Built to win, built to stay: How Chip Ganassi Racing develops its own talent

Eds Note: This article and its assets can be used in whole or part without copyright violation

INDIANAPOLIS — At Chip Ganassi Racing, there's another measure of success: the people who stay.

Behind the organization's championship trophies is a workforce shaped by years — and in some cases decades — of experience, internal advancement and opportunities to grow alongside one of the most successful teams in American motorsports.

While drivers command the headlines, the continuity behind the scenes helps explain how CGR sustains its success.

The result is an organization in which institutional knowledge is not simply preserved. It is passed from one generation of employees to the next: 45 employees have been at CGR for 10 years, and of those 45 employees, 25 have been with the company more than 20 years.

 For CGR, developing people has become part of the process of developing winning race cars.

Mike Hull has been part of all 18 of Chip Ganassi Racing’s championships. But when he considers the organization’s future, he looks beyond the trophies to the people preparing to help win the next one.

The drivers, engineers and crews who deliver championships are one measure of a successful race team. Another, Hull said, is whether the organization gives its employees the experience and responsibility to eventually lead it.

“The real measure of CGR isn't simply what we accomplish with people, but whether we're developing the people within our culture for tomorrow,” said Hull, the team’s senior adviser.

That philosophy has taken on added significance with the planned retirement of longtime engineer Julian Robertson. For Hull, the departure of an employee who has spent decades with the team deserves recognition beyond a list of accomplishments. It also offers an opportunity to examine how that employee grew — and whether others have been given the chance to follow.

“Julian was hired in 1993, and is planning to retire, that should be championed — he has been vital throughout,” Hull said.

Behind Ganassi’s championship trophies is a workforce shaped by years, and in some cases decades, of experience. Employees who began in entry-level positions have advanced into leadership roles, while others have built careers spanning multiple championship eras.

Their longevity gives the organization a foundation of institutional knowledge. Passing it along requires experienced employees willing to teach and managers willing to let others take on more responsibility.

Hull said that approach reflects team owner Chip Ganassi’s emphasis on collective effort.

“Chip’s push has always been about people working together, not any one individual — for good reason,” Hull said. “We have rooms full of capable people, and our history proves that developing and promoting from within works.”

The challenge is making that development a continuing part of the organization’s work.

Hull said senior management must do more than identify promising employees. It must listen to their ideas, acknowledge their contributions and provide opportunities to demonstrate they are ready for the next step.

“The challenge for senior management is how we continue to make it happen,” he said. “Are we recognizing people as they grow, listening to their ideas, acknowledging their contributions, and giving them the responsibility and opportunity to take the next step?”

Those questions extend throughout the organization. Hull wants employees to understand how their current responsibilities can prepare them for a larger role and to see that advancement is possible within the team.

“Are we making certain everyone understands that there is a clear path for growth that leads to promotion within the organization?” he said.

Retirements and other personnel changes put that preparation to the test. When an experienced employee leaves, the organization must determine whether someone else has developed the skills, judgment and confidence to assume greater responsibility.

Hull framed it as a question of the team’s depth.

“When change happens, is our bench strong enough, experienced enough, and prepared to step upwards for all vocations?” he said.

For Ganassi, that means the work of succession begins well before a position becomes available. Employees need opportunities to learn from the people around them and take ownership of decisions while experienced colleagues are still there to help.

The process also gives the careers of departing employees significance beyond their individual results. Their contributions include the knowledge they share and the people they help prepare.

“Those who are departing have contributed a great deal to our success, so how they grew shouldn’t be overlooked,” Hull said.

Robertsons' planned retirement provides one such moment to recognize a longtime employee while considering what comes next. Hull said the organization has people who want to remain with the team. Management’s responsibility is to give them reasons and opportunities to build their careers there.

“Look at the positive, in this case, we have a room of people who want to be with us,” he said.

Personnel changes are part of racing. Hull said the team’s expectations for collaboration and accountability must endure through them.

“People will change, as they always have in racing, but our commitment to each other, how we work together, and what we expect of ourselves shouldn't,” he said. “Our responsibility is to make certain the next generation doesn't just inherit our success but understands how to build it.”