Know What You Can Decide

Being a manager means making decisions. It does not mean every decision belongs to you.

Handle normal management

You should not need permission for every routine action. Within the normal operation, you are expected to:

• Set and adjust daily priorities.
• Assign and reassign work.
• Move people to protect an urgent need.
• Inspect work and require rework.
• Correct routine performance and communication issues.
• Restore organization, safety, and known Prime One standards.
• Give realistic operational updates.
• Request normal supply or equipment support through the proper path.
• Submit employee time-off requests on the Airtable time-off form. Employees ask you at least one week ahead.

Inform leadership early

Some issues are still yours to manage, but your Operations Manager should know about them early:

• Staffing is becoming unstable or an absence may affect service.
• A meaningful commitment may fail.
• A quality, employee, equipment, or dealership concern is repeated or significant.
• The store is becoming unstable or support is needed.
• The issue may become visible to senior dealership or Prime One leadership.

Bring facts, what you have already done, your recommendation, and the specific support or decision you need. Do not simply call and say, “We have a problem.”

Get approval before committing the company

Do not make promises outside your authority. Unless authority has specifically been delegated, get approval before committing Prime One on matters such as:

• Hiring, termination, pay, or permanent staffing and schedule changes (except firing on the spot for extreme misconduct, explained below).
• Pricing, credits, free or expanded services, or contract terms.
• Major purchases, unapproved vendors, policy exceptions, financial promises, or legal representations.

Escalate serious risk immediately

• Injury or serious safety risk.
• Violence, threats, harassment, theft, or illegal activity.
• Significant vehicle or property damage or meaningful key-loss risk.
• A dealership demanding the immediate removal of personnel.
• A serious threat to the account.
• No responsible coverage or a condition in which the store cannot continue safely.

Do not hide serious problems because you are afraid of getting in trouble. Leadership would rather hear the truth early than discover the truth late.

The one exception to getting approval: you may fire an employee on the spot only in extreme cases, such as showing up intoxicated or having alcohol or drugs on the premises, verbal abuse or cursing at people, threats or violence, illegal or criminal activity, sexual harassment or inappropriate comments, or openly disrespecting or undermining your authority. Make sure the situation is safe, write down the facts, and notify your Operations Manager immediately. Anything short of that goes through the normal process.

What you should expect from Prime One

Accountability is fair only when the role is clear and supported. You should expect Prime One to provide clear standards and decision boundaries, training, reasonably safe and usable tools and products, a practical path for coverage and equipment support, timely decisions when an issue exceeds your authority, and direct coaching when you need to improve.

Ownership is a two-way responsibility: you operate the store, and Prime One gives you the structure and support to do it responsibly.