When asked how many people it takes to perform a seamless pit stop during an Indy race, legendary Team Leader Mike Hull suggests it takes 200. According to Hull, there are 200 people who work on any Racing Team and it takes every one of them working together to create a flawless pit stop.
In the racing sport today, the race cars are designed to be identical to each other. What’s not identical is the teamwork that creates the outcome. Separating winners from also-rans is all about the team itself.
So, what makes for a superior team?
Hull knows that great teams depend on the next person up. That means everyone is ready to contribute. Team leaders set the expectation that everyone must be ready to perform at all times. If any team member falters, someone else steps up to take their place.
On teams where everyone is expected to be ready, the team takes on a different attitude. Team members support and applaud each other because they know every team member has an equal share in the result.
Too many teams push lesser contributors aside. They don’t include them in the same way they focus on the top performers. But, as Hull knows all too well, that is a recipe for superstar team members to act selfishly and for others to wait on the sidelines without any real skin in the game.
Great teams are never about any one team member. Instead, great teams depend on each team member to step up when they are needed.
Even more distinctively, the best team leaders make sure every member is treated like a “starter.” Treated as a critical piece of the team puzzle, it is the team members who are offstage who make teams great. When everyone is important, real teamwork takes hold.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
