4 Mar 2025
3 minutes
Why I Recommend This: The Importance of Clean Bathrooms
When people think about Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1’s dominance, they imagine cutting-edge aerodynamics, world-class engineering, and elite driver performance. But what if I told you that bathroom cleanliness also affected their championship success?
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, believes that high performance is a mindset—and that meticulous attention to detail in even the smallest areas creates a culture of excellence. His insistence on spotless team facilities, including the hospitality bathrooms, is not about micromanagement. It is about setting standards that permeate every level of the organisation.
If you want to understand what truly separates the best from the rest, this story will show how tiny details build world-class teams.
Why Most Organisations Overlook the Small Details
Many leaders focus on big-picture strategy while ignoring the details that shape their organisation’s culture. This leads to:
Inconsistencies in execution – Standards fluctuate between departments.
A lack of ownership – Small problems are ignored because they seem unimportant.
Disjointed culture – Employees see double standards between leadership’s words and actions.
A slip in overall quality – If minor issues go unchecked, bigger ones follow.
Success is not just about high-level strategy. It is about embedding a relentless commitment to excellence in every aspect of operations.
The Hidden Cost of Overlooking the Details
If Mercedes had dismissed the importance of clean facilities, it would have sent a signal that standards are flexible. That mentality would have seeped into other areas:
Messy garages leading to inefficiencies.
Tools out of place slowing down critical pit stops.
A lack of care in vehicle preparation, impacting performance.
What starts as a small issue can spiral into a cultural problem. In high-performance environments, every tiny detail matters.
How a Bathroom Cleaning Standard Transformed a Team
Toto Wolff’s approach was straightforward: set the highest possible standards everywhere.
On his first visit to the team’s hospitality bathroom, he was shocked at the lack of cleanliness.
Instead of ignoring it, he hired a full-time hygiene manager, Miguel Guerreiro.
Wolff personally demonstrated the correct cleaning procedures, down to the positioning of soap bottles.
Guerreiro now travels with the team, ensuring that hospitality spaces are always immaculate.
This may seem extreme. But it was not about the bathroom—it was about reinforcing a mindset of excellence. If the team cared this much about a minor detail, imagine the discipline they would apply to their race operations.
What Happens When You Demand Excellence Everywhere
Mercedes’ obsession with standards has reshaped every aspect of their operations:
Garages are spotless—no tools out of place, no tyre marks on the floor.
Every detail is accounted for—from car preparation to pit stop routines.
A culture of discipline and ownership has emerged, where no task is too small.
Performance gains are achieved not just through innovation, but through an unbreakable commitment to precision.
When every team member sees the same high standards across all areas, it reinforces a culture where excellence is the norm, not the exception.
Five Leadership Lessons from Mercedes F1
1. Set the Standard, Then Live It
Leaders cannot expect excellence if they do not model it themselves.
Wolff did not delegate the cleaning standards—he physically demonstrated them.
His involvement sent a clear message: no job is beneath anyone.
Employees mirror leadership behaviour—if the boss cares, they care.
2. Small Details Define Big Performance
A messy workspace suggests a lack of discipline.
Minor oversights compound into operational inefficiencies.
Attention to detail in small areas creates a habit of precision everywhere.
3. Excellence is a Habit, Not an Occasional Effort
The best teams do not switch standards on and off.
Mercedes’ approach is consistent across all operations, from cleaning to car design.
If you want peak performance, it must become a daily expectation, not an occasional push.
4. Ownership at Every Level
Every team member must feel personally responsible for maintaining standards.
Guerreiro’s role as hygiene manager is a small yet symbolic part of a larger culture.
When people take pride in their environment, it extends to all aspects of their work.
5. Culture is Built in the Margins
High-performance culture is not built in strategy meetings—it happens in the everyday details.
How a team treats small responsibilities reflects how they approach big challenges.
The best organisations do not tolerate inconsistency—standards apply everywhere.
Your Next Steps
If Mercedes F1 can build a championship-winning team by focusing on bathroom cleanliness, imagine what attention to detail could do for your organisation.
Identify one overlooked area in your business that needs higher standards.
Lead by example—personally demonstrate the level of excellence you expect.
Create ownership by assigning responsibility for maintaining high standards.
Implement a culture of precision, ensuring small details are as important as big ones.
Watch how this shift in mindset elevates performance across the board.
What small detail in your organisation could be the key to unlocking greater excellence?