Subscibe to our feedGreat Teams Grow from Great Leaders
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The story has been told countless times. Rick Hendrick calls Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus into his office following the 2005 Sprint Cup season and sits them down in front of milk and cookies served on plates with Mickey Mouse ears. He tells them if they can’t stop acting like children then he is going to treat them like children and split them up.
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The results also have been recounted over and over. Knaus and Johnson stop bickering and start communicating better. Hendrick scraps plans to shakeup the team.
Three titles later, they’re still together.
“We were at a point where communication was not where it needed to be and there was a lot of frustration on both sides,’’ Hendrick recalled. “When we sat down and thought about it I said, ‘Look, are you better off together? Now let’s talk about what you don’t like about each other and what aggravates you and how we can get over that.’
“When we really started laying it all on the table and started communicating it went away and we haven’t had any problems since.’’
It’s called teamwork, something Hendrick has preached from the day he came into NASCAR. From a heart-to-heart with Geoff Bodine and Harry Hyde on a break table 25 years ago to a sit-down in his office with Johnson and Knaus, he’s always believed the team that works together wins together.
He implemented that philosophy early when he formed a multi-car operation. He took it to another level when he began Johnson’s team in the same building with Jeff Gordon’s, telling engineers, mechanics and fabricators they would work on both cars equally.
“You get five people working together it’s a lot stronger than one,’’ Hendrick said. “People told me I was crazy in the beginning, but in my business we’re a lot stronger. The smarter people we can get together working |
“So it’s all about teamwork, sharing best practices and each person carrying a little bit of the load for the other guy. That’s the key to our success here. In the 25 years here we’ve always had a group of people that believed in sharing information and working together.’’
That has made Hendrick Motorsports the premier organization in NASCAR’s top series with eight titles in the last 14 seasons. That has made Johnson and Knaus the premier team in the series.
“He obviously knows how to get a group of guys together and get them all rallying and pulling in the same direction better than anybody I’ve seen in my life,’’ Knaus said of Hendrick.
The examples are endless. The 2004 plane crash that took the lives of Hendrick’s son, brother and key personnel such as engine builder Randy Dorton would have been a huge setback for most organizations.
Hendrick Motorsports shifted personnel around and moved forward, barely missing a beat as Johnson and Gordon went into the final lap of the final race with a chance to win the title.
There are smaller examples as well, such as when an engineer broke a leg and missed an extended period of work others in his area picked up the slack.
“Teamwork is a big, big role,’’ said Joe Claridge, a mechanic on Johnson’s team. “It’s good to see when someone is struggling what you can do to help them pick up.
“Look at the New England Patriots. When Drew Bledsoe got hurt [Tom] Brady replaced him and they won a couple of championships. Brady got hurt this year and Matt Cassel stepped in and they almost came back to win a championship,” Claridge added. “One person gets hurt, everybody else steps up.’’
Depth has carried Hendrick Motorsports a long way. Having teammates who have been together so long has helped Johnson’s team to a level few could have predicted. It’s like having five seniors starting in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. That’s a hard combination to beat.
“You watch the Duke players or [North] Carolina teams that have won national championships and they’re almost like a machine,’’ Hendrick said. “You get a team that doesn’t play together and they’ve got one all-star, they usually get beat.
“But when you’ve got a bench and they’re just as strong as the first string then you’ve got something special. So we try to use that same parallel in the car business and here in the motorsports business. Everybody is stronger together.’’
The bulk of the No. 48 team has been together so long that everybody seemingly knows what the other is thinking.
“When you can get down to recognizing someone’s gesture, body position, especially on a basketball court, you’ve got to look for real subtle signs when someone is open or what the play may be,’’ Jimmie Johnson noted. “That boils down to knowing each other really well and believing in one another and all the things that make a team special.
“It’s cool when it’s working. When it’s working and hitting right everything goes into slow motion and you’re unstoppable. Then the other times when you’re trying to find that rhythm and groove you’re just flopping around and feel clumsy. But the times you get it right it’s real special.’’
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“It’s cool when it’s working," Knaus said. "When it’s working and hitting right everything goes into slow motion and you’re unstoppable. Then the other times when you’re trying to find that rhythm and groove you’re just flopping around and feel clumsy. But the times you get it right it’s real special.’’
The No. 48 team definitely has something special. Teamwork and communication are a big reason.
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Hendrick goes as far as to use other successful sports figures to preach teamwork. Last year when some questioned whether Johnson could win a third straight title he brought in Appalachian State football coach Jerry Moore, who led the Mountaineers to three straight Division I-AA titles.
“That’s the thing Rick has taught me the most, to allow the guys to truly be a part of the team, to allow them to put some skin in the game, to allow them to have something that they can touch and be a part of,’’ Knaus said. “That way they all feel like they’re actually contributing.’’
For Johnson and Knaus, as successful as they had been, that didn’t really sink in until Hendrick’s milk and cookie session.
“I really have to give Rick a lot of credit for that,’’ Johnson said. “He loves having backups, for whatever the situation may be. Those that are around him hear him make that reference all the time, ‘Well, who’s your backup in this situation? Who’s the backup for the backup?’
“You’re like, ‘What? You mean we need a backup for a backup? You’re really worried about that?’ His life experience has led him to lead a team that way. Thankfully, we’ve been prepared that way, because we’ve certainly been tested over the years.’’
That approach to teamwork has paid off big dividends, and created disciples among Johnson and Knaus. While they were too focused on racing to spend much time watching the NCAA Final Four, they are looking at how they can use the same kind of teamwork to bring home a fourth title of their own.