As team boss, Andrea Stella could take credit for the progress the McLaren F1 team has made in recent years, but according to Stella, a common drive fueled by ‘trust’ ensures that McLaren makes progress as a team.
According to Andrea Stella, a good working atmosphere with open communication and responsibility has proven to be crucial for the progress McLaren has made in recent years. Stella manages the team in such a way that he gives the employees confidence and also gives them public recognition for this. The long-term goal is also taken into account.
“Leaders must lead by giving people simple and clear objectives that then empower them in their jobs,” says Stella. “That’s the only thing I have again. There are a few more but I don’t want to reveal everything about how we do things.”
“The results come to us. It is not that we are going towards the results.”
Andrea Stella’s approach symbolizes an approach where work ethics are very important and where trust is built, there must also be belief in the team and the progress that is being made.”
“Trust… what is trust? It’s a psychological thing,” says Stella. “It is the work that gives you confidence.”
“When I worked with some champions in the past, they did not gain enough confidence because they went to a psychologist. Their confidence came from the work they did.”
“The confidence came from realizing that they didn’t think any competitor worked the way they did. Then the trust grew.”
“I have no self-confidence at all,” says Stella. “I just know that we have to keep working on our way forward, that we have to keep making progress, that we have to believe that it will get us where we want to be and that we can’t get too distracted.”