Leadership 2.0, the University of the Aftermarket’s annual Leadership Development Program, officially began its second session Sunday at Northwood University’s West Palm Beach, Fla., campus. This week, several participants in this year’s class will bring us their firsthand perspective on the experience. Today, we present blog entry No. 1 from Danielle Sonnefeld of N.A. Williams. 
After an especially hard winter for most of the country, our second week of Leadership 2.0 in West Palm Beach, Fla., welcomed us with warm weather and a sunny disposition. While preparing for this week, I spent some time reflecting on the wealth of knowledge I have already gained from attending this course. I would like to share three lessons that especially hit home. 
Take-Away #1: Know more than average. Try more than average. Strive to make the leap from Good to Great. Leadership 2.0 has taught me that this is all wrong. Leadership is not about “me” or “I” – it is about “we” or “you.” Great leaders inspire and bring out the best in others, not just themselves. They energize everyone around them and encourage with a supportive attitude. This is a valuable lesson that has changed my perspective on who I view as role-model leaders and how I aspire to grow in the future.
The best aspect of attending this type of course is interacting and learning from my fellow classmates. This is a group of people committed to making a difference in this industry. The Auto Care Industry has many moving parts and it is rare to find an environment where ideas are shared freely and lessons are learned from people representing each one of those parts.
My team’s project was focused on the industry hot-topic: Telematics, “The Connected Car.” What about the connected industry? Working for a manufacturer’s rep agency, I am fortunate to interact with a variety of different types of customers and an array of top suppliers. But how many of us limit our professional network to only those people who can directly impact our job/role? This is a relationship business and that is the foundation of why our industry is so great.
And so, Take-Away #2 is: Build strong relationships on the basis that you can learn from everyone and focus on how you can help people versus the other way around.
The final lesson took me the last six months to realize. We are in an age of electronic communication and personal touch is quickly diminishing. Working on a project with a group of professionals scattered across the country has taught me the true value of face-to-face meetings and in-person relationships. After months of bi-weekly conference calls and flurries of emails, our team decided to meet in-person for a weekend and focus on our project. More ideas were generated and more quality work was completed during that in-person meeting than a year of emails and calls would have ever produced.
It is estimated that one hour of face-to-face contact equals five video conferences, 10 telephone calls or 20 emails. Take Away #3: Don’t let busy schedules or budget cuts stop you from capitalizing on the value of in-person meetings.
I have gained so many lessons already from this course that I cannot wait to spend the next week building on that knowledge and learning. I am fortunate that N.A. Williams has given me this opportunity to further my professional development and has truly made me appreciative of the quality leaders we have leading our business and industry today.
