Jack Taylor’s story is one of those “greatest generation” stories. In World War II he was part of Air Group 15, known as “Legendary 15.” He flew thirty-five combat missions, most off the carriers Essex and Enterprise. He came home and started a successful business delivering packages, was wooed away by an auto dealer, and later started a car leasing company. The leasing company evolved into a car rental company, that Jack named “Enterprise.”
Enterprise grew rapidly. The company was successful as the only car rental company that concentrated on local business and because it followed Jack Taylor’s core business philosophy.
He understood his “product” as a great customer experience. He also believed that if you gave people respect and career opportunities, the result would be growth. People with a strong entrepreneurial bent and who wanted to move fast thrived at Enterprise.
Taylor knew that seizing marketplace opportunities demanded a steady flow of qualified branch managers. Enterprise’s management training program was created to give men and women who wanted to move fast tools that could make them successful. It’s a good example of how effective talent development works.
The program mixes classroom work and on-the-job training. Trainees work at local branches. They wash cars, work behind the counter and learn the business from the ground up. Branch managers are expected to be mentors. And, with the exception of a few hires from outside, everyone starts in a branch.
That includes Pam Nicholson, the current COO. It also includes Andy Taylor, the CEO and son of the founder. He says: “By starting behind the counter, every employee learns what it takes to meet a customer’s needs one-on-one.”
The Management Training Program is critical. Participants learn basic business skills such as accounting and managing a P & L, as well as the details of running an Enterprise branch. It’s like a mini-MBA, only more practical because you get to put the lessons to work right way.
Working in the branch also introduces management trainees to the way that a branch manager’s performance is evaluated. Enterprise uses a customer satisfaction survey, Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQi), as the key manager evaluation tool.
There are no perfect systems, but this one is pretty good. Recruiters look for new hires with that entrepreneurial spirit, for whom promotion is the big reward. The training program gives them tools and the almost-immediate opportunity to use them. And it exposes trainees to performance measurement based on customer satisfaction.
