This is a question that I often get asked, because, at first glance, one might wonder how to go about it in these two very different environments. The answer is much simpler than one might imagine. Whether you manage a few employees or several hundred, whether they are sales consultants or portfolio managers, personnel management remains the same. They are human beings with particular expectations, ambitions, problems or situations. Regardless of background, a human is a human! The human dimension of the manager’s work is the central pillar of a company, regardless of the business environment.
To create strong relationships within the company and between all of us. Trust is built through transparency, by genuinely caring about people’s well-being. I see the result: a safe work environment with mutual respect. We often forget that we have to feel safe in order to open up, to feel seen, heard and recognized. This is what I try to develop with all my employees. If I do not understand the perspective and emotions of my employees, it is difficult to adapt my speech or my management style to assess their individual needs. Without empathy and transparency, employees will never feel important. In a workplace, this dynamic must be put forward by us, the leaders.
Exactly. No more repression, unspoken words and employee turnover. For us, it all starts with the employee. Nothing new in theory, but in practice it’s harder said than done. If you want to have happy customers, you must first and foremost have happy employees! I often tell my managers that our first customer is the employee. We spend most of our time at work, so make it a pleasant, inclusive and safe place.
At Deragon, we have simplified and clarified our corporate culture by focusing on three essential values that dictate our actions: transparency, benevolence and expertise. By implementing these three simple but meaningful words, we leverage the strength of the group to create a significant impact on all working relationships.
Reflecting on current practices in the automotive industry, I felt a strong conviction that transparency absolutely had to be put forward there too to establish a relationship of trust between manufacturers, dealers and consumers. Sometimes there are gaps and ambiguities when buying, maintaining and repairing a vehicle. I believe that transparency is one of the solutions to these problems. More concretely, we have developed a manifesto with clear principles and objectives to improve transparency in the automotive industry.
The automotive industry is going through major transformations and I believe that we must seize this extraordinary and rare opportunity to restore our reputation and reinvent processes. The customer is now very well informed, his behavior has changed, so our offer must also change. I strongly believe that manufacturers and dealers must be transparent in their business practices by providing clear and accurate information on vehicle specifications, prices, warranties and all information relevant to consumer decision making. Just as in our relationships with employees, transparency helps build trust between consumers and the industry.
