In 2010, Mercedes- Benz returned to Formula 1 racing as a constructor after a long time, since 1955 that was bought by Brawn GP team. They were famous for their engines in the sport at first, with Ferrari, in 1992, and then as a significant shareholder of Mclaren motors from 1997. The partnership with Mclaren helped them to win three championships and one constructor championship from 1998 to 2008. Ross Brawn was the team chief from 2010-12 seasons that were not victorious. Even though they had the best driver in the world- Michael Schumacher and young talent Nico Rosberg, they were not able to secure points in the championship. 

The start of the 2013 season improved everything for Mercedes as Toto Wolff, a dominant shareholder of Williams F1 team joined Mercedes with three-time world champion Niki Lauda to assist Ross Brawn. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton joined their team instead of the world champion Michael Schumacher. Toto Wolff was approached by the Mercedes management team, for the external analysis. After the review, they extended a job with a 40% share of the group. They wanted to take full benefit of the new engine regulations that were happening in 2014. But, after the unfortunate 2013 season, Ross Brawn retired from the team and left Wolff and Lauda to run the show. 

With the new engine adjustment in-game, the team dominated the sport by winning five drivers and constructors championship with more than 70% successful races. 

So how did they achieve this all of a sudden? The answer lies in the Leadership and Management, introduced by Toto Wolff.

Lead by example

Not only does this characteristic show sincerity but it helps to discover your mistakes and improve trust within the team. It can help them to create a culture of transparency and responsibility. Overall, these changes helped the team to develop and remove the blame culture in all the departments. 

Encouraging the team to think 

They encourage their team to think about strategies rather than being dependable on technology. Not only does this help them to be productive and creative but it gives them time to socialise with the team. Toto leads by an example, by not using any technology for the competition and lets their tactics work on it. 

Fear of Failure

It is a big issue for people in business or personal life. When it comes to Mercedes, they ask themselves “What is the worst-case situation when it comes to failure?” and the answer – is they lose a race. They don’t want this to happen every week as they have different problems that are bigger than these failures. 

In the 2016 season, Lewis and Nico were competing for the championship leader that led to some conflict between them. In this situation, he tries to think through all the feasible options and think about all these problems. 

  • Why is the mindset of that person contrary to mine?
  • What is their intention in this discussion?

This approach can help you to review and understand the person’s point of view and can reach a solution that can satisfy everyone. This approach also helps them in the business of contract negotiations. 

He believes that a team should have the same goal and should try everything to accomplish it as a team. It’s the only thing that matters in the end. 

 

~Kshitij Gupta