Even in high school, Emanuel
D. Jones knew he was
destined for business success
when, as a member of a Junior
Achievement program, he was
elected president of his group’s
mini-company.
After graduating from two Ivy
League schools, Jones did a
stint as an electrical engineer
but soon realized that punching
the corporate clock wasn’t for
him. When his cousin’s fiance
told him about a leadership
academy at General Motors, his
interest was piqued, but when he called, he was told he needed
10 years of management experience and $100,000 to get into
its dealer academy.
Jones had neither but was
accepted anyway. He founded his
first dealership 16 years ago and
has since built Legacy Automotive
Group into a $149 million family
of car dealerships. As president
and owner of the group, he
also serves as a District 10
state senator, which he says
wouldn’t be possible if he were
punching someone else’s time
clock.
Smart Business spoke with
Jones about how to keep your
business moving forward and
why sometimes you have to
fire your best salesperson.
Build your culture. (Employees)
have to feel that you’re accessible and feel there’s an open
door. They have to really feel
you are a good listener and that
you have a vested interest in
their success and not the other
way around, where they have a
vested interest in your success.
That’s something you have to
do every single day — when
they see you, when you’re
there, when you greet them in
the morning, it could be as
simple as a handshake or a
‘Hello, how are you?’ I don’t
stay in the office. I’d rather
hang out in the service lane or
be on the sales floor.
Be someone that is open —
value diverse opinions. You cannot be a person who is going to
attempt to impose your will on
someone else because they will
know right away.
I grew up on a poor side of
town. I lost my parents by the
time I was 11, and as long as
you remain humbled and true
to those things that helped you
get where you are, people see
that humbleness in you.
It is all of those little things
that you do that’s going to
imprint yourself on them, and
they’ll know this person really
does care and does have our
best interest at heart.
When you do that, you can
provide opportunities where all
employees come together in a
social setting, and they will start
forming this dynamic culture
that will be beneficial in moving
the organization forward.