Lesson #7: You don’t win alone

Part 8 of the "Lessons from the grid" LinkedIn article series

I want to close this series with the most important lesson I've learned across my decades of racing and selling: no one wins alone.

It doesn't matter how skilled you are, how prepared you are, or how driven you are. At some point, your success will depend on the people around you. And that moment often comes when you least expect it.

When the bottom falls out – literally

Let me take you through one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my racing career.

I was at a desert track in Southern California, getting ready for a qualifying race that could change everything for me. In just a few hours, I'd be fighting for a spot in the championship runoffs — something I’d be working toward all season. 

I knew that everything was on the line, and I’d prepared accordingly. As any seasoned driver knows, you never go to a race weekend without your spares. I had everything: spare transmission, spare engine components, spare suspension corners — enough parts to rebuild almost the entire vehicle if needed.

During my final pre-race inspection, I discovered something that made my stomach drop: the bushing that secured my transmission to the chassis had completely worn through. My transmission was literally shifting in the frame. There was no way I could race like this — at high speeds, it would be catastrophic.

Here's the thing about bushings: they're one of the few components drivers don't typically carry as spares. They rarely fail, and they're specific to your vehicle configuration. I was hours from the most important qualifying race of the season, and my car was undrivable.

I tried everything. Made calls. Checked with officials. Looked for makeshift solutions. Nothing.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Another competitor — someone who wasn't even going to qualify that day — walked over to my pit. He'd overheard my problem. Without hesitation, he said, "I'm not running today. You can have the bushing from my car."

I was stunned. This wasn't a teammate; this wasn't even a friend. This was just another driver who understood what that moment meant to me.

He went back to his car, spent an hour removing his own bushing, and brought it to me. 

It fit. 

We installed it, and I made it to the race with minutes to spare.

I ended up winning that qualifier and went on to compete in the championship.

That moment taught me something profound: in both racing and business, your greatest support often comes from the most unexpected places. The driver who helped me didn't gain anything tangible. He wouldn't share in my victory. He did it because in the racing community — just like the sales community — there's a camaraderie that transcends competition.

Camaraderie among competitors

It’s well-known that racing and sales are intensely competitive environments: every driver wants to take the checkered flag, and every seller wants to hit their number. So the idea of “camaraderie among competitors” might seem a little counterintuitive at first. 

But beneath that competition lies a deeper understanding: we're all facing the same challenges, dealing with the same pressures, and pursuing the same dreams.

When I was racing, I'd regularly see a situation like this: a driver would blow an engine or damage a suspension component between practice and qualifying, and suddenly, people from competing teams would rush over to help. They'd drop what they were doing to make sure everyone got their chance to compete. They wanted to win because they outskilled you on the track, not because your car broke down in the pits.

The same spirit exists in the best sales organizations. Everyone has a quota. Everybody wants to be at the top of the leaderboard. But these same reps who are gunning for that #1 spot are also the first ones to drop everything when a teammate needs help.

I watch this play out constantly. These reps help each other push deals over the finish line. They take time to role-play tough conversations. They share their winning email and call strategies. And this happens despite the fact that they're all competing for that top spot. Why? Because they get it: when the team wins, everyone wins.

The best sellers don't hoard their knowledge or techniques. They share them freely, knowing that a rising tide lifts all boats. They understand that real excellence isn't about outperforming others — it's about elevating the entire team.

The essential role of mentorship

Beyond this peer-to-peer support lies something even more powerful: mentorship. In both racing and sales, having the right mentor can completely transform your trajectory.

When I think about my career, I can identify key inflection points where a mentor's guidance made all the difference. These weren't just people who gave me advice — they were people who saw potential in me that I hadn't yet recognized in myself.

In my experience, great mentors do a few key things:

1. They raise the bar. A great mentor doesn't let you settle for "good enough." They push you past your self-imposed limitations and show you what's truly possible.
2. They share the map. A great mentor has already navigated the territory you're crossing. They can point out the shortcuts, warn you about pitfalls, and help you avoid the costly mistakes they've already made.
3. They believe in you unconditionally. A great mentor maintains an unwavering belief in your potential, even when you lose faith in yourself.

In racing, my mentors fundamentally transformed how I approached the sport. They helped me see patterns I missed, taught me to feel what the car told me before problems developed, and showed me how to think strategically across an entire race weekend instead of just reacting lap by lap. One mentor in particular helped me understand that winning wasn't about driving faster than everyone else: it was about being smarter about when and where to use your car's potential.

In sales, mentorship helped me see selling in a whole new light. My mentors taught me to focus on solving customer problems rather than just pushing products — the “selling to solve rather than selling to sell” idea I talked about in my last article. They showed me how to listen more than I talk, and how to understand the real business challenges hiding beneath surface requests. These weren't just tips and tricks: they were fundamental shifts in how I approached my entire profession.

The best mentorship goes far beyond simple advice-giving. When someone truly mentors you, they reshape your entire perspective. They open your eyes to opportunities you'd miss on your own and help you sidestep pitfalls that might’ve derailed you. This kind of relationship can transform who you are as a professional and how you define success. The mentors I've had didn't just make me better at sales; they fundamentally shaped who I am as a leader.

Building your support system

The biggest takeaway I hope you get from this entire series is this: surround yourself with people who will help you succeed, and make sure to be that person for others.

Here's how:

1. Find your mentors. Look for people who are already doing what you want to do well. When you approach them, don’t just ask for general advice: come prepared with specific questions about specific topics that you want to learn more about. This shows that you’re taking them (and their guidance) seriously and will go a long way with your mentor. Why? Most successful people are happy to help someone who's genuinely going to use their advice.
2. Create your pit crew. Just like I needed different specialists in my pit during races, sellers need different people around them to provide different kinds of support. You need someone who'll push you when you're coasting, someone who'll lift you up when you're down, and someone who'll tell you the truth when you're heading in the wrong direction.
3. Share what you know. The best way to build a strong support system is to be the first one to help others. Share what you know. Help others succeed. When you freely share what you've learned, it almost always comes back to you when you need it most.
4. Thank your people. Make it a point to recognize those who help you along the way. Nothing feels better than celebrating a win with the people who made it possible — whether that's crossing the finish line or closing a big deal.

When you build these connections and nurture these relationships, something powerful happens. The challenges that once seemed overwhelming become more manageable. The obstacles that looked insurmountable start to feel like just another turn on the track. You develop a confidence that comes not just from your own abilities, but from knowing you're part of something bigger: a community of people who want to see each other succeed.

The footprints we leave behind

Recently, I was talking with a friend about our careers when he asked me a simple but profound question: "What do you hope people will remember about you years from now?"

That question got me thinking about footprints on a beach. Picture yourself walking along the shoreline. When you pause and look back at the path you've traveled, what do you see?

Some people see only their own solitary tracks in the sand — a single line marking their journey. They've moved through their career focused primarily on their own progress, their own achievements, their own success.

But there's another way to travel.

You could be creating a path where, when you look back, you see thousands of footprints alongside your own. Some running parallel — colleagues and peers who've walked beside you. Others intersecting briefly before heading in new directions — people whose paths crossed yours at critical moments. And some following directly in your tracks — those you've mentored and guided along the way.

Which path are you creating? A solitary journey or one rich with connections, guidance, and shared success?

This image has stayed with me throughout my career because it captures something essential about true success. It's not just about where you go: it's about who's with you on the journey, and who follows your tracks after you've moved on.

There's a particular type of moment that brings this home for me more than anything. Every so often, I'll receive a message from someone who worked with me 10, 15, even 20 years ago. They reach out completely out of the blue to share how something I taught them made a lasting difference. Sometimes they tell me they're now teaching those same principles to their teams.

These unexpected connections mean more to me than any race I've won or any sales target I've hit. Why? Because they're evidence that whatever wisdom I've gained isn't ending with me — it's continuing to create value through others.

This is why mentorship matters so deeply. When you help someone navigate the track better, you aren’t just improving their lap time in the next race. You're influencing every race they'll ever run — and, potentially, the races of everyone they'll mentor in turn.

From grid to greatness

We've covered a lot of ground in this series. We've talked about making every minute count, knowing your track inside and out, preparing thoroughly, specializing with purpose, and innovating to solve problems. We've explored how to focus on what you can control through the S.A.M. framework.

But this final lesson about support and mentorship underlies everything else. The trophy might have one name on it, but the victory belongs to everyone who made it possible.

Whether you're crossing the finish line or closing a major deal, take a moment to acknowledge all the people who helped you get there. Then become that person for someone else.

The mark of true greatness in any field isn't just in what you accomplish — it's in the footprints you leave behind for others to follow.