Dany Bahar Enjoys The Balance Of Both War And Peace

In the automobile industry we seasoned F1 journalists - who have cut our teeth on the tarmac - have an 'access all areas' pass. It's only through this that we can pick up the vibes, the gossip, the rumours and the occasional snippet of scandal. Oh yes, these are the juicier parts of our chosen career to relish!

In amongst the press briefings and conferences, the action in and out of the pits and of course the screeching tyres as the vehicles go through their paces (and the actual races) around the track, there's plenty of back-biting and even slandering which an old hack like me loves to prick up his ears and listen to!

It's a veritable 'War and Peace' out there which, with apologies to Leo Tolstoy himself, brings his great work of literature wham bang into the 21st century. In fact, he would even turn in his grave if he heard some of the things that go on - or at least those which I have heard over a pretty long career behind the chequered flag. Mr Tolstoy couldn't have made it up - and I find it surprising that what I hear is not really the fantastical thoughts of people who show just a tad too much of the green eye - there is venom spitting out of many mouths!

I'm not suggesting that, while old Tolstoy brings about the interactions of five families, their wars and their (at times) amorous 'peaces', that we have such situations rollicking around the pit stop but what I am suggesting is that there is a need now to talk about a certain person who has been the subject of more than his fair share of venomous idle gossip than most. His story since becoming CEO of Lotus Group has been the veritable substance of a War and Peace epic.

There are those who love him and those who hate him and in between you have a guy who is the envy of so many - he's caught in the middle - and sometimes there just isn't any peace for him. I talk of course of Dany Bahar - now three years into his contract with Lotus Group - the CEO who was brought in to totally revive an ailing but iconic UK automobile brand. And who, in my mind, is succeeding in the very difficult task he has been set.

OK, so he didn't need to join Lotus - he could have stayed on at Ferrari and walked down the road with them, setting himself new challenges and acknowledging the rewards. BUT, Bahar isn't like that. He doesn't just want challenges; he wants something to get his teeth truly into. He revels in controversy and adores cutting his way through the jungle to reach the clearing. That's when he knows he has succeeded.

It's been a long uphill struggle for him since he joined Group Lotus: and I am sure that Colin Chapman would be silently agreeing from his grave with every move that Bahar has made thus far. But Dany knows he's created his own little War and Peace - 'war' with the people who love to knock him and 'peace' with those who trust in his abilities to bring the Lotus name back into prominence again.

I mentioned that little anomaly to him just recently, during the 'down time' on the F1 scene when drivers mentally prepare for the next gruelling season and the F1 media pack sharpen their pencils ready to stick them into whomever doesn't take their fancy...

I asked him what his thoughts might be on the 'War and Peace' theme and he smiled his slow, laconic smile. "Given the choice, I would pick 'Peace' every time but sometimes in business you have to 'go to War'," he told me.

He's had his media wars with those who don't appreciate his talents. He has not risen from the F1 stable as an engineer nor even as a car builder but has carved his niche - and successfully too - via marketing strategies. He's been so knocked about by certain echelons of the F1 media ranks that he's almost turned in to a car crash dummy. But he's survived three years of being hounded and still comes up for air with a smile on his face.

"You need to fight for your position in this world," he said. "By that I mean both within an industry and even as an individual within an organisation - and that's what I am - as long as you fight for the right thing."

And my, has Bahar fought: against the media, against other critics and possibly at times against himself but he's come through with Group Lotus now showcasing some of their new prototypes - set to launch on to the general market in a couple years' time - at international motor shows. I was actually surprised not to have seen the new Lotus Evora at last week's Qatar Motor Show - but maybe it just wasn't a sexy enough event to launch the first in a series of five new models at...? Who can tell - and that's just my supposition.

Bahar believes that you do not succeed by accident - "Every successful person has had to fight (for it) and I respect that," he told me. And I respect that comment.

"You have to learn different skills when you have to fight for something," he added philosophically. "Pushing for something you want doesn't mean that you have to play dirty - although sometimes you have to get creative and consider different options," he adds with a little glint in his eye. Play dirty? Bahar has never been known to do so: he's played clean all along the way - it's the others who have tried to kick up the dirt when he's applied positive and genuine actions.

Dany, I know, is someone who likes balance of both War and Peace - he enjoys solidarity amongst his work force and genuinely strives to bring out the best in each and every one of them: he hates 'War' but recognises it as one of his greatest challenges in the business which surrounds him.

You know something? He and Tolstoy could well have been best friends if they had met - they certainly shared the same views, albeit a century apart... I've got my money on Bahar and Group Lotus creating good vibes this coming F1 season which, thank goodness, kicks off in only a few weeks' time in Melbourne. It's been a long, lonely winter listening to idle gossip about Bahar - in fact; 'War and Peace' know few boundaries...

Tom Schneider is a college graduate from UCLA. He is an experienced and talented writer, who specializes in personal training and self-improvement. You can view one of many examples of articles Tom has written at the following article: Dany Bahar's Vision

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.