As the business climate reaches ever higher levels of activity it becomes more critical that we are able to attract and retain the best employees possible. From technicians to salesmen - to service managers and instore sales personnel we are faced with an increasing difficulty in finding people. There are many Industries in a similar dilemma and we are all searching in the same pools for these talented and diligent young people. How do we stack up against other Industries in this competitive marketplace? We have a tremendous range of opportunities to present to anyone interested in a challenging career. We need to present our message consistently and frequently otherwise we will be lost in the crowd.

How many of you know the guidance counselors at your local high schools? How many of you have a booth at Junior Colleges or Universities at career days? How many of you are involved with the local Technical Schools? This is where the dilemma begins. We need to become more visible as respected and professional businesses in the eyes of the young people. We need to have spokespeople who share our passion for this Industry and its benefits. That starts with the influencers in the young people minds.

I have heard from many of us "older codgers" who are disrespectful about the work habits and expectations of the younger generations. That I am afraid is a generational thing that was a limiting factor for all of "us" as well when we first entered the workforce. The more seasoned leaders of yesteryear were just as skeptical about our efforts then as we are now. Yet one thing I am sure that we all will agree on is that the current potential workers have a much broader range of experiences and education than we did. This then becomes more about how we treat them than what we think about them. Irrespective of what we might think of the new workforce it is the pool of labor from which everyone will have to recruit.

But recruiting is but a small part of the battle. Once the employee has been hired then the real work begins. I am always amazed at how we treat new employees. Remember the excitement and enthusiasm that you had when you started your career in this Industry? You were without question a bit nervous but you were enthusiastic about your job. You were an "Enthusiastic Beginner."

From there, however, life takes on a different challenge. You either were on the path to development as an employee or you became a disillusioned worker. It was a function of your "leader." Remember back for a moment and reflect on who it was that ignited the passion that you have in your job. Do you inspire the people who are new hires in your company in the same manner? This younger generation, whatever the label, will not wait around as much as we would have in the same circumstances. If they are not learning, or they are not given the feeling that they are contributing, they will leave. There are too many other options available for them today. And everyone is after the same thing in their career. We all want a feeling of self worth, a challenge, an opportunity to develop skills and grow as a person. And there are many other options if they don't find what they re looking for within our Industry. This is the problem as well as a tremendous opportunity. We offer a lot.

We all have the opportunity to go through a series of steps in our jobs and in fact on every new assignment we have in our careers.

• Enthusiastic Beginner
• Disillusioned Learner
• Capable/Cautious Performer
• Self Reliant Achiever

How we progress through these stages is dependent on the leaders involved in the direct supervision of the work. We all want self reliant achievers who are team players. And everyone wants to do a good job. But many times it is how we work with the new hire that is more a determining factor of the success of these employees.

How do you stack up? That is what we should be thinking about when we have new employees. How can we set them up to be successful? After all that is what will determine our success. Are you up to this challenge? It is extremely important that you capable as a leader of people as the success of the dealerships depend on this new breed of aggressive and talented young people. Go get them - attract them and once you have them make sure you are contributing to their success and not a cause for their failure. The rewards are huge but so are the penalties. Good luck and happy hiring.

To learn more, check out the offerings from Quest, Learning Centers.