Michael Lane, Dealer Principal of Lane Toyota discusses the importance of family values within his business and why he looks for new employees he’d be happy to have home for dinner.

What is the history of Lane Anderson Motors?

I am the current owner of Lane Toyota which I purchased from my family in 2002, who had previously owned the business since 1985.  Prior to that, the Anderson family had owned the company for many years.

The Lane family has been involved in various dealerships since 1914 and I am the third generation to carry-on the family name within the industry.  My grandfather started as a mechanic when he was a young kid and then started his own company with another prominent family in the area who took on a partnership with him.  He knew about the automotive side of things, he was a bicycle mechanic at the time actually.  Two years later they opened another company called Lanes Motors in the city of Melbourne and over the course of 1914 through the 1st and 2nd World Wars they had several brands including Berwick.

My father, who is still alive, is 82 and started in the business just after the war around 1948-1949.  He worked through the company and became a managing director at about 35 and retired at 50 odd.  So I am 3rd generation and I am very proud of that.

We came here to Glen Waverly in 1985 after my father left Lanes Motors and sold out his shares as it was a public company. That was a very emotional time for him as he was saying to his sons, okay you are on your own now, off you go and get a job.

How have you spent your time in the industry?

 I started in the motor industry at 18 as a service adviser with Collins Mitsubishi and then went on to do a cadetship at LAPCO (Lances Auto Parts Company).  I then went on to Lanes Motors doing pretty menial tasks, sweeping floors and screwing on number plates.  Starting at the bottom was always going to be part of the deal and I didn’t have a problem with that.  I continued to work my way through the ranks for about three or four years until eventually that led to Lanes Motors Mercedes.  A fellow called Peter Marshal who has just recently retired said he wanted me to do a formal Cadetship and from there he took me under his wing. He trained, disciplined and mentored me for the next 12 years.

I eventually become an area manager for a couple of states in Australia.  Then, in the last recession we were struggling here and my brother who was working here asked me to come out and give him a hand.  Even though I was enjoying Mercedes, I agreed to come over.  My brother subsequently left two years later and my father came in and took over the company and in 1994 I took on the role as the Dealer Principal.

Looking back it was definitely a worthwhile learning experience.  In 2002 after two years of negotiating with my family around the dinner table, I bought the business from my family.  I bought the freehold and the business and backed myself to keep the business going and growing into what it is today.

Although we are entering uncertain times now, we have just finished building a new show room, although that took a long time to get the capital to do that.  Recently we just settled on our new workshop in Mulgrave which we have purchased and I will spend the next 15 or so years paying that off.

So I guess Toyota will eventually say ‘thank you very much, it’s time you had a succession plan’ which I don’t have at the moment as I am only 45!

How would you describe the culture Lanes?

Our philosophy as a family business is believing that things have to be handled in the right way – firmly, fairly and with respect.  It has been instilled in me if you treat people with respect you receive respect in return and we apply this theory in all areas, including with our employees and consumers.

We are lucky to have had many loyal employees here over the years.  I recently gave our car cleaner his gold watch for 21 years of service and I would have another five or six people who have been here for over 10 years.  I also have one fellow who has been with us for 30 years, having come straight from school.  He was actually here before we bought the business.  Not sure what sort of watch to give him, but we certainly look forward to celebrating his milestone as well.

I believe there is a good culture here.  People who have been here a long time are valued and what they say is respected as they have witnessed the changes in our industry over the years.

We are not complicated people, we just believe in working together to get the job done.

What do you look for in a person when you are hiring someone?

I am looking for people with similar values to us who understand a team environment and how to work within a family unit.  We don’t suffer the “fringe dweller” type of sales person who flitters between jobs.  We are looking for someone who is ready to make a commitment to the business, otherwise it is just a waste of time for all involved.

We don’t want to hire a super star either because they come with a lot of emotional baggage.  We are really just looking for your solid family type of person who can fit in with the rest of the staff.  We don’t need someone who has plenty to say but can’t back it up.  Those people generally do not last here.  Most people we hire you would be happy to have home for dinner and that contributes to the underlying culture here.

Many of our staff socialize together in a healthy way and that is nice to see.  We try to create a friendly environment because spending eight hours of your day at work is a significant amount of time and we have got to make sure that people fit in and enjoy it.

While we like to see a long term commitment from our people, we also understand that for some to reach their full potential they need to leave to pursue other things and that’s fine too.  We certainly can’t put up with the ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude, which is associated with Generation Y.  It’s got to be ‘what’s in it for us, the employee and the employer’.  We also like people who have hobbies and have other interest because we like them to be able to converse with the staff and customers on all levels and in a more worldly way.

How do you retain you staff?

We have two-way performance review meetings, where the employee also has the opportunity to tell us what they think and what their personal aspirations are.  Open and honest communication helps build a trusting relationship which leads to loyal employees. 

Why would people want to work at Lane Toyota?

Hopefully people find that it is a more communicative place where your ideas are listened to and valued.  I treat all my employees with respect and if there is an issue my door is always open.  I have had people come to me over the years and tell me how much they loved working here and that is always flattering to hear.

Do you have any suggestions for people wanting to work in a place like Lane Toyota?

We certainly don’t put up with any rubbish.  If they have the ticker for it and want to have a shot, that is good enough for us.  We will give them a go; you just have to see it in their eyes. 

It is a great job for a young person in their mid 20’s to 30.  What we are trying to do here is give them some life skills so if they are younger and they apply themselves with us, we will support and train them.  It is a great career for anyone who is driven as you can earn great money.  There can be pressures and the hours can be long but once you get to a certain level you can make a good living from it.

You also need to be able to convince rather then coerce.  I am a big believer that people buy a car rather than be sold a car.  It is the kind of job that the more you put in the more you get out of it, as with life.  We believe there are people out there who deserve an opportunity and we will be looking out for them in the coming weeks.

Get on the internet and put your details forward or better yet, come in and say hello. Some of the best people we have ever hired have just walked in here and asked for a job. That shows a certain determination and you only get half a story via a resume.