Manufacturing Today Issue - 219 December 2023 | Page 15

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Interview
We kill status and hierarchy so that there ’ s space for ideas to be shared , because , at the end of the day , we ’ re trying to be the best in the world , so we all need to do our bit to contribute
you ’ re always being chased , then the pressure is whether we can win it again . It ’ s a different motivation . And that ’ s quite exciting ; that ’ s what motivates the whole team ,” Rob shares .
Considering the agility required of the entire team , Rob notes that working for Mercedes-AMG is unlike any place he ’ s worked at before . “ Some of the things we looked at very seriously in those first few years was the culture , which we ’ ve since worked on . Our key values are based on what we call PRIDE : Passion , Respect , Innovation , Determination , Excellence . If people don ’ t perform , that ’ s what they get marked against . We ’ ve now become a group of very driven people , there ’ s loads of support and humility , and nobody ’ s bigger than anyone else . We kill status and hierarchy so that there ’ s space for ideas to be shared , because , at the end of the day , we ’ re trying to be the best in the world , so we all need to do our bit to contribute .
“ However , we ’ re also aware of this cycle where the team works incredibly hard in the winter season , then recovers over the summer , and then we rinse and repeat . And if we ’ re not careful , we forget to enjoy the wins because we constantly looking for the next thing to improve , so we ’ re also working hard to balance that aspect where we also celebrate the successes – we ’ re not always great at it , but we ’ re getting there ,” Rob shares .
Speaking of which , the teams are now heading into the winter season , and for Rob , there ’ s a strategy to reassess what can be improved and what needs to be changed . We ask Rob about how the leadership team works to keep the team motivated , especially after a season as nail-biting as 2023 ’ s , he says that it ’ s not as tough as one might think . “ It ’ s always an interesting time because it ’ s a period of working six days a week , they ’ re long hours , it ’ s dark and cold . However , what we generally
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