Terry L. Karges of the Petersen Automotive Museum on “Only The Strong Survive”
On this episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” host Dan Kahn talks with Terry L. Karges. As the executive director of the famed Petersen Automotive Museum, Karges has played a central role in its transformation. Since joining the museum 13 years ago, he has helped quadruple ticket sales and tripled staff size. Going beyond just the numbers, Karges changed the very nature of the museum from a somewhat random collection of cars to a world-class museum with cutting-edge exhibits that reach every corner of car culture. Even the building where the museum is housed went through its own radical transformation in 2015.
Leading any company through transformational changes is always hard. Creating impactful changes in organizations previously entrenched in their operations and mindset can be even more difficult. Throughout his leadership role at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Karges has learned plenty. Click on the play icon above to listen to the entire “Only The Strong Survive” episode as Terry shares with Dan what he has learned over his long career and during his time at the museum. Here are our top five takeaways:
Every single aspect of a customer’s experience matters.
Initiating a sense of shared responsibility builds better teams.
Finding the right employees is only one part of the equation.
Recognizing trends and capitalizing on them can lead to increased revenue.
Loving what you do is extremely important.
Your Bathrooms Matter
The Petersen Automotive Museum has immaculate bathrooms. That fact might seem random or inconsequential, but for Karges, it shows how details absolutely matter. A substandard restroom might seem minor, but it can easily detract from an otherwise great experience at the museum. Every part of the customer experience needs to be considered and optimized.
“The guest experience is everything, and that is why we are here…looking at what a facility can be and what is the guest experience. One of the things that disgusted me about the museum when I first got there was the horrible bathrooms,” says Karges. “There was so much that had to be fixed, but these are human things that can be done.”
Going Beyond Giving Employees a Voice
Giving employees a voice in an organization is always a good idea. However, a say in how a company operates or crafts its mission is not enough. For Karges, building a strong sense of shared responsibility is also essential. Doing so helps create effective teamwork and people who take collective pride in a team’s achievements.
“One of the things that we talk to the whole team about regularly is not only do you have a voice and vote in what we are going to do, but you also have a shared responsibility,” says Karges. “If you walk by a piece of paper (on the ground) or see something that needs to be fixed or corrected and you just keep going, that is not what I would call a team effort. Why do you expect someone else to do that when you can? It is not going out of your way, but think of the guest experience.”
It is More Than Just Finding the Right People
Karges is quick to credit his success at the Petersen Automotive Museum to his employees. Finding and hiring the right people is a skill that is absolutely vital to the success of any organization. For Karges, creating that success goes beyond just onboarding the right people. You also need to listen to them, respect them and empower them.
“It is a matter of finding the right people. That is another part of the lessons of when I was at Disney,” says Karges. “You have to find the right people and let them do it; let them go. I was asking a fellow one day how he became successful and how he did it. He said that if you really want to be successful, you are going to have to allow people to do things differently from the way you might do them. That doesn’t mean it is going to be bad, but you need to be willing to listen.”
Capitalize on Trends
The shift towards smaller and more interactive events has accelerated across multiple industries, including automotive. To capitalize on this trend, Karges pitched the Petersen Automotive Museum to OEMs as the perfect location for more intimate and exclusive vehicle introductions. The right clientele could enjoy the museum and also get an up-close and detailed look at the latest car models. That effort worked and now helps add revenue for the museum’s many educational programs and other initiatives.
“The industry has begun to shift away from spending fortunes at auto shows, where you are there for 14 days, your people are tied up and the space is phenomenally expensive. There are a couple of million people (at the shows), but how many of them are really your designated targets? What the manufacturers have found is that the museum is a really beautiful location to showcase or do a reveal,” says Karges. “We do it on different floors, but in the past 24 months, we have probably done 21 new car reveals with the manufacturers.”
Passion is Everything
Karges is past the age when many would retire, and most in his position would seek a less demanding job they could “coast” in. However, Karges is still going strong and has no intention of letting off the gas. His hard work ethic is a direct result of his love for what he does. That passion is the fuel that keeps him pushing himself and the Petersen Automotive Museum forward.
“Doing what you love isn’t work,” says Karges. “I talked to my grandsons about that and told them to find what they wanted to do. You won’t hit on it immediately. You are going to have to experiment and keep trying, but eventually, you will figure it out.”
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