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What an experience to meet Kevin Harvick last Sunday at the
Daytona 500. I expected to meet an experienced professional
and he was that and he is also a savvy organizational player
and a caring leader. And a really nice guy! As we drove
around the course and conversed on Sunday morning and later
watched him in action, Kevin also demonstrated his
leadership skills.
1.
He made sure
that a new player learned “the ropes” of his new
organization. Juan Pablo Montoya had just moved from the
Formula One racing. Kevin’s coaching was something like:
“Don’t expect to do well the first time. It’s your job is
to learn the track and make friends. Your friends are your
lifelines which can keep you alive and help you win. He
showed his personal thoughtfulness in small and meaningful
ways.
2.
Since
Harvick’s car had had mechanical problems during the
qualifying round, he had a 34th place starting
position which affected his positioning and pit stop
position. He wasn’t worried and didn’t complain. His focus
was on going forward
3.
Kevin’s vision
was that his car, his team and his sponsor were right for
the track and the race. He didn’t sweat the small stuff. He
kept his eyes on the end game.
4.
Mid-way,
when his car was damaged he pulled back to let the air flow
to the radiator to cool it down and got the problem fixed at
the next pit stop. He didn’t worry about falling back just
worked on getting back into the top ten. The set back didn’t
upset him.
5.
Once he got
in a good position and saw an opening Kevin took the outside
lane with help from his many friends. As he made his move
for the finish line he got a push from behind more than once
from the same guys who could have blocked his trajectory.
6.
Kevin never
looked back as other cars had wrecks. He kept his eye on
the prize though he looked out for other drives. (We could
hear his comments by radio as he communicated with his
team.) He stayed balanced and focused at every moment.
7.
Kevin
Harvick thanked all of his team immediately after his win
and expressed his sincere congratulations to the man he beat
by a nose. He sent his sponsor team an email on Monday.
My
granddaughter, Danielle, asked for a NASCAR Dale Earnhardt
Barbie for her birthday in March. Kevin Harvick replaced
Dale Earnhardt in the Richard Childress group on the NASCAR
circuit.
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