Tuning the Engine: Overcoming Challenges

In this series From Zero to Podium: The Stages of Building a High-Performing Organization (F1 Edition), I’ll be drawing parallels between building a high-performing organization and running a Formula 1 crew. Each article will walk through a different stage of the team-building process, from defining leadership and assembling your teams to navigating early conflicts and ultimately driving the team to success. Whether you’re just starting to build your team or looking to take your current one to the next level, this series will provide you with actionable insights and strategies.

Alright, so now that we’ve got the team in place—everyone’s in the right roles, we’ve laid down the foundation, and the crew is ready to roll. You’ve assembled your pit crew, the foundation is there, and your organization is set up with the intention of success from day one. But guess what? Here is where the real challenges start to appear.

What comes next is where most teams either make it or break it. The early days are full of challenges—miscommunication, clashing personalities, confusion over roles, you name it. It’s like tuning the engine of a Formula 1 car. You’ve got the parts, but now it’s about fine-tuning them so everything runs smoothly when the pressure hits.

At the start, things always move slowly. When you assemble your pit crew, the team is still finding its rhythm. It’s normal for progress to feel sluggish at first. Each team member is learning their strengths, figuring out how to support each other, and understanding how to fit into the workflow. Just like in an F1 team, it takes time for everyone to start moving like a well-oiled machine. That early dynamic—where people get to know each other—is crucial for what’s to come. Once everything clicks into place, that’s when the real performance kicks in.

You’ve assembled your pit crew, the foundation is there, and your organization is set up with the intention of success from day one. But guess what? Here is where the real challenges start to appear.

Here are some of the challenges you’ll face along the way. How you handle these will determine whether your team gains momentum or gets stuck:

Personalities in the Team

Everyone’s on their best behavior during the interview. They’re polite, they say all the right things, and it feels like you’ve found the perfect fit. But then, when it’s time to actually get stuff done, people start showing who they really are—and that’s when things can get messy.

You’ve got the quiet one who suddenly has an opinion on everything, or the person who seemed super chill but turns out to hate any kind of change. This is where team dynamics can either click or blow up. And no, it’s not because anyone’s a bad fit—it’s just real personalities coming to the surface under pressure.

If you’re not paying attention to this, you’re setting the team up to stall. It’s not about whether someone’s easy to get along with in a meeting—it’s about whether they can actually work with others when things get tough. Teams break down not because of skill issues, but because they don’t know how to deal with different personalities.

You’ve got to understand what makes each person tick and figure out how to make it all work together. Not everyone has to vibe perfectly, but they do need to respect each other’s strengths. Maybe someone’s detail-oriented and loves digging into the small stuff—let them own that. Someone else might hate micromanagement, so give them the freedom to run with things.

The team needs to find synergy to work together. Your focus should be on giving each personality the opportunity to operate at their best.

You’ve got to understand what makes each person tick and figure out how to make it all work together.

Did You Hire the Right Person?

Let’s be honest—did you really hire the right person? Sure, everyone looks great on paper, and they probably killed it in the interview. But you don’t know for sure until they’re deep in the work. Interviews don’t show you how someone performs under real pressure, or how they deal with the chaos that comes with getting things done.

Hiring the right person isn’t about checking off boxes like, "they’ve got the skills" or "they seemed nice." You need someone who can adapt, someone who can roll with the punches and still deliver when the going gets tough. You want a person who’s not just talented, but also fits into your culture and gets along with the team without causing friction.

Now, it might still be early to tell if they’re the perfect fit—and that’s normal. But here’s the thing: if you’re already feeling like they’re not the right fit, that’s a major red flag. When those doubts creep in early, it’s usually your gut telling you something’s off. And ignoring that instinct can cost you down the road.

The wrong hire can drain your team’s energy, slow down progress, and ultimately screw up momentum. Just because someone is great on paper doesn’t mean they’re great for your team. If they’re not lifting everyone up and pushing things forward, maybe they’re not the right fit.

That said, adjusting on the fly is totally valid. Sometimes, it’s not about letting someone go; it’s about tweaking the responsibilities or communicating differently. Maybe they need a different approach, or maybe the tasks they’ve been given aren’t aligned with their strengths. Your job as a leader is to catch these nuances and make adjustments.

A leader who truly understands how to build a great team knows these little things aren’t so little. They’re the difference between having someone underperform or getting them to thrive. It’s not just about hiring the right person; it’s about knowing how to get the best out of them.

Building Synergy

Synergy can go two ways: sometimes, it happens naturally, and everyone’s happy—other times, you’ve got to work at it when it clicks on its own great. But more often than not, you’ve got to help build it. Just because you’ve assembled a talented team doesn’t mean they’ll instantly gel or start operating like a well-oiled machine.

Synergy starts when everyone understands how they fit into the bigger picture. Each person needs to know their strengths and, just as importantly, the strengths of the people around them. It’s about getting them to work together, not just next to each other. They need to respect the role each person plays and recognize how those roles fit together. You’ve got to help them see how they can complement one another, not compete.

You’ve got to help them see how they can complement one another, not compete.

Just imagine the synergy in an F1 pit crew when the car comes in for a stop. They execute everything in 3 seconds. Each team member has a specific job, and they do it with absolute precision. There’s no overlap, no wasted motion—everyone knows their role, respects it, and gets it done perfectly. That’s the level of synergy you’re aiming for with your team.

Here’s the deal: sometimes you’ve got to step in and actively create that synergy. That means promoting open communication, making sure the team knows each other’s working styles, and giving them space to collaborate and adjust. Think about it like a pit crew in F1—everyone knows their job, but they also know how their timing and moves impact the entire team.

The early days are crucial for this. Don’t just expect synergy to happen—help make it happen.

Early Conflicts in Decision-Making

In the early days, decision-making can be one of the biggest sources of friction in a team. Everyone’s still figuring out their place, their voice, and how much influence they have. And guess what? Conflicts are going to happen. It’s not about if they will—it’s about when.

When a team is new, people tend to hold back or push too hard. Some are afraid to speak up, while others try to dominate the conversation. This imbalance can throw off decision-making, and if you don’t address it fast, it can snowball into bigger problems down the line.

The key is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing but also understands the importance of moving forward once a decision is made. That means letting people voice their opinions, but making it clear that not every idea will get picked up—and that’s okay. It’s about what’s best for the team, not individual egos.

You’ll also notice that early conflicts can sometimes expose gaps in understanding. Maybe someone doesn’t have all the context or experience yet, and that’s fine, but it’s your job to make sure they’re brought up to speed. Decision-making should be fast and informed, but not rushed or half-baked. And most importantly, once a decision is made, everyone has to own it, even if they didn’t agree with it in the first place.

Early conflicts in decision-making are actually a good thing. They’re a sign that people care and are invested. Your job is to harness that energy and turn it into productive outcomes.

Communication - Yes Again!

But let’s be clear: communication isn’t about talking to everyone all the time or constantly updating people on what you’re doing. It’s about setting up the right channels and tools to make sure information flows in all directions—without the need for endless meetings or constant check-ins.

Effective communication happens; it's a live entity in the organization when you’ve got the right systems in place. This means setting up tools like Kanban boards, repositories, and other mechanisms that make it easy for everyone to know what’s happening. Instead of wasting time asking for status updates, people can check these tools and instantly know where things stand and what dependencies exist.

It’s not about over-communicating, it’s about communicating smart. When your team knows where to go for the info they need, they stay in sync without having to stop what they’re doing every five minutes. That’s how you keep things moving efficiently.

Conclusion

Building a high-performing team doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process of constantly fine-tuning the dynamics, addressing conflicts early, fostering clear and effective communication, and ensuring everyone understands their role and how they contribute to the goal.

Synergy, decision-making, and communication are all key pieces of the puzzle, but the real magic happens when these elements start working together seamlessly. Just like an F1 crew, your team needs constant adjustments to reach peak performance. That’s where great leadership comes in—knowing when to step in, when to let things play out, and how to get the best out of each person on your team.

Remember, it’s not about getting it perfect from day one. It’s about recognizing what needs to be fixed, adjusting course, and pushing forward. When you’ve got the right people in the right roles, and you’re creating an environment where they can thrive, that’s when your team hits full throttle.

In my next article, "Building Speed: Creating Momentum," we’ll dive into how teams shift from just working together to actually gaining speed. Once the foundation is set and the early challenges are behind you, it’s all about creating synergy and getting everyone moving in the same direction. Just like an F1 car hitting its stride, it’s not enough to be functional—you want to build real momentum. We’ll explore how to keep the team aligned, maximize efficiency, and turn steady progress into full-throttle performance.