Paul, Kyle, and Michael recently had the pleasure of sitting down with our long-time pal, Ed Roberts, to chat about taking small steps, fostering empowerment, and his upcoming book, "Mile One: An Endless Journey to Effective Leadership."
Ed, let's dive right in. Tell us, what inspired you to write this book?
Well, it wasn't something I had always planned. I had been urged to write a book for the past 20 years, but I didn't feel the interest. However, about 10 years ago, I started taking notes and jotting down ideas. Last year, I finally decided to take the plunge and make it happen. It was after listening to a friend's book that I felt motivated to call him and share my own book idea. From there, I interviewed some publishers to find the right fit. And now, here we are!
That’s great! Can you give us a brief summary of the book's premise?
Absolutely! "Mile One" is all about breaking down big goals into smaller, achievable steps. A lot of times we look at things and we set ourselves with goals to chase down something big, but we don't know where to start. It encourages individuals and teams to focus on their next "mile one" and keep progressing.
It’s really just about breaking it down to where people can relate and say, “Okay, I can do that.” Once you have everybody on the same team saying that, it becomes easy.
You break it down a little steps and those steps form their “mile one.” Then they’re ready to take steps towards their next “mile one,” and then the next.
That's a powerful message. Can you share a bit about your own experience in implementing these principles?
I joined a struggling dealership around 10 to 12 years ago when we were only selling about 50 cars a month. Through a shift in mindset and culture, we managed to transform the store's performance. Today, we sell over 700 cars a month. The key was changing the belief that we were just waiting for things to get better. We had to MAKE them better.
It's tough to chase that number one spot, but it's never tough to try to get better. We focused on what we could do to improve every day, and though it wasn't always a smooth ride, we achieved significant growth.
How do you foster that empowerment and progress within your team?
Empowerment really starts with being an approachable leader and creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas and asking questions. Here, it's very collaborative. We are a very team-oriented store and each member supports the other. I make a point to connect with my team on a personal level. Stopping to truly listen and make those connections is key.
I believe in coaching rather than criticizing. Mistakes are opportunities for growth, and I encourage my team to learn from them. By giving individuals the power to make decisions and trusting them to do so, we create a culture where everyone is rowing in the same direction.
What do you hope will be the impact of your book?
The last chapter in the book talks about “Who needs a title?” because that question gets asked a lot, and you don't need a title to be a leader. Leading people is a lot like parenting. We don’t punish our children for mistakes, we encourage them to get back up and keep going. Leadership has all those same elements. I want people to realize that they can become better humans without having a title.
Lastly, where can we get a copy!?
You can visit my website to pre-order a copy, and the book will also be available on Amazon starting July 20th.
