Curiosity beats fear in modern retail automotive. In this episode of The Dealer Playbook, Michael Cirillo sits down with Sebrina Westbrooke, Program Manager at Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada and lead for the Canadian Dealer Academy, to unpack how car dealerships are future-proofing leadership teams for AI, electrification, digital retailing, and connected services—without losing the human connection that drives performance.

You’ll hear how the Academy builds real operators, not shelf-ware: learners work directly from their own DMS reports, financial statements, PMA data, and benchmarks, then implement changes in-store—like a fixed ops tune-up that lifted department profit by 6% in the first month. We also dig into the gaps that hold back new general managers (often promoted for past results, not leadership readiness) and how to close them with clarity, data, and soft-skill mastery.

What you’ll learn:

1. How to turn curiosity into an operating system that reduces fear around AI and EV transitions

2. A practical way to replace “gut feel” with dealership data—and the exact questions great leaders ask

3. Why fixed ops fluency is the hidden unlock for many first-time GMs from the variable side

4. The leadership capabilities that matter now: critical thinking, problem-solving, human-centric management

5. How to align culture, engagement, and training with profitability (and stop overspending to “buy” results)

Who this is for: car dealership owners, dealer principals, general managers, department leaders, and emerging leaders who want measurable performance in sales, service, and F&I—without waiting on manufacturer incentives or bigger ad budgets.