As a McLaren supporter, watching this season has been a joy. But what really stayed with me was Andrea Stella’s reflection on leadership.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/andrea-stella-on-leadership-and-the-most-satisfying-part-of-mclarens-f1-success/10751132/

Asked about the most satisfying part of winning, he didn’t mention podiums or points. Instead, he spoke about the journey — and how every one of McLaren’s 1000 people felt ownership of the achievement. “That’s something I own, that’s something I contributed to.”

That resonates deeply with me at Euro University of Bahrain. Because leadership in higher education isn’t about a single decision-maker or a headline achievement. It’s about shaping the culture so that staff, faculty and students all feel part of the mission.

Like Stella’s flat leadership model, we’ve chosen intentional design over hierarchy. Collaboration, trust, and clarity are the drivers of our progress. When a lecturer feels their initiative matters, or when a student feels agency in shaping their education — that’s when the institution begins to thrive.

The truth is simple: trophies and titles are temporary. But a culture where people own the outcome, and where success is shared across the whole community, is what lasts.