Seven Tenths Of A Second

A book about how Zak Brown transformed McLaren in a few years. A story of leadership, ingenuity, and positivity.

Really good. He writes well, is honest and direct, and makes it truly engaging by explaining how he works and how he inspires people. Extremely driven and tireless, and inspiring. Recommended.

Notes

• Very exciting first chapter, where they win the constructors’ title with McLaren thanks to a pit stop 0.7 seconds quicker. Details matter in F1!
• Zak in short: enormous trust and transparency. He trusts his team completely. And he informs them so they can make better decisions.
• Example of a late-night email: you do not have to reply, but be aware I might be traveling and thinking about work.
• Great rise: first in karts, then in sponsorship sales to raise funds, growing and founding his own company before arriving at a struggling McLaren. A self-made person, strong at selling and motivating.
• Zak gives people precise deadlines. ASAP means nothing.
• Also, there can be emergencies. Do not disappear for a week; we may still call you.
• Own mistakes, and learn from them. Just do not make them twice.
• Never lie to Zak. He holds grudges even years later.
• Excellent section on business, lobbying, and politics. He is very candid about how decisions are made at that level and how automakers argue all the time.
• Business principle: it is much easier to sell and make money if people like you.
• While other drivers focused on driving, he focused on sponsors. Without them, he would not race. So during events he made sure everyone had a good experience rather than just improving lap time!
• Work for people who want you, follow your passion (once you are skilled and valuable), and dive into that black hole.
• Strong COVID chapter: they proactively called sponsors and said it would be a tough period but they would not abandon them. Great signal!
• Management: “Zak, you’re going to have to learn how to be a shit.” Politics.
• Also on giving feedback. Sometimes he waits a couple of days to let things cool down. He does not jump in immediately.
• Nothing happens until it is signed. Very important.
• Final recap on politics:

Don’t eat the poison biscuits. Don’t allow destructive politics inside the team. Don’t allow a system where people are undermining each other. Don’t allow people from outside to plant doubts or compromise confidentiality. Don’t allow people to put poison biscuits on the plate in front of you. And if they do, don’t eat them. If you trust people and they communicate well, you shouldn’t have politics. So, no poison biscuits, none of this water cooler chatter and talking shit about your teammate, no politics.