Think of the visionaries you know personally and I’ll bet that the most persuasive and persistent of the bunch are those who are fueled by a burning vision of what could be or a problem they want to solve or a dream they want to achieve. Many of these people have had what I call a “Popeye moment.” Popeye was a regular guy until someone threatened Olive Oyl at which point he’d tear open a can of spinach and cry out, “I’ve taken all I can stands and I can’t stands no more!” With muscles bulging, he’d save the day and rescue Olive from her tormentor every time. A leader of great conviction has had his or her Popeye moment, has experienced injustice and chooses to confront it and change it.

Rather than run from what pains them, great leaders embrace that which breaks their heart; using those experiences to fuel their vision of what could be. In our industry, a Popeye moment might arrive after years of experiencing the anger, frustration and distrust that customers can bring into your showroom. A Popeye moment might come after too many long hours on the point, too much internal conflict with other people at the dealership and too much internal and external negativity. A Popeye moment might come when a family member, friend or stranger makes one more rotten comment, sarcastic joke or show of disapproval at your choice of profession. In our industry, a person either succumbs to the negative stereotypes, eventually perpetuating them, or has a Popeye moment and uses the injustice so prevalent in the car business to fuel a vision of what could be. The next time you experience pain and injustice at the dealership, I challenge you to seize a Popeye moment and become the change you want to see. Use your frustration to fuel your vision and you’ll increase the staying power of your own success.

 

Vol 3, Issue 2