A great read on how Mercedes-AMG Petronas, or Mercedes, for short, has managed to dominate F1 over the past decade showed up in Harvard Business Review’s Number One in Formula One:
Wolff is a self-admitted stickler for even the smallest details. He told me that when he first visited the Mercedes team’s factory, in Brackley, England, he walked into the lobby and sat down to wait for the team principal he would come to replace. “On the table were a crumpled Daily Mail newspaper from the week before and two old paper coffee cups,” Wolff recalled. “I went up to the office to meet him, and at the end of our conversation I said, ‘I look forward to working together. But just one thing—that reception area doesn’t say “F1,” and that’s where it needs to start if we want to win.’ He said, ‘It’s the engineering that makes us win,’ and I replied, ‘No, it’s the attitude. It all starts with an attention to detail.’”
Key Themes/Takeaways for Leaders
- Set the Highest Standards—for Everyone
- Put People Front and Center
- Analyze Mistakes—Even When Winning
- Foster an Open, No-Blame Culture
- Trust Superstars but Maintain Authority
- Relentlessly Battle Complacency