With more than 40 years in the automobile business, TheeAnna Stevens has led dealership operations across sales, service, finance and customer relations. As vice president of Stevens Management Company, she helps oversee four dealership locations. At 60 Ideas in 60 Minutes, hosted live Sept. 29, 2026, her advice returned repeatedly to people, accountability and change.
“Take care of your people, and they will take care of your customers,” Stevens wrote. She points to employees who have stayed with the company for 15, 20 and even more than 25 years in an industry known for turnover. For her, retention is evidence of a workplace where employees are valued.
That people-first approach does not replace sound management. Stevens says leaders must know the numbers, assess vendors and contracts, review departmental processes and look for ways to reduce waste. Small operational improvements, repeated over time, can produce meaningful results.
She warns against assumptions. A returning customer, a stable market or a process that worked yesterday cannot be taken for granted. Leaders should ask questions, verify facts and remain close enough to the daily business to recognize when circumstances shift.
Stevens has watched the auto industry change dramatically. Her lesson applies well beyond dealerships: Adapt before circumstances force the decision. She also believes hiring should emphasize character, while businesses develop employees’ skills through responsibility, support and accountability.
Reputation, she argues, outweighs any single deal. Keeping commitments and making the right decision even when it is difficult helps sustain relationships with customers, employees and vendors.
Her final lessons are about timing and humility. Difficult conversations and operational problems tend to become more costly when postponed. And experience is no excuse to stop learning. “Cars are the product, people are the business,” she wrote — a succinct summary of the approach she believes sustains a company.
