Back in 2004, I was scrambling to change planes at DFW airport in Dallas, TX. Through no fault of my own, my incoming flight was delayed which caused me to run to the next gate like a madman. When I finally got to the gate they had just closed the door and refused to open it.

The real reason they didn’t want to open the door is they had already given my seat away and the plane was full. I cannot tell you the hopeless feeling I had standing there looking at the plane and then watching it pull away from the gate. Tears of hopelessness were running down my face. Ok, I wasn’t actually crying, but I felt like it.

That’s how you’re going to feel if you keep letting “Legacy Thinking” win at your dealership or business. “Legacy Thinking” is about viewing the present and the future through thoughts from the past.

I returned from the NADA convention a few weeks ago and I’ve finally had time to decompress all the information and conversations about technology and the changes taking place in the industry.

It has become clearly evident that a few are getting on the plane and many are being left at the gate.

Defeating legacy thinking is uncomfortable. It’s easy to look the other way and get locked into the past. The past is comfortable because it’s what we know and it has served us well. Stepping outside of what we know can be scary.

Being a little scared in the moment is going to be far better than being left at the gate. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs