Georgian College is helping train the next generation of leaders our industry will need
Earlier this year, I embarked on a teaching career at Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada (ASBC).
As someone who has been an operator in automotive retail for a couple of decades now, the ASBC had been there in the background and I’d even sent some dealership employees to their programs.
That said, I didn’t really understand just how much of a resource the school had become, particularly for Canada.
After a well-timed introduction and some discussions with Jason Dale (Executive Director), and Sebrina Westbrooke (Program Manager), it was put forth that I could possibly contribute to the school as an instructor for the Canadian Dealer Academy.
This innovative branch of ASBC focuses on the up-and-coming people that are already working in dealerships (as well as some OEMs and suppliers) to provide a comprehensive learning opportunity that builds on their current experience.
Comprised of seven courses, including a holistic capstone, the ABSC’s Canadian Dealer Academy takes about 18 months to complete from start to finish, and students typically are part of the same cohort for the entire program. This helps them build long-lasting connections and a network to navigate the changing landscape of retail operations.
To say I was humbled by the opportunity is an understatement. After getting past the “What? You want ME to do this?” moment, I quickly embraced the energy I was starting to feel, especially since one of my core values in business is to seek out opportunities for knowledge transfer as well as continued learning. The first course I was signed up to participate in was “Dealership Management,” which is meant to kick off the Dealer Academy and set the tone.
I made the trek up to Barrie in January for the in-class session and, for the next three days, made it my mission to absorb all the class had to offer so I could determine if I was really cut out to be a part of this.
A ton of credit for setup and logistics needs to go to the Georgian College support staff, as I was not left wanting for onboarding info or logistics. The week before going up to participate, I was set up with all the systems, logins, and tutorials I needed for a smooth start.
Feeling primed and prepared, I walked into the classroom with confidence… until I saw who I was going to be shadowing. The lead instructor for our Dealership Management course was none other than Don Durst, a man with a legendary executive history at Subaru, Volkswagen, and AMC(!), if you go back far enough.
The next person to walk in the room was a man who advocates tirelessly for Canadian dealers every day. Tim Reuss, who is currently the President & CEO of CADA and formerly of Mercedes-Benz executive fame, turned out to be Don’s co-pilot for this course. Suddenly, in the presence of these industry titans, my imposter syndrome started to creep back.
Unlike countless performance groups, consulting seminars, and OEM training, when there were breaks or lunches, the students didn’t hop on their laptops or phones to catch up on emails, instead they actually talked to each other.
One-by-one, the students filtered in for our 9:00 a.m. start. There were some General Managers, some GSMs, some Fixed Ops managers, and even a Service Advisor in the bunch.
From the kick-off and introductions, we dove into the course content, which Don and Tim delivered confidently, without being traditional lecturers. Conversation and ideas flowed both ways. I also found that I became quickly comfortable adding to the conversation as well as inserting myself in the group breakout discussions to facilitate brainstorming.
Ultimately, there were many positive and rewarding takeaways. Unlike countless performance groups, consulting seminars, and OEM training, when there were breaks or lunches, the students didn’t hop on their laptops or phones to catch up emails, instead they actually talked to each other.
They were so engaged with the course and content that conversation around the topics simply did not end.
I was also impressed with the focus put on the retention, engagement, and development of employees. It wasn’t an HR course, however a masterclass in how dealers need to approach people in their organization.
As someone who has experienced a multitude of dealership management styles, I was filled with pride to see the conversation being steered in a very progressive and human-oriented direction.
Upon the conclusion of the third day, we launched the cohort into their remote learning component, which is six weeks of independent, and supported learning that springboards off the in-class concepts.
As we all shook hands getting ready to part ways, a tangible feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie swept the room as everyone realized that something important had been started here. For me, it was the realization that via Georgian College and the ASBC, our future leaders are in good hands.
