From Doer to Leader: How I Helped an Automotive Services Director Shift Gears and Achieve a 72% Revenue Increase

A top-performing Field Manager at a multi-billion dollar automotive services company had been promoted to head a critical business expansion initiative. However, things weren’t going as planned. His abrasive leadership style and lack of business perspective were holding him back, and after 14 months, his division's results were well below expectations. The CEO considered firing him when I was brought in to coach him.

The Problem: A Leader Struggling to Adapt

This new Director was a classic example of someone who excelled in a “doer” role but struggled to transition into leadership. He was still telling his team what to do, but he couldn’t explain why their work mattered or how they would get there. The result? A disengaged team and poor performance.

The Solution: Developing Leadership and Whole-Business Thinking

I became the Director’s Thinking and Execution Partner, guiding him to redefine his leadership brand and improve his interactions with his team. We worked on several key areas:

●      How to shift from being a doer to being a strategic thinker.

●      How to explain the “what” and the “why” to his team, ensuring they understood their role in achieving business goals.

●      How can we adopt and apply new leadership tools, like Stephen Covey’s “Seek first to understand, then to be understood?”

●      How to build stronger collaborations across departments and create solid internal alliances.

The Results: 72% Revenue Increase

Over 14 months, we turned things around. Every key performance indicator improved, and total revenue for the group jumped by 72%. The Director’s team became more engaged and aligned with the company's strategy. His new leadership style didn’t just help him keep his job—it earned him a promotion to a higher-level field leadership position.