A look at why it's important to have the best team behind you.
From Drake's director John-Paul Drake.
It's no secret that I'm an F1 fanatic. I love my Formula 1 and it is great to see them racing again in these uncertain times. That said, I do occasionally lose some sleep when I stay up to watch the races.
For those who don't see motorsport, it's easy to just dismiss it as a bunch of people riding a track at dizzying speeds – step on the pedal, go around in circles and see who comes first can cross the finish line.
It's so much more than that.
Motorsport is a sport of strategy, finesse and above all teamwork. This may surprise many people. It's just the driver and the route, isn't it? Not correct. Imagine: It's the Hungarian GP. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen comes out of the lap to be on the grid for the start of the race. The wet conditions do not favor him – he hits a wall, breaks the wishbones, front wing and front left suspension, and limps onto the start / finish grid. With only 10 minutes to go before the start of the race, it's easy to believe that he would have given up and returned to the pits.
Instead, we saw 14 Red Bull Pit Crew members get on the vehicle. Since Red Bull clearly gave them the wings, they teamed up to fix the car in an incredibly short time. Everyone is working on their part of the car, some independently, others overlapping, but all with the same end goal. Get the car back on track. At this impressive moment of teamwork, Verstappen started the race and landed on the shoulders of his teammates in second place on the podium.
At Drakes, our team has done its part so many times. For me, the car represents our distribution center. We had a team of 100 people working on the project, and everyone had their contribution. Everyone knew what to do and got it all done in a very short time.
There have been so many times in our 45 year history that our team has been strengthened, partnered up, and done everything to get us to a podium. From the construction and operation of our distribution center to the renaming exclusively Drakes to new openings and, more recently, with the support and care of our customers during Covid-19. Different teams were involved in all of these examples. Yes, we all work for the one team – Drakes – but we all have individual teams with specific goals. Fixing their part of the car repairs the car as a whole – these people are specialists in their part. We are not afraid to find the right people for the right job.
John-Paul Drake
You can be one of the best drivers in the world or the best business leader in the world, but you cannot achieve your goals without the best team behind you.
Like Max Verstappen, our team gives us wings.
Would you like to get to know me and my team? Connect with me
LinkedIn: @johnpauldrake
Facebook: @JPDrakeAU
Website: www.jpdrake.com.au
YouTube: jp drake
Instagram: @ ake.and.drake
Podcast: / DucksDontGetColdFeet
About John-Paul Drake
John-Paul Drake has retail in his blood. Starting out as a trolley boy and stacker in the family business 30 years ago, his passion for retail is firmly anchored as Director of Drakes. JP is a strong believer in helping local people and is not afraid to call it what he sees it.
