Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — The March issue of Smart Business' Broward/Palm Beach edition features an interview with Southern Auto Finance Co.'s George Fussell, in which SAFCo's owner and president shares lessons on leadership collected from his years in the automotive business. Having worked both as a new- and used-car salesman and as the head of a major finance company, Fussell stressed the importance of perseverance through adversity and developing effective hiring strategies.

"You are never going to sell anything or win anything with a negative approach," Fussell said. "Your positive mindset has got to be the most critical thing. But you can’t have a positive mindset if you don’t have the belief that you will persevere to see it through." This mindset extends to hiring practices, according to Fussell.

"I tend to give people opportunities that no one else would give them," he said, "and I’ve been rewarded by doing that to unbelievable levels. I’ve also been hurt by that. You have to hire the right people, the people that know what they’re doing, and my default is still set on giving the person I know the opportunity."

The full text of the article can be read here.