Archives

A Lesson Learned At Indianapolis You Must Have the Right People on Your Team

By Eugene Peterson

Do you have the right people on your team?  This year, for the first time, I was invited to attend the Indianapolis 500. Being a rookie at the event, my host eagerly briefed me on what to expect.  To be a driver you have to have incredible stamina, be in top physical condition and have a sharp mind that can in micro-seconds make life saving decisions. Yet to be a winning driver there are other important elements too.  To win you have to have a good car and, more importantly, a GOOD TEAM.  Sure, it is important to have a great driver and a great car – but I quickly learned that all of the Indy cars are built and engineered somewhat alike. They basically have the same horsepower, weigh the same and have the same size gas tanks and capacity. What seems to make a difference between getting the checkered flag is the team of people who support the car and driver.  It therefore appears that the race is won in the way the pit stops are scheduled and managed. The team behind the driver is the deciding element in winning or losing.  Do you have the right people on your team? A prominent premise of the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins is that it is important to have the right people on your team or, as he says, “on the bus” with you.  Do you have the right people on your bus? Most of us do not. Yes, we have a team, people fill seats on the bus; but do we have the right people on the bus? Having the right people on the bus can be the determining element between winning and losing the race.