Space for strategic thinking
A morning planning routine protected time to think beyond the next immediate demand.
Executive coachingCase study
From constant firefighting to deliberate leadership in Formula One engineering
As Mechanical Engineering Team Leader at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, Johann Kastern wanted to extend his influence and think more strategically about his team’s purpose and his longer-term development.
The change at a glance
Boundaries around work
Evening boundaries and repeatable habits helped protect his energy and life outside the role.
Confidence in what matters
Johann describes a deeper sense of progress, clarity and control over his leadership and his life.
“I leave every session with greater clarity, renewed perspective and a stronger sense of control over both my leadership and my life.”
The challenge
Operational demands left little space to lead
Formula One engineering combines exacting standards with relentless pace. Johann was spending much of his time firefighting, working long hours and responding to the next immediate demand.
He wanted space to think strategically about his team’s purpose, his influence within the organisation and his longer-term development. As a husband and father of three young girls, he also wanted to excel professionally without work consuming the time and energy he wanted to give to his family.
The coaching focused on distinguishing what genuinely required his attention from what simply felt urgent, while changing how much of his identity rested on the role.
The coaching work
Turning insight into daily practice
Will combined fresh reframing with direct, action-oriented challenge, tailored to Johann’s personality and the realities of his role. Together they translated the insight into practical ways of operating.
Protect strategic thinking time
A morning routine created space for strategic planning before operational pressures took over.
Set boundaries around evening work
Clear boundaries helped protect the time and energy Johann wanted to give to life outside work.
Build habits that protect energy
Small, repeatable practices stopped work from expanding into every available space.
Return attention to the bigger picture
The work kept his team’s purpose, influence within the organisation and longer-term development in view.
What changed
A deliberate way to lead and live
Johann describes a deeper confidence that he’s progressing on what genuinely matters, rather than carrying a persistent sense of falling short. The demands of the role remain, but he has practical ways to protect his attention and energy and choose how he responds.
In Johann’s words
“Over the past year Will has helped me fundamentally change how I operate as a Mechanical Engineering Team Leader at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. I came to him constantly firefighting the relentless pace of Formula 1 engineering, working long hours and struggling to protect time for my wife and three young girls while still wanting to excel in my career and think strategically about my team's purpose, my path in the organisation and my longer-term development.
The most important shift was realising that I am not my job. That insight allowed me to decouple an all-encompassing role from my love for my family and life outside work. Will then helped me build practical systems to protect my energy: morning strategic planning routines, clear boundaries around evening work, and small but powerful habits that stopped work from consuming everything.
What sets Will apart is his ability to reframe challenges in a way that injects fresh energy and dissolves overwhelm, then challenge me to be decisive and action-oriented in a manner that fitted my personality. The result has been a deeper inner confidence that I am progressing on what truly matters, rather than a constant sense of falling short.
I leave every session with greater clarity, renewed perspective and a stronger sense of control over both my leadership and my life. I cannot recommend him highly enough to anyone operating in a high-pressure environment who wants to perform at their best while remaining present for the people who matter most.”
Beyond Formula One
You don’t need to work in motorsport to recognise this pattern. Expertise and commitment can make you the person every difficult problem comes back to, leaving little room for the leadership only you can provide.
Executive coaching creates space to examine that pattern and develop a deliberate way to direct your attention, authority and energy.
Explore executive coachingLet’s talk
If you’re considering coaching for yourself or a senior leader in your organisation, I’d be glad to hear what has prompted it. We can talk through the situation, what you hope the work could achieve and how I might approach it.
We’ll also get a sense of whether we would work well together.
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