Josh Johnson, the fifth-generation leader of his family’s Don Johnson Auto Group, said an entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) gives his team a system for communication and meetings that ensures everyone stays aligned on goals and objectives.
For context: Johnson said the EOS gives every member of his team a “seat at the table.”
That allows the group to “proactively identify issues, opportunities, barriers, anything that's standing in between where we are today and where we're going to go together,” Johnson told Daily Dealer Live hosts Sam D’ Arc and Uli De’ Martino.
The why: Fatherhood inspired Johnson to focus on creating the best business for his kids if they one day want to earn a role there.
His group found EOS years ago during its hunt for ways to help define their culture.
They’re now about four years into their “EOS evolution.”
“It was like a light bulb went off,” Johnson explained. “We said, ‘That's the way we can systematize and be intentional about who we want to be.’”
Tangible results: Employee turnover rate became “a fraction of what the industry stands for,” said Johnson.
The group’s net promoter scores have never been higher.
Guests have also told Johnson they can feel a difference.
“That’s a hard one to quantify, but when you hear that consistently, you know that there’s magic that’s happening,” he explained.
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Talk about it: Johnson said 90% of a dealership’s problems stem from communication issues either internally or with vendors and/or guests.
EOS’s system for meetings gives the team venues to share the problem so the department, store or even organization, can all work it out together.
“The first 90 days is really education, trust-building, and cultural and values alignment, making sure that we're able to articulate across all 165 team members who we are and what we stand for, what's acceptable and what doesn't work in our organization,” Johnson said.
Finding proper fits: Johnson’s team seeks people that want the role so badly that “it lights a fire in their belly.” His group uses three questions to help evaluate candidates and they call it the “GWC.”
Do they get it? (Meaning, do they understand how to succeed in that role?)
Do they want it? (Does the person favor the excitement of Monday mornings instead of counting the seconds until Friday?)
Do they have the capacity to do it? (Is the person aligned with their strengths and understand what makes them the best at their role?
The bottom line: Johnson credits EOS with helping their group thrive. And after all, it’s hard to find a successful dealer that doesn’t stand by the principle that the car business really is a people business.
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