Are you into watching F1 races? You don’t have to be. But if you will be more open-minded, you will learn that the F1 pit can teach us a lot about how to be successful in any business endeavor you have at the moment.
An F1 pit stop is composed of 23 people who have to change 4 tires in two seconds so the driver can get going and participate in the race again. On videos, the group’s synchronized efforts are mesmerizing and a work of art with choreography. Some scholars and entrepreneurs cannot help reflect on the secrets of establishing a business.
Here are some lessons you can learn From an F1 pit stop team:
The driver is not the center of the game.
The driver is not the only one receiving accolades in an F1 game, as his success is a result of team synergy. As a team, it takes a group of determined, well-trained people to work together to execute winning strategies and perfect configurations that the driver needs to win the game. Sounds familiar? Yes, the same principle also works in business.
The Project Manager is not really the show’s star as he cannot function without a reliable team behind him. He has to learn leadership skills, maybe through time and experience or by taking a team leadership skills training. This team fuels his vision with each member contributing a unique skill that will lead to accomplishing an end goal or a successful product launch.
Preparation is crucial.
Every person in a pit stop has a role to play. They operate and accomplish things within their control and know what others depend on them. Everybody is contributing to the success of the team. Have you ever wondered how they achieve such harmony? This is a result of regular training and coordinating with other team members. Team members in a business also have to prepare and train so they can perform their roles. Moreover, each member has to learn to balance hard work and choose which method works best in a certain situation.
Focus on troubleshooting critical tasks.
Streamlining tasks and prioritizing what needs to be done immediately are lifelong lessons that we can learn from great pit stops. Limit what you are doing so that you can increase speed and productivity in accomplishing your goals. On videos, one can see that the F1 Engineers are focused on a task while ignoring all noise and distractions around them. In the past, these engineers refuel. However, they already took away this task to make room for more significant tasks. In business, take only what you can do so you can handle it very carefully — set limitations on yourself to give your best to increase product quality and speed in accomplishing it.
Don’t forget the person using your service.
The engineers behind the F1 pit stop ensures that their service propels the success of the driver. Designers behind the F1 car designed the vehicle and ensure that it is a very tightly packaged work of art’ giving the driver the confidence to win the race. Designers and engineers in the F1 race world always put themselves in the shoes of the end-user environment. In this way, they can anticipate primary driver’s concerns and their possible solutions.
Put your trust in the team.
An approaching F1 car approximately maintains a speed of not less than 70 km/h. While the driver is approaching the pit stop, a ‘lollipop man’ stands at the center of the lane, giving the driver the signal to stop. This person is not afraid of being run over. He fully trusted the driver’s skills and exercise of control, even in a highly pressurized scenario. In a business, a lack of trust can cause tension among members and ruin the atmosphere of a workplace. With a lack of trust, the overall productivity is affected, causing things to slow down.
To encourage and build trust at work, one should design activities to build relationships, mastery the content of a task, and practice continuous consistency. The leadership style also affects trust levels in the organization. Leaders should be aware of existing problems and learn to be present and mindful in solving them. They should also uphold the organization’s core values and use them to create cohesion and trust among members.
F1 races occur in highly-pressured environments. Drivers operate their vehicles at very high speeds. His safety and success of the driver greatly depend on his team’s efficiency in an F1 stop. The business also faces challenges every day. Overcoming these challenges does not solely rely on the team leader but also on the team’s synchronized efforts. Each member has a unique skill that the group needs. With enough preparation, trust, and open communication, the business can reach whatever goal it wants to achieve.
