I’ve always enjoyed watching Formula 1; the magic ingredients for me are how technology and the man behind the wheel combine to produce a winning blend at the conclusion of a long, gruelling season. What should not be underestimated is the role that mindset, attitude & belief play in winning a World Championship – And it’s not just the driver that this applies to, it is every single member of the team.
But where does this positive mindset stem from? Ultimately, we all control our own attitude and it is our ability to cope with pressure and setbacks that helps us to maintain a helpful perspective on the challenges that we face. Arguably, the behaviour of the leader is even more important – their words and actions can have a massive influence on the productivity and morale of those around them.
As business owners (and therefore leaders) we can sometimes be in an extremely lonely and isolated position; we routinely have to deal with pressure and set-backs and we can face severely testing situations that really draw on our energy reserves – and we often have no one to confide in or coach us on how to develop a coping strategy.
Formula 1 drivers are at the peak of their mental and physical fitness, but the true greats of the sport have turned to coaches to help them find a competitive edge. One of the great things about having a coach is they don’t have to know anything about your profession – they simply assist with unlocking the potential that’s within the person being coached. The big caveat with any form of coaching is you have to be open to the idea that it is a positive thing that will help you.
At the conclusion of last season, many people were speculating that Valtteri Bottas (a driver with the Mercedes AMG Petronas team) would be replaced by the end of the 2019 season when his contract expires due to his underperformance during 2018. At the first race of the 2019 season in Australia, Bottas won, finishing comfortably ahead of his 5-times World Champion team mate, having overtaken him at the first corner after the start.
His boss Toto Wolff had this to say at the end of the race - "How he recovered from being written off, not up for the job in the second half of the season last year, scoring one of the most dominant victories in recent days, just shows us human potential and how much it is a mind game. It is for me also a bit of fairytale - don't let others break you, believe in yourself. And he has just showed us the whole weekend."
Sometimes that steely reserve and belief is strengthened by external help – I have helped several business leaders with one-to-one coaching that has had a profound effect on their personal and business performance – and I have a coach myself, the wonderful Su Carlson – because inspirational trainers sometimes need inspiration from others.