Is your organisation like an F1 team?
What does your organisation have in common with the most successful Formula 1 team in the modern era?
The AMG-Mercedes ‘team’ is more like a huge team-of-teams, with 1,800 staff split between their chassis and engine factories. But that’s what it takes to be successful these days. And successful, they are. The team have won the last five world drivers and constructors championships in a row, against strong opposition from Ferrari and Red Bull teams; and at time of writing, are comfortably leading the current championship after 16 of the 22 races this season.
So what is the secret to their success?
According to their 2017 World Drivers Champion, Nico Rosberg, (at 7:45 in the video)
“the secret to success is continuity.”
The key personnel, the greatest talent, have been there for ten years, since they were the Brawn F1 team, before Mercedes bought them. When you have a group of people like that, super talented, close-knit, with a strong group identity and a clear objective, you need to keep them together, Keep them motivated and focussed.
As Nico says: “And you can bet that Ferrari and Red Bull have been offering them 20%, 30% more salary, but they have such a good team culture they don’t want to leave.”
Autosport.com suggests that “in recent years what the team has done is set new standards for what a grand prix squad can be and how well a massive organisation can be integrated.”
What is the culture like in your organisation?
If another company offered you a 20% increase in your salary, would you stay or would you jump at the chance? Have you been secretly waiting for just such an opportunity to leave a company who treats people like cheap and replaceable components in a machine?
If you did leave, would you feel sad about doing so?
Or would you prefer to stay with the team you have around you, the phenomenal group of wonderful, talented, smart people you just love working with because you can trust them with anything, and you know that together you can accomplish anything?
