Letter from the editor #55
Wes Buck
In just my short five years in the publishing business, along with a lifetime spent at the drag strip, there have been almost innumerable mistakes made and lessons learned, and a few of them have essentially become credos that form the foundation of my life. One of which, regardless of how cliché it may sound at times, is that a team is only as strong as its weakest link.
Whatever your business or sport, creating a culture of teamwork is crucial to achieving any measurable success. It’s no easy task, though. In terms of drag racing, it’s easy to see where teamwork exists and where it doesn’t – primarily because there are no clearer parameters for success than in sports: wins, losses. Just like in any other sport, or industry for that matter, there is generally a wealth of people responsible for a team or company’s success, but a sole individual – a football team’s quarterback, a booming business’ CEO, a championship race team’s driver – gets all the credit. Though that proverbial front man of the band may not always be gracious and divvy out the accolades to his supporting cast, very rarely is their any doubt in that person’s mind that whatever success attained could not have been without the effort of a good unit working in succinct towards a common goal.
With 15 championships to his credit, John Force is the human epitome of success. He and his current three-car John Force Racing program are also the embodiment of the team concept. Even before his race rigs took up more real estate at a drag strip during an NHRA national event than the manufacturer’s midway, Force recognized success wasn’t going to come – in business or racing – as the result of his efforts, and his efforts alone. He accepted that the only way to reach the levels of success to which he aspired was to surround himself with quality people, some more capable than himself. That’s exactly what he did in 1985 when he hired Austin Coil to call the shots on his Fuel Funny Car, and he has spent every year since then doing everything in his power – bringing in, sending off, and moving around different people – in order to maintain game-winning synergy.
All it takes is for a crewmember – be it a $50,000/year salaried employee of a pro team, or a all-the-beer-you-can-drink-after-the-race volunteer – to leave a bolt lose or put 9-pounds of air in one slick and 6 in the other to make a driver’s perfect reaction-time mean nothing. Successful race teams, as well as businesses, are detail-oriented, and those details are oftentimes in the hands of many.
Building a solid team is a multi-tiered task. Identifying the right people and bringing them together is where it starts, but only where it starts. A team can occupy the same office space, race shop, boardroom or race track, but that doesn’t mean that they are working together. Like anything, chemistry takes time. Through various trials and tribulations will leaders emerge and individuals demonstrate their respective skills and specialties. They rarely emerge right away, but once they do – that’s when big things start to happen
As we’ve built our small, but powerful team here at Drag Illustrated, the first question I’ve asked myself of a potentially new teammate is whether or not I would want them in my foxhole. Is this a person I would trust to have my back, to stand and fight, when the enemy is coming over the hill?
Skill, talent and experience aside, it’s as much about having the most dedicated people in your corner as it is anything else. I read recently that “true brothers, like the young soldiers of E Company who stormed the beaches of Normandy in World War II, don’t point fingers. They believe in their mission and fight hard to cover one another’s back.” In my humble opinion, truer words have never been spoken. There will always be exceptions, but rarely are the best teams the most talented. It’s also been said that teamwork will always trump any amount of individual ability, and that, too, you can take to the bank.
Though there is still much to learn, many mistakes to me made and, hopefully, success to be achieved, we strive to apply these principles every day with the Drag Illustrated team. If nothing else, we’re a group that is willing to work hard and work together in order to achieve a common goal. That may not be all it takes, but I think it’s pretty close – perhaps with the addition of a little luck.
P.S. This may be as good as time as any to take my hat off to the growing number of people involved with keeping this Drag Illustrated project moving forward – amazingly to our 55th consecutive issue. Already they are too numerable to list, but I hope that I’ve been able to let each and every one of you know how much I appreciate your efforts. It surely is appreciated, and will not soon be forgotten.
