Talent and The Great Divide

Well, hello, hello! It seems like it has been forever since we have had a chance to catch up. Of course, you might be thinking that it hasn’t been long enough…. Tragic I know. I honestly think that I have written four blogs over the last 10 Days and decided to change the subject matter every time. Maybe if I could share a bit of the challenge, you might be able to help with some solutions.

 The AI world is moving quickly as you will see at the conference. Just listen to the Techsters and businesspeople which are all saying that it is moving faster than they anticipated. Any reasonable person would also come to two other conclusions:

·       The shit ain’t slowing down and we ain’t seen nothing yet!

·        It’s going to have a dramatic impact on our industry!

 It’s funny because they have all these studies out there that point at the low level of engagement that people have at work. (25% augh!) That was and is driven by the Leader. No doubt about that but that is also changing in its make-up.

It is Leadership’s role and responsibility to help get everyone engaged but what about the people working there? Don’t they need to be open to change and making it happen instead of being cynical and spending time complaining and pointing fingers?

 I have a very strange idea. Why doesn’t everyone in the organization talk about the changes that are coming and how everyone can help with the strategy and execution? (this sounds like the Twight Zone blog) Let’s get the truth out there. If you are currently relying solely on your Leader to navigate speedboat waters when all they have done is race canoes, well, that’s not fair. They are learning at the same time as you are about this technology. This is the biggest change your organization will ever have gone through! It’s got to be all hands-on deck to get this transformation done. Amen!

Anyway, for this blog, I finally landed on showing Dealers what the future of recruiting talent might look like depending on which side of the Divide they have chosen. Let’s get into it:

 Meet Alex. She is a designer who just moved to Denver. Talented, motivated, and looking for the right place to land. Within a week, she’s lined up for two interviews at Kitchen & Bath Dealers. Same industry. Same city. But the way they operate? Night and day.

Interview #1: Chaos Kitchens

“Okay… deep breath. I can do this.” Alex walks in. No welcome sign. No one was waiting for her. She checks in and watches the staff whirl around like bees in a hive that’s been shaken.

The interview starts late. The manager is kind but looks exhausted.

“We’re short on good people,” he admits. “Designers, installers, salespeople… it’s tough.”

Alex glances at the desk piled with paper. She hears a designer nearby trying to fix a quoting error. Phones ring, waiting to be answered. Someone’s running out the door to measure a job they already measured once.

“How much time do they spend fixing mistakes instead of creating kitchens?” she wonders.

The manager talks about how everyone is working hard. Alex believes him. But she also starts to understand the underlying problem:

• Quoting takes weeks to turn around for customers.

• Orders are getting messed up because of the lack of time to check them.

• Installers are frustrated with poor communication and mistakes.

• And no one tracks the problems, let alone fix the cause.

They are nice people. But old tools + old processes = old headaches. Alex leaves thinking: “If I take this job, it’s going to be chaos.”

Interview #2: NextGen Living

Two days later, a FedEx package arrives at Alex’s door. Inside: a welcome letter, company information, and even a little note with her name on it. “Wow, they’re serious,” she thinks.

When she arrives at NextGen Living, her name is on the welcome sign. The receptionist greets her like they have been expecting her. Already, it feels different.

The owner sits down with her. Calm. Clear. Energized.

“We know finding good people is tough,” he says. “That is why we invest in the ones we have. We use AI Agents to manage quoting, ordering, scheduling, and even tracking issues. The team spends their time where it counts—designing, selling, and serving our customers.”

He pulls up a dashboard. Every KPI tracked. The AI Agent logs every issue. And not just logs—analyzes and suggests solutions.

Alex is blown away. “They know where the problems are. And they are fixing them before they spiral. Holy smokes, this is different.”

The owner continues: “Installers love working with us because communication is tight and mistakes are rare. Our people are not burning out—they’re scaling up.”

After the interview, Alex gets a handwritten thank-you card. She smiles. “This is where I can grow. I think I just found my new home!”

What Alex Learned

Two companies. Same industry. One stuck in the past, wasting time fixing the same problems repeatedly. The other embracing AI Agents, tracking KPIs, and building a culture that attracts top talent.

Alex’s choice is clear.

The Reality for Dealers

This is the moment. Skilled designers, salespeople, and installers are scarce. But you can get more out of the team you already have—if you give them better tools. AI Agents aren’t a threat. They’re your team’s biggest advantage.

They will cut wasted time, track every problem, and give you the insights to fix them. That’s how you scale productivity without doubling staff.

And here’s the kicker: talent like Alex will choose to work with the Dealer who has the vision, tools, and culture to back it up.

If you don’t think that the interview process is different from Dealer to Dealer… It is only because you may not have the luxury to visit and work with a lot of different companies. Trust me. There are some wide divides between them.

👉 Want to learn how to become a NextGen Living Dealer instead of a Chaos Kitchen? That’s what the KB Revolution Conference this November is all about. The transformation process. Incorporating these recent technologies, integrating systems, KPI’s with accurate metrics and analysis, business strategies, and the list goes on. We planned this conference in November so that you could go into 2026 a lot further down the road! How would it make you feel to know you took the time to learn more about how Dealerships will work in the future!

 Look forward to seeing you there! thad