

Overall, much of what I had imagined about Cuba was true:  The cars were mostly pre-1960 American models, the architecture hearkened from the same atomic age and the people were relatively poor but surprisingly happy.  We didn’t experience a sense of oppression (in fact, I’ve found Washington DC to be a much more intimidating, security-conscious venue since 9/11) and met a number of Cubans who travel freely in and out of the country.  More surprisingly, the television in our hotel included U.S. channels such as Disney, HBO, CNN and ESPN (generally translated to Spanish); i.e., this is NOT North Korea.

Rather, it’s a solidly Communist country where, for more than 50 years and several generations, people have lived peacefully.  They’ve received good educations and world-class health care along with provisions for their minimum needs even as they live under an extremely authoritarian dictatorship.  However, it’s strange to experience a dearth of stores and markets with virtually no brand competition or other commercial opportunities.  As a lifelong American, it’s hard to reconcile the minimalistic living, oppressive government and reasonable contentment of many of the people.

What really struck me was the lack of initiative and innovation.  I joked that if Raul Castro simply named 2015 “The Year of Painting” and required every Cuban to pick up a brush and adopt a building, the place would look 10 times better than it does today!  And, despite the well-educated population, there do not appear to be any significant inventions being developed to make life easier or better for people (despite the obvious need.)  I can only chalk this up to the lack of profit and status incentives to stand out, to innovate, to be better than the rest.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., despite our many internal political challenges and increasing wealth inequality, we continue to rapidly evolve, with new thinking and new businesses leading us to even more relative prosperity.  It’s a fascinating comparison with our neighbors only 90 miles south of Miami.

What Am I Reading?
 

I’ve been re-telling the “20-Mile-Marchers” story about the 1911 quest to reach the South Pole as relayed by Jim Collins for several years and apparently have unconsciously developed a keen interest in arctic expeditions!  “In The Kingdom of Ice” by Harrison Sides takes place a few decades earlier and tells the tale of the ill-fated explorers on board the USS Jeanette who attempted to reach the North Pole.  It’s a gripping story of bravery and heroism in the name of exploration.  It also demonstrates how little we actually knew about the world’s geography; some people actually believed that the North Pole was an open circle of warm waters that may have even led to a Jules Verne-esque underground civilization!  If only that were true….