To be a successful automaker or supplier in today’s competitive world, I believe every single person involved in your value chain must fully understand the company’s mission and direction, and execute their roles perfectly to move toward shared goals. As an example, when a potential customer walks into a dealership, they are about to buy the second most expensive product they will ever own.

This is not just a transaction. Everything must be handled with professionalism… to build trust… and ideally establish a relationship with that customer for life. But it goes well beyond dealers. It also extends to suppliers, logistics partners, IT providers, team members in our plants, design engineers, sales and marketing associates, and anyone else responsible for getting our vehicles into the driveways of satisfied customers.