SUCCESS
49
worked in motorsport for 13
years, and during that time met
some of the most dynamic
individuals and organisations
that I know. The quest for excellence
is part and parcel of success in
motorsport. You only have to watch
Formula 1 teams change a set of
tyres in 2.5 seconds to realise that
efficiency is at the sport’s core.
However, it was only after leaving
the sport that I realised how
transferable the core skills of
management and precision are to
the wider business world. It got me
thinking that wouldn’t it be great if
you could draw on motorsport
expertise as an event concept for
your organisation? As luck would
have it, I know a man
who has launched
a programme
that does just
that.
Nick Butcher
is the executive
director at HR
Strategy Pro and
together with a strong
network of
motorsport
partners,
including
former
Martin Fullard
meets Nick
Butcher,
executive director,
HR Strategy Pro, to
learn how events
can grow
businesses
through the prism
of motorsport
Formula 1 and current British Touring
Car driver Mark Blundell’s driver
agency MB Partners, has developed a
motorsport inspired training
programme which is applicable to all
industry sectors: it is called Ignition.
Fittingly, we meet at
Mercedes-Benz World, Surrey, where I
ask Butcher to explain what the
Ignition programme is all about. “We
look at unlocking people performance
in businesses, and explore leadership
and teamwork development,” he
says. “We launched Ignition as a
product that utilises the lessons from
motorsport and other
high-performance sports, which we
call our motorsport DNA, which
provides companies with bespoke
leadership and teamwork training
courses. We take the lessons from
top level motorsport which can
transport back into client
businesses.”
It sounds like a solid concept.
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of
motorsport, and teams spend
millions developing their personnel
to be the best they can
be. Butcher is keen to
stress the importance
of immersing people in
this environment, and
as such, has
negotiated use of
real-life Formula 1
factories, like the
Williams Conference
Centre in Wantage,
Oxfordshire, which he
used for Ignition's
launch event in January
2020.
He adds that not only
can he take delegations for
bespoke training at a
Formula 1 factory, but also
draw on the expertise and
inspiration offered by racing
drivers from MB Partners or
team members from within
the venue they choose. Also
depending on which venue you
pick, you can enjoy a number of
teambuilding activities such as
the 'pitstop challenge', state of
the art race sims or even karting.
It is an original way to deliver
www.conference-news.co.uk
Training Events
“It is
all about
upskilling your
team, we are
trying to do that
in an environment
in which people
can relate to”
a training session through direct
contact with those at peak
performance.
I ask Butcher to explain the benefits
it offers businesses, and how the
programme can help clients grow. He
says: “It is all about upskilling your
team and we are trying to do that in
an environment in which people can
relate to. Rather than taking delegates
away to an anonymous hotel and
talking about boring leadership and
teamwork models, we believe that
with element of hosting it at sports
venues, makes it more immersive
with something that people will be
able to see and feel. Plus, they may
not realise it, but they already have an
understanding of the basics because
they watch it at the weekend. Our skill
is drawing that out into a business
context.”
Why did he choose motorsport as
the foundation for this, and what
stands out as an analogy for other
businesses? He says: “The more I’ve
worked in leadership, performance
and people strategy, the more I’ve
realised people think that motorsport
is a pinnacle to unlocking people
performance. In Formula 1, you have
10 teams, which are essentially 10
businesses, and they are publicly
winning or losing.
“They employ between 400-1,000
people. If they haven’t got the people
engaged to work for them and to
innovate, then that is the difference
between winning and losing. You can
use an example of a pit stop: in 2010
it took 3.4s to change all four tyres,
now it is 1.9s. You are seeing a team
working together with trust and
engagement, but also constant