The Winners Circle with Team Penske

John Foley
Apr 21, 2016
2 min read

We love hearing about the success of our partners. Whether it’s keynotes or in depth training programs, results are the stick by which we measure our impact.

That’s why it was both a pleasure and an honor to spend this last weekend with Team Penske at the Indianapolis 500. Previously Team Penske brought me in to help the team kickoff the year, and this year they truly opened themselves up and gave me a behind the scenes look at the way they’re currently operating. And it was incredible. We can all learn from the way this organization does business; they are one of highest performing teams I’ve seen since my time flying with the Blue Angels.

In Sunday’s race Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power—both from Team Penske—took the #1 and the #2 slot. And all 4 Penske drivers finished in the top ten. That’s the kind of success you see from a team that is completely focused on continuous improvement. Those are the results that we talk about when we’re talking about the .01%.

They are sustaining excellence at every level of the organization. I spent time with the drivers, some of the top names in racing, and I see in them the same graciousness and the thirst for improvement that makes the Blues a legendary team. I spent time in the pits with the mechanics, and watched Helio Castroneves and his team take the win in Friday’s Pit Stop Competition. I even spent time in the owner’s box talking with the wives and families of the team. I was struck with how everyone involved was living and breathing a true culture of high performance.

Roger Penske, John Foley and Matt Jonsson

The great thing about Team Penske is it all comes back to the top. Roger Penske is the picture of discipline. You can tell that the little things truly matter to him, and everything they do as an organization is done in the spirit of “if you do something, do it right.” Roger also owns and operates a number of Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Mercedes happens to be another partner of ours, and I actually heard from one service manager that when Roger visits a store, he knows everyone’s name and he’s even been caught sweeping the floor (small things do matter!).

Glad to be Here is always a big takeaway for our partners, but for Indycar, it’s a perfect fit. The pit crews had GTBH stickers on their gear, and Helio used it to answer questions after Friday’s win in the pit challenge. In such an inherently unforgiving environment, gratitude can be a game changing mindset.

Congratulations and my deepest gratitude to everyone at Team Penske who made this weekend truly inspirational. Your success is what makes #gladtobehere real for myself and everyone on my team.