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Doug Geganto

Doug Geganto

Today is the first day of a new era at the Mercedes-Benz Club of America

Today is the first day of a new era at the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. It’s time to remake ourselves and change the perceptions of what people think of us. The club faces many challenges; our charge is to correct those perceptions.  

We have an opportunity to forge a new future. To get there we must be willing to step out of our comfort zones and change the ways we’ve always done things. Repeating the past will not change the results we seek or move us forward. We cannot continue to repeat the same mistakes and expect different outcomes; we must change our paradigms about how things are done. 

Becoming a cohesive and effective team is the first step and helping our new Executive Director, Katie Carruth (see page 86) implement her vision for the club. This is what will help us to change the course of our club. Focusing on the following four goals must be our priority.

1. Unity

Andrew Carnegie once said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.” We must ask ourselves what is the vision we are working toward?

Poet Mattie Stepanek said “Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” What is it we are trying to achieve?

Members, prospective members, sponsors, and potential sponsors must see the greatness of our club and only we can create the image we seek. We are one club not eighty-four separate clubs. How can we get that message out? Better yet how can we demonstrate it? 

Lastly, what can each of you do to deliver that message? It’s not an adversarial relationship between the leadership team and the sections. All of us, our sections and members need to be united and focused on our future. 

Writer Audre Lorde said “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” 

Although we all have differences and different viewpoints, we need to respect those differences and use each other’s strengths to move forward to achieve our goals.

Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward then success takes care of itself.”  The key word here is everyone being committed to success, because if you are there’s no stopping us.

2. Look to the future 

First, “Forget all the reasons why change won't work and believe the one reason why it will!” Change moves us forward!

It’s time for us to have pride in our car club and to chart a new path so we can continue to remake ourselves and our organization. We need to believe that together we can change our future and make a difference for the future. No one person can do it alone. Don’t be afraid to dream and encourage others to do so.

Janet Jackson said “Dreams can become a reality when we possess a vision that is characterized by the willingness to work hard.” 

What is it we should be dreaming to achieve?

We need to get back to having Fun!

3. Recognition 

To paraphrase philosopher and author, Matshona Dhliwayo “We become strong by lifting others up and recognizing their contributions.”

Eleven years ago, a spark lit a small fire that eventually ignited a blaze and today that small spark has resulted in placing me where I am today, leading MBCA into the future. That spark was receiving my section’s Member of the Year award (MOTY) in 2012.

We have 17,887 members in 84 sections and yet in 2022, 42 sections submitted nominations for MOTY. Fifty percent of our sections made the effort to recognize members who contributed to their sections in the past year. Can you all imagine if we lit eighty-four sparks every year the greatness our club could achieve?

4. Communication

George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” 

All too often we experience this when we send information on to the membership. Recently the best example of this has been with the Medallion Rally. We’ve heard from numerous sections and members that they knew nothing about it, what it was for, and who was getting the money. 

I think we fall into this mistake, Assuming that our prior communication has been effective, and that people get it. How do we fix this?

There’s no doubt that we can move the club to a higher level. How? I think George Patton said it best,

“You don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what needs to be done and they’ll surprise you with their results.” 

Thank you all for being members of our Mercedes family and for everything you’ve done for the club this year and past years. Most of all thank you for your confidence in me.