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TürkçeA contribution from Stefan Wermter, Managing Director ROWE
My passion: ROWE Racing
As Managing Director, I follow our GT3 racing team with passion. I attend most of the races and am closely involved in strategic decisions. For many years now, I have been more than just a spectator. This also helps me as a manager. Between all the hustle and bustle on the race track, the team provides me with valuable insights into how the right teamwork leads to success. And this can also be transferred to the work in our company. In this article, I would like to share with you what I have learned from the racing team in terms of leadership.
Everyone knows their place in a strong team
For me, a well-functioning team is the key to success. Everyone has their place in the pit and the work is extremely well coordinated. This must not only be the case on a race track, but also in a company. As Managing Director, it is particularly important that I can rely on my teams to perform well. To achieve this, everyone within a team needs their place and must know what needs to be done. But teams also need suitable interfaces so that they can collaborate with each other. In my opinion, teams are only really successful when the processes are well aligned and everything runs hand in hand.
Speed is critical for good leadership
As a spectator at the race track, I always notice how crucial every move is during a pit stop. All actions must be perfectly coordinated so that no time is wasted and the driver's safety can be guaranteed. This shows again how important the ability to act quickly and smoothly is for success. Long decision-making processes mean a huge loss of time, which our GT3 Racing Team cannot afford. And this also applies to our day-to-day business. That is why we also rely on flat hierarchies at ROWE. We delegate decision-making powers to our employees. If everyone has the opportunity to make decisions independently within their area of responsibility, we are extremely efficient and fast.
Strong emotions weld us together not only on the racetrack
Every time our racing team crosses the finish line, strong emotions overwhelm not only the audience. The whole team celebrates and cheers! Successes are emotional highlights that weld a team together. That's why it's important to me that we at ROWE honor successes as such and celebrate them together. In my opinion, it is crucial that employees know what they are working for in order to build an emotional connection. Only then can their motivation be sustainable. I want to share my passion for my work with my employees. This is the only way we can establish ourselves at a high level.
Corporate management is a long-distance race
Our work at ROWE is a long-distance race. This does not mean that there are no fast sprints in between - we experience them all the time. But it is important to ensure long-term success. What is a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring often takes many years and decades in the world of business. This requires persistence and consistency. As in racing, there are always tempting moments in corporate management when you can achieve short-term success - but which then weaken us in the long term. On the race track, you might run out of gas or, in the worst case, the car might break down. It can be the same in business.
Every defeat motivates us to analyze more deeply
It's not just in the racing team that we analyze mistakes or defeats directly. At ROWE, it is also important for me to quickly identify the causes behind them in order to eliminate them in the next step. With every defeat, my priority is a good analysis of what occurred. What exactly happened? Why did it happen? What can we change in the future? This requires a good “no blame” culture to learn from mistakes and use the opportunity to keep getting better. For me personally, it's important not to lose heart after a defeat, but to keep going full throttle. Giving up is never an option. I'm much more interested in constantly working on improving myself and moving forward.
Recovery periods are also essential for more success off the track
Recreational breaks are not just a luxury, but a necessary prerequisite for long-term success, whether on the racetrack or in the office. My work as Managing Director has shown me how important recovery is for my employees and myself. That's why we also have phases in which we can shut down completely to recharge our batteries. I have noticed that this has a hugely positive impact on overall performance, even in stressful phases.
At full speed into the future
My work at ROWE - just like on the racetrack - is characterized by speed, performance and progress. Standing still is not an option. In addition to constant change, I always remind myself of where we started. Our successes to date reflect our greatest learnings. We want to continue our success story and keep operating at this high level - and not just on the race track. In line with our philosophy "Progress needs movement".
About the person
As a member of the Executive Board, Stefan Wermter is in charge of operations at ROWE MINERALÖLWERK GMBH. From 2024 he will be its managing director. Stefan Wermter started at ROWE in 2002 as a customer service representative and was able to develop from team leader in internal sales to head of product and sales controlling. In 2019, he was appointed to the management team. Stefan Wermter is married and father of a daughter. He has more than 20 years of experience in the lubricants industry and has played a key role in ROWE's rise to become a global company.
