Aftermarket News: Reflections from Leadership 2.0: Tammy Tecklenburg

Tecklenburg, automotive aftermarket veteran and founder and CEO of dott., chronicled her day as presenter.

This week, the University of the Aftermarket is hosting its Leadership 2.0 class on the campus of Northwood University. A two-week, experiential aftermarket-focused leadership development program, Leadership 2.0 kicked off on Monday and featured more than 30 students and an array of speaking.

Tammy Tecklenburg, automotive aftermarket veteran and founder and CEO of DEI firm dott, gave us a front row seat on day two’s activities. Read Tecklenburg’s reflections as she visited Northwood University to present to this year’s Leadership 2.0 class after earning her AAP certification in 2019.

Last night marked my inaugural visit to the Sloan Family Building of Aftermarket Studies, where the Leadership 2.0 event commenced. With nearly three decades entrenched in the industry, the marvels of this institution – rich in history – truly resonated with me.

I was honored to introduce our friend, industry icon and keynote speaker Mike Mohler (executive vice president and chief purchasing officer for the Automotive Parts Services Group). Echoing the sentiments of Maya Angelou, I highlighted Mike’s career journey and key leadership attributes, underscoring the timeless truth: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” For those familiar with Mike, this is his superpower.

In the spotlight, Mike shared his perspectives of “What’s New in the Aftermarket,” He ignited a call to action to champion change, embrace “unconventional thinking” and relentlessly prioritize our people.

As the founder of dott. (an acronym for “diversity of thought”), I reveled in the harmony of our shared outlook on future growth opportunities. In closing, Mike noted that he had planned to use the same Maya Angelou quote that I opened with….”People will never forget how you made them feel.” Synchronicity prevailed.

Today, I was humbled to lead the inaugural session at Northwood on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Our learners embraced the notion that, “In order to be our best, we need to be our collective best. If we have folks stepping into spaces where they can’t be themselves, where they can’t be honest and authentic, everyone loses.”

There are a number of studies that show the significance of “diversity of thought.” It supports engagement, celebrates difference (of perspectives and experience), improves the bottom line, sparks creativity, increases innovation and drives productivity. We win when people can step into workspaces that are psychologically safe.

This tapestry of “diversity of thought,” agility, adaptation and evolution seamlessly interwove into Dr. Frank Morgan’s (adjunct professor at Northwood University) invigorating discussion on the “Impact of Organizational Culture on Strategy.” As project teams were announced, a reminder resounded — “Diverse teams make better decisions.”

Dr. Tom Litzinger’s passion for education and excitement around his new role as executive director at the University of the Aftermarket is contagious. The warm and welcoming environment that he and James O’Dell created here is inspiring. Our learners are a diverse group from all levels and functions across the aftermarket. Thank you to the companies that invested to send their team members here this week. They will never forget how you made them feel.

During my session on “Relationships that Drive Results: Navigating Professional Networking,” I recounted an episode when I was selected for Honeywell’s leadership development program, an opportunity extended to 1% of their top talent. This experience transformed me by unveiling my “superpower'”— emotional intelligence. Fifteen years later, far-reaching ripples of this learning have positively impacted the Women in Auto Care community.

The insights sparked this week have the potential to be equally as transformative. As day one draws to a close and we prepare for the YANG meet-up (sponsored by The Group), I feel a sense of pride in how the learners bonded around shared values, mutual beliefs and culture. I’m confident that the future of our industry is bright…and inclusive.This year’s Leadership 2.0 participants are positioned to channel incremental influences, steering change within their respective organizations.

I’m confident that the future of our industry is bright…and inclusive.

Echoing Larry Pavey’s wise words, “We’ve never be this good before, we’ll never be this bad again.”