Following the successful visit with the general, Debbie was more excited than ever. The next visit would take the team to North Carolina—the epicenter for America's largest spectator sport, NASCAR. Because they selected an “off-week” to visit the track, Debbie and her group would have access to key members of the top racing team of the last decade. The meeting was scheduled to take place early on a Tuesday morning. Bob and Sally would accompany Debbie on this visit, since it was Sally's husband who had the connection with NASCAR.
They got to the track early. As they approached, they were overwhelmed by the mammoth size of the facility. On race day, up to 140,000 fans would descend on the property. It was truly a spectacular venue for a death-defying, highspeed, adrenaline-filled event.
They made their way through security and went into a tunnel. When they came out, they realized they had just gone under the track. They were now in the infield pit area, surrounded by tens of thousands of empty seats.
As they stood looking around, awestruck at the scope of it all, the spell was broken when someone called out, “Hey, there! What can I do for you?”
Bob introduced himself and the team and gave a brief explanation for their visit. He then told the man they were there to see the Mullins Team.
“Follow me. I'll be glad to take you to their office.”
When they arrived, they realized this wasn't going to be a typical office visit. The office was actually in a transporter truck, parked on the infield among many other similar trucks. For Bob, this was a dream come true; he'd been a NASCAR fan for years.
The truck itself was like a workshop, but with amenities. There was a kitchen, or “galley,” workbench area with parts storage bins, and even storage areas for extra engines. A ramp allowed for two race cars to be transported on the upper level of the truck, above the busy work areas below.
As they stood there taking it all in, they were approached by a big man in his late fifties with a haircut like a Marine. Debbie thought to herself, This is what I thought the general would look like.
“Hi, I'm Sam Perkins, the head of Team Mullins,” he said with a big smile.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Debbie; this is Sally and Bob.”
Bob started the conversation. “Thanks for allowing us to visit. This is cool! I've never seen a truck decked out like this—you've got nicer furniture here than in my house.” Sam laughed.
“And that flat-screen TV is the biggest I've ever seen,” Sally added.
“Yes, it all helps create our home away from home. We spend a lot of time here,” Sam said. “So what can I do for you today?”
“We're studying the best teams we can find, and you guys are at the top of your field,” Debbie said.
“Thanks. We feel fortunate to be a winning team. Why do you want to study successful teams?”
“Well, the short answer is that we believe it will help our performance. The competition is heating up, the business is getting more complex, and our customers are continuing to expect more and more from us.”
“We can relate to all of that. You just described the world we live in. One difference for us is that in addition to the paying customer who buys tickets to the events, we also have corporate sponsors. As you know, Sally's husband's company is one of them. They're great. However, they do expect us to win—and win often.”
Debbie added, “There's one more factor in our current reality: our leaders are really tapped out. We're not sure how much more they can do. We believe that a team, functioning at a high level, will provide additional leadership capacity for them—not to mention physical, mental, and emotional capacity.”
“Well, I'm happy to help in any way I can.” Sam's relaxed manner made Debbie and her colleagues feel welcome.
“How do you do it? How do you get your team to perform at such a high level?”
“Let's talk about our pit crew. That's probably the best way to illustrate how we work together. We have numerous teams in our organization, but I think the pit crew is a great example of the power of teamwork.
“To get the six guys who work ‘over the wall’ to function at a consistently high level, there are at least three things that I think are critical.”
Debbie's mind went immediately to the three things the general had shared. She wondered how Sam's thoughts would compare to those from the general—as well as with her own ideas.
“Please continue.”
“First, there's the question of fit. Does the team member fit?”
Sally asked, “Do you mean fit in?”
“Yes, fitting in matters a lot, but there's more. Can they learn and grow? Are they coachable? What's their attitude—their outlook on life? It's more about who they are as people. Are they our kind of people?”
“When we talk about fit, we consider Character, Competency, and Chemistry,” Debbie offered.
Sam said, “I like that. But it's those three and still more. Are they what we need? If a person is a great engine guy and we don't need an engine guy, he doesn't fit. He may be competent, but he still doesn't fit our need. He doesn't fill our gap.”
“How can you tell if a person fits?” Bob asked.
“It's a process. We network extensively. We're always looking for people who fit. We conduct detailed interviews. We check references. We often start people in an entry-level role outside the pit crew and watch them. And then, we usually promote from within.”
“Sounds like a lot of rigor for—.” Debbie stopped in midsentence.
Sam said, “I know what you were going to say. It sounds like a lot of rigor for a car racing team. We prefer to think of it as diligence. As far as us just being a car racing team, that's correct. However, we have an organization of over a hundred people and a multimillion-dollar budget. We've won more than thirty races in the last decade, and our driver's life is on the line every time he gets in the car. We take our work very seriously. Besides, winning is hard work—diligence is required.”
“I'm sorry, Sam. I really didn't mean it that way. I'm just impressed at your attention to details, particularly in the people arena. I'm fearful that many of our leaders may not take this part of their role seriously enough.”
“It does all begin with people, but there's more to winning than the right people. The second thing that matters to us is practice,” Sam said. “Practice is how we build skills, speed, and consistency.”
“Please tell us how that works for you guys,” Bob asked.
“We race thirty-six times a year, but we practice for hours virtually every week,” Sam said.
“Tell us more about what practice means.” Sally wasn't sure how the team would practice.
“The pit crew practices changing the tires and fueling the car. The driver obviously practices driving.”
“Can you give us more background on the pit crew?” Debbie was trying to focus the conversation.
“There are six primary roles on the crew. They fly into action every time the car rolls into the pit, because they only have thirteen or fourteen seconds to change the tires, fuel the car, and get it back on the track. Of course, each member has a specific assignment. We practice individually and as a team. And we do it over and over and over again. And, we're getting better.”
“How do you know you're getting better?” Sally asked.
“The data.”
“What data?” Bob asked.
“We measure everything,” Sam said.
“Give us an example.”
“When it comes to the pit crew, we measure every practice, every tire change, every refuel, and every pit stop.”
“What are the advantages of measuring so much stuff?” Bob asked.
“A few things come to mind: Measurement tells us where we need to improve; it lets us know if our improvement efforts are working or not; it helps us stay focused; it brings out the best in us as a team; it presents a tangible challenge. This fuels continued improvement. We're always striving to beat our best—to shave off just one more second that the car is in the pit. And, maybe most importantly, it lets us know when to celebrate. I can't imagine being an effective leader without measurement.”
“I had no idea measurement was so critical to your success,” Debbie said.
“Measurement is a tool, just like a hammer or a wrench. It's a tool that helps us refine our skills. If we've got great people but they don't have the skills, we're no better off than if we had the wrong people. If we're going to win, we have to be both fast and consistent.”
“What about cross-training?” Sally asked.
“We do some of that, but certain people are really best suited for a specific role. For example, see that young guy over there? His name is Chad. He's one of the youngest guys you'll see working on a crew. He was in our shop, and we noticed that he had amazing hand-eye coordination. So we asked him to try a few things with the car. He was really good. With practice, he's become outstanding! He can change a tire as fast as any seasoned veteran.” Sam's excitement about Chad's accomplishments was obvious.
Debbie said, “I have a question. How did you discover that Chad had good hand-eye coordination?”
“We saw him juggling,” Sam said.
“Juggling? You've got to be kidding,” Bob laughed as he said it.
“Yep. He can really juggle—all kinds of things. It's quite a show.”
“And you made the connection between juggling and working on the crew?”
Debbie was actually amazed. “Can you help us connect the dots?”
“That's one thing about our team I mentioned earlier. We're always looking for talented people. And we promote from within. Chad was already one of us. He was on the shop crew. As leaders, we have people with talent all around us—sometimes we just have to find them.”
Sally candidly admitted, “I'm afraid that sometimes we get too busy to see the talent that's already on a team. I know it must feel great to give Chad a chance to move up.”
“Yes, it does feel good. And who knows? He may ultimately drive for us.”
“Really?” Debbie couldn't quite hide her surprise.
“Yes, ma'am. He wants to, and hand-eye coordination is a big deal for a driver—along with judgment, courage, patience, and maturity. Time will tell,” Sam said.
“Last question about Chad.” Bob couldn't resist, and again, the answer may have been obvious, but he had to ask. “Exactly how do you know that Chad wants to drive?”
“That's a good question, and it leads to the third thing that I think makes our team perform at such a high level week after week. We're ‘doing life together,’” Sam said. “If you think about what that really means, it's easy to explain how I know about his aspirations and goals: we talk.” He grinned.
“Please tell us more,” Sally said in a tone that expressed genuine interest. She recalled that she had heard that exact phrase, “doing life together,” from Jo in one of their team meetings.
Sam said, “Let me ask you a question, Sally.”
“Sure.”
“I know you're married. Do you also have children or brothers or sisters?”
“Yes, all of the above,” she replied.
“Do you know what's important to your children? Your brother or sister? Do you know their hopes and dreams?”
“I do.”
“We know those things about one another here, too. It's more than a job. We are raising our kids together, taking care of our aging parents, sharing the joys and the tragedies of life together. We travel together. We play and we drink together. We win and lose together. When we win, it feels really good, and we share that. And when we lose, we feel the pain together.
“Here's an example. Matt is our driver. He crashed a few years ago.”
Bob said, “I remember that. It was really bad, wasn't it?”
“It was terrible. We were at the hospital for four days— all of us. We're in this together. I'm guessing that when our time here is over, heck, we'll probably retire together.”
“In a way, it sounds like you guys really love each other,” Debbie observed.
“Well, actually, we do,” Sam said unapologetically.
“Sam, this has been very helpful. We can see how fit, practice, and doing life together contribute to high levels of performance. Before we go, is there anything else you want to add?” Debbie asked.
“If you want to win in this business, it also helps to have a fast car!”