Episode 80 – The inside track on comms at Mercedes F1

“The days we fail are the days our competitors live to regret,” said the late, great Niki Lauda. And that’s what this episode of the Internal Comms Podcast is all about. This week, host Katie Macaulay welcomed Nicole Bearne, Head of Internal Communications for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. The F1 team competes at the very pinnacle of motorsport, and with a 1,200-strong workforce behind the scenes, the racing team’s high performance is the product of a whole lot of work. And they are hugely successful, holding the record for the most consecutive title wins. But this conversation shines a light on how the team responds to failure and how Nicole’s work has embedded psychological safety across the business to ensure nobody is afraid to say when something could be wrong. This conversation gets to the heart of what it takes to be the best. Failure can be an uncomfortable topic, but when approached and communicated effectively and with candour, it can galvanise a team for more success. Discover the importance of psychological safety in battling failure, but also how Nicole’s work helps the F1 team dust themselves off and go again – and how your team can do that, too. We hope you enjoy this latest episode. If you have any thoughts or comments on this episode, share them using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. For more exclusive IC insights, follow us on Twitter at @abthinks.