Pub. 1 2018-2019 |Issue 2

2 How Do We Get There from Here? An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”― Benjamin Franklin Craig Bickmore Executive Director A nd here we are, and what a year it was and what a year it will be. 2018 was a game-changer for the NCDU. We finally moved into our new location, and realized a goal that was long in the making. Our association has always felt that the best way to address change is with education and training, and with our new office space, we can offer state-of-the-art meetings, seminars and industry trainings. We are experiencing a shift in the way we do business. Not only are we working more, we’re all doing more with the time we’re spending working, adjusting to meet new business models, without losing the “people” aspect that our customers and communities have come to expect from small business. Interestingly, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 the average American worker saw an increase of 568 more hours worked than in 1979, so that nagging feeling that we’re working longer and harder, is real. As small business owners these times are forcing us to define who we are and who we are not. In today’s business climate, defining relevance is something we all do every day, pretty much before breakfast. Relevance is the ability of a person and/or company/ organization to acknowledge and align one- self with a purpose that's meaningful, one that will enhance their survival or success. And just as importantly, it’s the ability to reassess your relevancy on a continual basis. If not, you set yourself and your company up to become non-relevant. I personally believe that no business is redefining itself right now quite like the car business, which I think we can all agree, is experiencing disrupter- type technology like no other. And added to all this, generational diversity deserves its own study devoted entirely to the nuances of managing those differences. Are you, as an owner and leader, responsive to the needs of each of the generations currently in the workplace? Are you trained to identify and manage the different characteristics of all the generations in the workforce? One characteristic of the Gen X’s may oppose those of the Millennials. Communication tactics and reward and recognition tactics vary so much from one to the other. If you or your team are not trained to lead through those differences, ask yourself, "What is the cost to your company in all aspects of your business? Are you relevant as an employer? Are you recruiting the best talent you can?" So how do we confront the shift of the status quo? Well, knowledge has a cer- tain power to it. Training and education, I believe are key, and something I am personally passionate about. According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), companies that offer comprehen- sive training programs have 218% higher income per employee than companies without formalized training. But it doesn’t stop there. These companies also enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than those who spend less on training. Training, across the board, has become the new currency. As leaders, we need to see the trends coming, and we need strategies to meet them head on. We all know that we can’t change the industry, but, we can change how we adapt. We can empower our man- agers, we can challenge our dealership staff, and we can lead by example. We recognize that our association envi- ronment has morphed in the past decade and with the leadership of our board of directors, committee chairs, and staff we are adapting to new association modeling to respond to our new relevancy opportu- nities too. And our new office space is one of the steps that we have taken to sup- port you, our members. Please engage with us in 2019, and beyond. 3