Teach Fleet Management 101

Unless the new boss has some background or understanding of fleet management, the next step is to begin the education process. The fleet manager has “felt out” the new manager, based on several factors, including where he or she came from, early discussions or communications, and specific questions that may have been posed.

Fleet managers should now take the initiative. Tell, don’t ask, the new boss that you’d like to bring him or her up to date on how the fleet is being managed, what the policy is, and why things are done the way they are. It doesn’t necessarily need to be accomplished in a single meeting; it can be done over a period of time depending, of course, subject to the new boss’ schedule and availability.

It’s better to start by determining what it is that he or she wants to know first; however, guide new managers through the basics. Start with fleet policy, vehicle assignment, replacement policy, maintenance and repair processes, accidents, and safety. This should provide a good foundation for moving into more specific fleet matters. Remember, a few dos and don’ts to the process:

Do keep whatever materials used simple. Use graphs and bullet points, not detailed spreadsheets or verbiage. It is likely that your time with the new boss will be limited, so plan your “lessons” carefully.

Don’t forget, however, to have the details handy. Bring reports and analyses along, and be ready to provide the background for the decisions made.

Do remember that you, the fleet manager, are the expert, and that you have the background and experience the new boss doesn’t have.

However, don’t flaunt your expertise, or assume the new boss is completely at sea about fleet. Be the teacher, but don’t forget who is the Boss!

Do, if schedules permit, hold “class” in a series of relatively short meetings. You should be able to cover any of the basics in a half hour. Multiple meetings will keep the new boss’ interest, and will also enable the fleet manager to develop a more personal relationship, a comfort, that one or two longer meetings won’t.

The venue for the “classroom” isn’t all that important; however, try to conduct the classes off site, if possible. This will minimize interruptions, and ensure you have the full attention of the boss. The second (and more likely) choice is a conference room; the worst is the manager’s office, where interruptions and distractions will be most intense.

Try to make the sessions interactive, and encourage questions and other forms of give and take. Naturally, you won’t test his or her understanding of the material, but as you move forward and report and communicate fleet activity, refer back to the “classes” regularly. (For example, “You may recall how we use lifecycle costing to select vehicles. Here are those vehicles we’ve chosen for the coming model-year.”)

Use Preparation & Common Sense

Though all of these processes sound complex and time consuming, they really aren’t. Remember, if the fleet manager is doing the job in the first place, all of the detail and background should already be readily available, and he or she should know and understand how to present it to the uninformed.

Preparing for the education of the new boss is the key to success, and understanding how to approach him or her to initiate the process is simple common sense. Remember these simple rules:

Familiarize yourself with the new boss’ background, and where their expertise lies.

Using that knowledge, ask some preliminary questions to learn what the new boss wants to know first.

Develop the curriculum carefully. Be prepared to cover fleet management from beginning to end; however, choose the most important aspects (company vehicles versus reimbursement or vehicle selection) if your time, or their interest, is limited.

Keep it simple. Present the curriculum at a high level, using summaries, graphs, and bullet points, but in a simple format. And, make sure to have all the detail and background analyses handy, just in case it’s needed.

Take advantage of the time to begin to develop a relationship.

Keep the “classes” short to maintain interest.

 

Concluding Remark

Fleet managers may well be competing with other department heads for time and attention. Don’t be greedy, but be firm in your efforts to get time. The new boss can become overwhelmed if too much detail and information is pressed on him or her too quickly, and attempts to monopolize the time won’t be well received.

Like it or not, in today’s business environment fleet managers can expect to have more than one supervisor over the years. Fleet management is a specialty, a very unique discipline, and it is more likely than not that a new boss won’t have much background and understanding. They may well have very strong opinions about cars — personal preferences or experiences —that they’ll bring with them. Accept that they will, but use your own skills to explain that such personal likes and dislikes cannot be part of the job.

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