have been involved in the sport of drag racing now for 30 years, and through those years I have gained a lot of experience; some good, some bad. I have also witnessed the rise and fall of many teams. Mega teams that crumbled into nothing and small-time teams that rose to be a force to be reckoned with. One thing that always stood out to me were the team dynamics. All of our teams have something in common: they all have people involved in them, but the most important dynamic is the ability for the team leader to understand people. This seems to be what we lack and by far is a very important ingredient to the success of any team.

One of the marks of a great leader is the ability to develop greatness in others. So let me ask you this: If you are a team owner or assume leadership positions in some area, are you developing greatness in others? So often we see leaders barking orders with little to no concern about the people they are barking at.

Leaders are in the people business. They need to know that the road to success is lined with people – people with different attitudes and abilities. So often leaders are focused only on themselves and at the end of the day have never taken time to concern themselves over whom they are leading. Good leaders are also servants. They know how to serve those working for them. A true leader does not need to be patted on the back, as they are already secure in who they are. By serving others, we can show that we value people.

Another barrier to effective leadership is the desire to control others. Good leaders know that more is accomplished by empowering others rather than controlling them. So often I see this iron-fist leadership and the hurt it brings to others. Insecure leaders need to control others to make themselves feel secure.

People ask me why some of the race teams with a lot of money are still not successful. The answer usually comes back to the leadership of that team. Motivation, encouragement, inspiration and support – these are the character traits of the best leaders. A true leader gives power to his people and makes them feel valued and important.

Good leaders also observe people. They study their motives, talk with them and listen to them. They seek to understand what makes them happy, sad, angry or annoyed. All in all, effective leaders know how to read between the lines and address people accordingly. I will go out on a limb here and say that if you are a good“ people person”, you have the ability to be a great leader.

Great leaders always have those character traits that make others feel important. At the end of the day people just want to be treated the way you would like to be treated. Your team success can be greatly increased by the right leader being involved, and if you are the leader, your team can benefit by taking the advice I have written about. True leadership success is possible, but the choice you make will determine the outcome, and as always, the choice is yours to make.

Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated. com

June 2018

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