Why True Leadership Doesn’t Rely on Fines
You don’t get more production by adding penalties — you get it by adding leadership. The secret isn’t the spiff. It’s the coaching, consistency, and accountability that come from leaders being engaged every day, throughout the day.
These are all proven ways to influence behavior — but they’re short-term levers. They may move the needle temporarily, but they don’t build long-term accountability or professional excellence.
When we talk about improving walkarounds, producing more service videos, shortening contracts in transit, or increasing outbound calls, we’re really talking about performance standards.
Think about fighter pilots landing on a carrier. The expectation is perfection — not “close enough.”
Secret Service agents and NFL quarterbacks operate under the same principle. They execute — or they’re out.
The same should apply to dealership professionals.
You either perform to standard, or you don’t.
That’s why I’m not a believer in small penalties or fines. Charging a finance manager $100 for a CIT delay doesn’t solve anything. Docking a salesperson’s spiff for skipping videos won’t make them sell more cars. And punishing a high-producing technician for missing a video can backfire — you risk losing your top performer over a minor compliance issue.
Leadership isn’t about punishment — it’s about preparation.
Coach. Counsel. Document. Develop.
If an associate continues to underperform after consistent leadership, coaching, and support, then you’ve got a hiring issue — not a training one. Replace them. But don’t confuse leadership with discipline.
True accountability starts at the top.
If we’ve done our job hiring right and leading consistently, their success is on them.
If they fail repeatedly, that failure’s on us.
Because at the end of the day, the penalty shouldn’t come from the paycheck — it should come from the standard.
