The true test of executive
leadership is how well
someone performs in the face of crisis. And if actions do
truly define someone, then the
current economic business climate is the ultimate proving
ground for today’s leaders.
This month’s cover story
subject, Ron Marhofer, owner
of Ron Marhofer Auto Family,
is no stranger to adapting to
tough economic times. He
bought a Hyundai franchise to
add to his group of dealerships
back in 1987, around the time
of a previous stock market
crash, and was forced to
rethink the way he did business in order to make the
acquisition successful.
Marhofer quickly realized he
needed to develop a strong group of leaders to
help him replicate
the culture that had
been successful
when his operations
were smaller. And
then, he had to
develop ways to
communicate one
consistent message
to everyone.
Those tactics are just as critical now during today’s new
economic realities.
Back in October, we asked
our readers about the tactics
they use to lead their organizations through trying times, and
the response was overwhelming. So starting with this edition
of Smart Business, we’re
launching a monthly feature
called Survival Tactics, which will be dedicated to
examining and sharing what regional
executives are doing.
And, we’ll be focused
on the positives
rather than the negatives. Over the next
12 months, we plan
to tackle topics such
as how to get everyone to focus on his or her job
and avoid being distracted by
the plummeting stock market,
how to find ways to drum up
new business when budgets are
so tight, and what simple things
CEOs can do to inspire confidence in their employees that
the sky is not falling.
This month’s main feature
offers tips from Zircoa Inc.’s
John Kaniuk, whose tactic is to continually keep his 150
employees aware of how the
economy is affecting the $30
million manufacturing firm.
“Even if I don’t have the
answer, at least I’m discussing
it with them,” he says.
We also spoke with Gateway
Title’s Rachel Torchia about
how she’s thriving in the midst
of a brutal housing market.
Hopefully, your organization
has its own survival tactics,
which we’d like to hear about.
Send us an e-mail and let us
know what you’re doing, and
we will try to include it in an
upcoming feature.
Contact Editor Dustin Klein at
[email protected]
