One of the projects I’m proudest of is the annual Women in Automotive conference. Our summer conference took place last weekend in Orlando, FL, and the theme was one of my favorites: “Stronger Together.” I was struck by the inspiring keynote and breakout sessions and learned so much from the 350 other attendees. Here are some of my biggest takeaways:

It’s No Secret: Women are Key

Everyone at the conference— men, women, speakers, companies and sponsors — highlighted the importance women play in a changing industry. We have a lot of momentum, but everyone was pragmatic in realizing that we still have a long way to go. So, how do we get there?

Embrace Creativity & Boldness

Change, especially in the face of opposition, complacency or adversity, demands boldness. The industry needs women to step into the unknown and create their space. One of the speakers drilled the importance of not being owned by the fear of rejection. As women, we need to embrace the unknown and be willing to step forward — even when we don’t know all of the answers. We have to know our strengths and be prepared to stand up, speak up and step up. Creativity itself is an act of defiance. We have the opportunity to disrupt the status quo and share new ideas that can change our businesses in positive ways, but we have to be brave enough to share our ideas and keep moving forward.

Acknowledge Your Role

A few of the speakers honed in on the idea of understanding where you are in your career and how that impacts your ability to enact change. Dan Flynn, CDK Global president, North America, spoke about how you can drive change in your organization in every stage of your career. For instance, he shared how those early in their careers may not have the opportunity to mold an entire organization, but they do have the responsibility to bring new ideas to the table and be champions of change.

I was also struck by the idea that there’s a fine line between those that can help and those that need help. As professionals, we all need to identify which side of the line we’re on; help those when you can and ask for help when you need it. I’m fortunate that I’m at the point in my career where I can help others by mentoring, coaching and lending an ear. I am very passionate about helping people, particularly women, find their voice and achieve their personal and professional goals.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

It seems like things are moving and changing at a rapid pace. In order to stay ahead of the game, you have to work smarter, not harder. The first thing you should do is strategize – set goals and create a plan to reach your goals. Once you’re headed in the right direction, focus and don’t let yourself get distracted by the noise around you. Finally, commit to the plan. Make the investment of your time, money and energy to work your plan and see the success come to life.

I learned so much during the conference, but the message that resonated with me the most was this: “Everything you go through in life is a part of the journey. Embrace it.” I’m so proud to be on this journey with so many other strong women who are boldly working to make this industry better.

Lessons Learned at the Leading Women Conference

The conversation in the industry has been focused on disruptive technology, but there’s one trend that has the potential to massively affect our ability to innovate and meet the demands of our business as a whole — and it revolves around our talent. With the baby boomer generation nearing retirement, it’s estimated that there will be a shortage of skilled labor to the tune of 2 million jobs by 2025. As you can imagine, this dramatically impacts our ability to meet the evolving needs of our customers. While some might argue that technology will help address that shortage, the fact remains that we still need talented individuals to help build that technology.

So where do you find such talent? I — and all those who attended the Leading Women Conference — might make a suggestion: women.

It’s no secret that the automotive industry has been an unwelcoming place for women. Automotive News’ Project XX found that 65 percent of women have experienced unwanted sexual advances while on the job. The culture of the auto industry can make it difficult for women to stay; dealerships see a 96 percent turnover rate for women. When women do stick it out, they have to fight for leadership positions (a trend not limited to the auto industry). In Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, she shares how only 5 percent of CEOs in the top 500 S&P companies are women, and how the percent of women in leadership has remained largely stagnant over the last 10 or so years. While at the conference, Jeff Kiel of Continental Automotive said, “We have an obligation to change the culture to meet the changing needs of the auto industry.” So how do we make the automotive industry a welcoming and desired place for women?

Beyond Mentorship: Sponsorship

As Tonie Leatherberry so hilariously put it, “Be Obi-Wan Kenobi” in your workplace. I’ve said over and over that mentorship is key to supporting the growth of anyone’s career (in fact, Women in Automotive has a mentorship program for women in the industry), but we shouldn’t forget about sponsorship. Mentorship is usually initiated by the mentee and involves regular meetings and opportunities to discuss everyday situations and learn from their mentor. Sponsorship lies more in the hands of the sponsor. If you’re in a leadership position, identify women in your organization that have potential and find opportunities to nominate them for projects, share their work with other leaders, or provide constructive feedback.

Flip the Script

Sometimes we have to actively work against the status quo or widely known “scripts” to make change. Take a look at the traditions or culture around you and ask yourself if it’s inclusive. Michelle Primm of Cascade Auto Group wants everyone to know that dealership succession doesn’t have to be father to son, it can be father to daughter (and hopefully in the future, mother to daughter). According to Automotive News, 57 percent of women say they’ve been excluded from social/networking events because of their gender. Think of gender-neutral ways to network or be social; choose to grab dinner, or volunteer in your local communities. Provide flexibility in your workplace so women who are caretakers can balance their careers and their families. Tell women in other industries about the great opportunities a career in automotive provides, and help them find their place within it.

Men: We Need You

Throughout the conference, I met a handful of men and they all shared the same sentiment: “I walked in and felt so out of place! There were so many women!” The women around me all responded in the same way: “Well, now you know what it’s like to be a woman in the auto industry!” For many of these men, it caused them to think about how they could be more inclusive and empathize with the struggles a woman might face in being a minority. While being the only woman in the room isn’t necessarily a barrier to a woman’s ability to advance in her career, it certainly doesn’t work in our favor when we attempt to attract talent to the industry. We need more men who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and learn more about how they can support women — and do so actively in their day-to-day jobs. If you’re a man — especially in a leadership role— look for ways to reach across and support women in their careers and lend your support to initiatives focused on supporting women.

While supporting women is definitely the “right thing to do,” it’s becoming more and more essential for the future success of our industry. I’m proud to be a part of an industry and company that is fighting to be more inclusive of women and find ways to support their careers. Let’s continue to push forward, for the sake of our future. 

Last week, I had the joy of attending the third Annual Women in Automotive Conference in Orlando, Florida. While there, I shared some research that CDK Global recently published. As women continue to graduate and enter the workforce at increasing rates, we still see them in only 18.6 percent of positions in dealerships. So, we set out to uncover the underlying reasons for the disparity. CDK Global conducted a study and a roundtable survey to better understand the overall experiences of women leaders working in the automotive retail industry.

It’s no secret that women make up a small portion of the dealer workforce and turnover among women is high. By not attracting and retaining women in the workforce, dealers are potentially missing out on huge sales opportunities.  How can dealers attract women to the industry? What motivates women to stay in the industry, and how have they found success?

Here are four key findings and steps for dealers to attract, retain and develop women to help drive sales.

Enticing New Hires

Many women in dealerships admit to entering the industry by accident and/or starting in entry-level positions with little or no auto experience or knowledge. However, the tides are changing. In fact, close to 20 percent more women were hired in intermediate and executive positions than ten years ago. While this is encouraging, dealers need to ensure that they are looking for talent in new places, encouraging women to come on board and offering new opportunities.

Increasing Retention

Keeping women excited and motivated in the workforce is crucial to supporting gender equality in the workplace and furthering dealer excellence. Feedback from women in the industry pointed to three things that support long-term retention:

1. A supportive workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion that is modeled by leadership
2. Recognizing the need for and adopting a more flexible schedule
3. Mentoring and support for professional and personal growth

If dealers focus on implementing these three policies, they can better retain their women leaders — and create a stronger overall culture.

Recognizing Leadership

According to the CDK survey, career promotion for women appeared to be stagnant, with more than half (55 percent) remaining in their current position for six or more years. And, 53 percent of survey respondents surveyed reported that promoting women in the dealer workforce is generally not a focus area for their dealership. With this in mind, dealers should consider developing strategic career paths as a way to engage, incentivize and recognize women in leadership.

Relationships Matter

Women tend to lean into relationship marketing over product much more than men, and this is evident in the auto industry. Leaders indicated that the retail environment should be not just a transaction, but a relational transaction. And with women influencing 85 percent of consumer purchases, this could be a distinction worth noting. “Putting the customer first” emerged as a perceived key differentiator between women and their male counterparts. Leaning into this strength will not only allow women in the dealership to feel more valued, but it will also benefit the customer.

Overall, it was encouraging to see that many felt the industry is moving in the right direction. However, there’s more work to be done. As automotive retail continues to evolve, opportunities for a more diverse workforce will follow.  The dealers who embrace this will be better equipped to address their customers today and tomorrow.