Anyone who knows me knows I don’t have enemies. Life is too short to go around holding grudges. This is especially true in motorcycling. I figure if you are into bikes we share a common bond right off the bat. Many of my best friends come from the world of motorcycling. There is however one person in the motorcycling community that I really have a tough time liking and that’s current American Motorcyclist Association CEO Rob Dingman.
Based on the reaction he got from the Indy Mile crowd (who practically booed him off the stage when he was introduced) I’m not the only one who has this opinion of the AMA’s leader.
Avid readers of The Rider Files will immediately point to one other person they might say I don’t like in the sport and that’s Roger Edmondson. They’d be wrong. I actually like Roger. He has a lot to be admired for. Roger was a racer and enthusiast who went on to build up CCS to become a strong club racing organization that eventually became a part of AMA Pro Racing. Roger has always shown a lot of class, treating me respectfully over the years even though I’ve disagreed with him in print. During a presentation to AMA Congress earlier this year he showed a ton of character by actually praising former AMA president Ed Youngblood for giving him the chance to come into AMA Pro Racing. It looks like Roger was willing to let bygones be bygones. Like everyone else, knowing Roger like I do made it that much more mystifying how he managed to screw up the AMA Superbike series this year like he did.
On the other hand, in the case of Dingman’s leadership of the AMA it’s difficult to find any redeeming qualities. So far Dingman has a record of doing nothing but tearing down the AMA in my opinion. He is not thought of highly by many leaders of the industry that I’ve talked to and he’s more or less feared, rather than respected, by AMA employees. Does anyone really believe being a heavy-handed dictator is the way to run the AMA?
Here, in a multi-part installment, is a list of reasons why I think AMA membership should demand Dingman be removed as CEO. Further I believe the association should be completely revamped in order to provide the highest level of transparency and direct membership involvement concerning the most important aspects of the association. I will review what steps they should take to move in that direction in a future installment.
Dictatorial Leadership Style
Dingman comes from New York politics. He was Assistant Commissioner for Transportation Safety in the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles and Chief Administrator of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. In political positions like these when an election happens often the new leadership comes in and cleans house. That’s what Dingman did when he came to the AMA. He basically cleared the deck of some of the most experienced, dedicated and competent employees the association ever had. This not only caused a major brain drain from the AMA, but it created an atmosphere of fear among employees. How likely would you be to speak up and possibly disagree or bring up another viewpoint with Dingman in senior staff meetings knowing what has happened to other strong leaders in the association? In other words he’s created a staff (and a board I might add, but more on that later) of “Yes Men”.
I’ve heard from more than one source that Dingman administered “loyalty tests” to some senior staffers when he took over. An interview would be going along nicely when Dingman would out of the blue ask whether or not the staffer was loyal to him or loyal to the AMA. What kind of question is that? Naturally the right answer would be that you are loyal to the AMA overall rather than just one person within the organization. Apparently that was the wrong answer for Dingman.
Look up the definition of sycophant
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dingman’s picture next to the definition. How else to you explain a person who names his own boss “AMA’s Motorcyclist of the Year”? Let us not forget though that Dingman said it wasn’t an easy decision for him naming chairman of the AMA board Stan Simpson as AMA Motorcyclist of the Year because Roger Edmondson was right up there. I’m not kidding!
Then in his most recent “hard-hitting” interview in the American Motorcyclist, Dingman is being interviewed by the magazine with none other than chairman Simpson sitting right next to him fielding questions as well! Can’t this guy do anything on his own, or does he always have to have daddy Stan sitting next to him? Same thing at AMA Congress. Look at the video. It’s Dingman gushing over Simpson and vice versa. Wow, talk about your man love.
You’ve got to hand it to Dingman though, he knows how to cover his… well, you know.
In Part 2 I’ll review how Dingman has on numerous occasions, stretched the truth to put him and his leadership in the best light, while making others look bad in the process. Later I will also look past the spin and prove that membership numbers have dropped dramatically since Dingman took the reins.
I know I’m inviting a fight and I’ll be more than happy to be the man to take up the cause of restoring the AMA to open and honest leadership. I have talked to many insiders for this article. If you wish to add you voice or give me additional information on the current AMA’s leadership you can reach me at:
lawrencemedia@hotmail.com
Or by phone at:
317-852-2896
Why the AMA Needs New Leadership (And why you should care)