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The Dealership War Room

The Dealership War Room

Written by: Chris Hunsicker
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The Dealership War Room


Leadership Fire. Seven Minutes. Built Daily. Fueled Intentionally. Delivered Relentlessly.


Before the first customer walks in, before the phones start ringing, before your managers start asking, “Got a second?” — you get clarity, fire, and a concrete plan to lead with precision.


You don’t need another pep talk. You need a daily reset — a seven-minute tactical hit that sharpens your edge before the day takes it away.


If you’re like most dealership leaders, you didn’t sign up for endless chaos:


  • Inconsistent people — on fire one day, ghosts the next.
  • Slipping standards — chasing basics instead of building results.
  • Drained energy — OEM demands, turnover, comp plan changes.
  • Scattered focus — pulled in 50 directions before 9:00 AM.


The problem isn’t your market, your OEM, or even your people. It’s leadership execution — and you can’t execute well if you start in reaction mode.



Enter the War Room


Every weekday morning:


  • One mindset shift to get your head straight.
  • One leadership skill to sharpen.
  • One execution move to make right now.


Rooted in Positive Psychology (build hope), Stoic Philosophy (stay calm under fire), and High-Performance Science(focus + execute), each episode is designed to be sticky — you’ll remember it, quote it, and use it before noon.



The Velocity Framework


Core principles:


  • No Zero Days – Momentum is a choice.
  • You’re the Thermostat – You set tone, temperature, tempo.
  • Check Your Wake – The culture follows your energy.
  • Mood Is Not the Boss – Emotional regulation wins.
  • Lead Yourself First – You can’t give what you don’t have.
  • The War Is Won in the Morning – Execution starts early.
  • You’re Either Breaking or Being Broken – Leadership is never neutral.
  • Denominate the Cost of Mediocrity – Know the real cost of slippage.


At its heart are The Three Wars You Must Win:


  1. Inner War – Master mindset, discipline, energy.
  2. Team War – Build trust, standards, systems.
  3. Execution War – Drive consistent action, finish what you start.


Win all three, and you don’t just manage a dealership — you command it.



About Your Host


Chris Hunsicker — international bestselling author (Unstoppable Culture, Unstoppable You), executive coach, keynote speaker, and creator of the Velocity Framework. For 30+ years, Chris has coached dealership leaders, high-performance teams, and executives worldwide to lead with clarity, build relentless cultures, and execute at speed.



How to Use This Podcast


  1. Make it your morning fire ritual — listen before the chaos begins.
  2. Share with managers — spark performance conversations.
  3. Implement the daily challenge — move from agreement to action.
  4. Stack wins — 7 minutes a day = 150 minutes a month of sharpening.


The Dealership War Room — where elite leaders sharpen daily.

Let’s go create some leadership fire.Copyright 2025, Hunsicker Coaching International, LLC, All Rights Reserved Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Hope Is Not Soft. It’s the Fuel for Execution.

    Hope Is Not Soft. It’s the Fuel for Execution.
    Jan 23 2026

    What’s really breaking your team isn’t the market.

    It’s not the pay plan.

    It’s not Gen Z.

    It’s not even accountability.

    It’s hopelessness.

    People don’t quit when things are hard.

    They quit when they believe nothing will change and effort no longer matters.

    In this episode, we close the entire week with the missing ingredient underneath standards, stamina, skill, and execution: hope.

    Not optimism.

    Not hype.

    Not motivational talk.

    Operational hope—the belief that effort leads somewhere.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    • Why execution collapses when hope disappears
    • How leaders unknowingly kill hope through tone, sarcasm, and inconsistency
    • Why standards without hope feel oppressive
    • Why feedback without hope feels personal
    • How elite leaders build hope through behavior, not speeches
    • A simple “check your effect” tool to measure the wake you leave

    Hope isn’t soft.

    It’s what keeps people in the fight when things are hard.

    Because culture doesn’t change through pressure alone.

    Execution sticks when people believe tomorrow can be better than today.

    Hope is the fuel.

    Leadership decides whether it lives or dies. love the show? like, rate, review and share


    Step Into the War Room Community


    Get Chris Hunsicker’s free leadership tools, frameworks, and daily execution challenges — plus access to a private community of dealership leaders who are building unstoppable teams, mastering execution, and winning the inner game of leadership.


    📥 Join free here ➡️ https://info.chrishunsicker.com/private-podcst


    Connect with Chris on Social


    Daily leadership insights, dealership-specific execution tips, and behind-the-scenes coaching moments.


    • LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hunsicker-3437205/
    • Instagram ➡️ @christopherhunsicker
    • Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575644134790


    Watch, Learn, Apply — Anytime


    YouTube Channel: Full episodes, highlight reels, and visual frameworks so you can train yourself and your managers anytime.

    ▶️ Subscribe here ➡️https://www.youtube.com/@chrishunsicker31


    Recommended Next Steps for New Listeners


    1. Pick your first battle. Scroll through past episodes and start with one that calls you out.
    2. Make it your morning fire ritual. Seven minutes before the chaos begins — listen, learn, lead.
    3. Bring your managers in. Share an episode and challenge them to take one daily action.
    4. Track your wins. Stack 30 days of execution and see how fast the culture shifts.


    Share the War Room


    If this episode sparked something for you, share it with another leader today. Copy the link, drop it in a text, and tell them:

    “You need to hear this — it’s only 7 minutes, and it will make you better today.”

    Remember:


    You don’t need a better market.

    You don’t need better leads.

    You don’t even need better people.


    You need to become a better leader.


    Let’s go create some leadership fire.
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • High Performance Leadership Is Warmth and Standards

    High Performance Leadership Is Warmth and Standards
    Jan 22 2026

    Most leaders think they have to choose.

    Be kind or hold the line.

    Protect relationships or push for results.

    Show empathy or demand accountability.

    That belief is quietly killing performance.

    In this episode, we break down the skill most leaders are missing: high performance leadership requires high warmth and high standards—at the same time.

    Lower warmth under pressure and you create fear.

    Lower standards under pressure and you create drift.

    Both feel justified. Both destroy execution.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    • Why warmth without standards creates weakness
    • Why standards without warmth create burnout
    • The four leadership zones every team lives in
    • The exact balance elite leaders train under pressure
    • A simple daily check to stop defaulting when things get hard

    Elite leaders don’t soften when standards rise.

    They raise their warmth to match the standard.

    Because care without clarity fails.

    And clarity without care breaks people.

    High performance isn’t about choosing sides.

    It’s about mastering the balance.love the show? like, rate, review and share


    Step Into the War Room Community


    Get Chris Hunsicker’s free leadership tools, frameworks, and daily execution challenges — plus access to a private community of dealership leaders who are building unstoppable teams, mastering execution, and winning the inner game of leadership.


    📥 Join free here ➡️ https://info.chrishunsicker.com/private-podcst


    Connect with Chris on Social


    Daily leadership insights, dealership-specific execution tips, and behind-the-scenes coaching moments.


    • LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hunsicker-3437205/
    • Instagram ➡️ @christopherhunsicker
    • Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575644134790


    Watch, Learn, Apply — Anytime


    YouTube Channel: Full episodes, highlight reels, and visual frameworks so you can train yourself and your managers anytime.

    ▶️ Subscribe here ➡️https://www.youtube.com/@chrishunsicker31


    Recommended Next Steps for New Listeners


    1. Pick your first battle. Scroll through past episodes and start with one that calls you out.
    2. Make it your morning fire ritual. Seven minutes before the chaos begins — listen, learn, lead.
    3. Bring your managers in. Share an episode and challenge them to take one daily action.
    4. Track your wins. Stack 30 days of execution and see how fast the culture shifts.


    Share the War Room


    If this episode sparked something for you, share it with another leader today. Copy the link, drop it in a text, and tell them:

    “You need to hear this — it’s only 7 minutes, and it will make you better today.”

    Remember:


    You don’t need a better market.

    You don’t need better leads.

    You don’t even need better people.


    You need to become a better leader.


    Let’s go create some leadership fire.
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • When You Blame, You’ve Reached the End of Your Skill Set.

    When You Blame, You’ve Reached the End of Your Skill Set.
    Jan 21 2026

    If you’re blaming your team right now—their attitude, motivation, generation, or work ethic—this episode is going to hit close to home.

    Because blame isn’t the truth.

    Blame is a signal.

    And that signal is telling you one thing: you’ve reached the edge of your current leadership skill set.


    In this episode, we connect the dots from the last two conversations—selling ideas instead of demanding compliance, and being effective instead of just being right—and expose what really happens when execution stalls. Leaders don’t usually look inward. They look outward. And that’s where growth stops.


    In this episode, you’ll learn:
    • Why blame shows up when effort outpaces skill
    • How leaders unknowingly kill belief inside their teams
    • The danger of becoming an “educated blamer”
    • Why blame isn’t failure—it’s a curriculum
    • A simple Blame Audit to identify your next leadership upgrade


    Your team isn’t giving up because they’re weak.

    They give up when they stop believing change is possible.

    Elite leaders don’t ask, “What’s wrong with my people?”

    They ask, “What skill do I need to learn next?”

    Blame isn’t the enemy.


    Staying there is. love the show? like, rate, review and share


    Step Into the War Room Community


    Get Chris Hunsicker’s free leadership tools, frameworks, and daily execution challenges — plus access to a private community of dealership leaders who are building unstoppable teams, mastering execution, and winning the inner game of leadership.


    📥 Join free here ➡️ https://info.chrishunsicker.com/private-podcst


    Connect with Chris on Social


    Daily leadership insights, dealership-specific execution tips, and behind-the-scenes coaching moments.


    • LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hunsicker-3437205/
    • Instagram ➡️ @christopherhunsicker
    • Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575644134790


    Watch, Learn, Apply — Anytime


    YouTube Channel: Full episodes, highlight reels, and visual frameworks so you can train yourself and your managers anytime.

    ▶️ Subscribe here ➡️https://www.youtube.com/@chrishunsicker31


    Recommended Next Steps for New Listeners


    1. Pick your first battle. Scroll through past episodes and start with one that calls you out.
    2. Make it your morning fire ritual. Seven minutes before the chaos begins — listen, learn, lead.
    3. Bring your managers in. Share an episode and challenge them to take one daily action.
    4. Track your wins. Stack 30 days of execution and see how fast the culture shifts.


    Share the War Room


    If this episode sparked something for you, share it with another leader today. Copy the link, drop it in a text, and tell them:

    “You need to hear this — it’s only 7 minutes, and it will make you better today.”

    Remember:


    You don’t need a better market.

    You don’t need better leads.

    You don’t even need better people.


    You need to become a better leader.


    Let’s go create some leadership fire.
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
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