Driving Racecars, Leadership and Inclusion with Christina Nielsen and Peter Zaballos

Christina Nielsen, Pete Zaballos and Deli Moussavi collaborate around their deep passion for women's equality. With Christina breaking barriers within her industry, Deli's two decades of leadership and DEI work and Pete's intense allyship throughout his career, it was inevitable.  We discuss the connection between inclusion, team trust, advocacy, honest, meaningful relationships, healthy communication and high performance in ANY industry. 

Christina Nielsen is a two-time national champion of IMSA, the first woman to to do so.  She is a force in breaking down barriers for women in the automotive industry and beyond. She co-founded Accerating Change to help women achieve parity in their industries. A trailblazer, Christina joined us from Denmark. 

Pete Zaballos, Deli's former boss, is a long-time tech Chief Marketing Officer, founder of Diamante Scholars and extraordinary advocate for women and minorities.  Pete realized early in his career that women are being held back in compensation and other areas at work. He  feels an obligation to help women achieve equality.  He's a passionate race car drive and met Christina through the amazing Lauren Elkins.  

The  equality, leadership and teamwork lessons in race car driving apply to all workplace teams.  Organization dynamics of performance on a team and the role trust has starts at the top with management.  Pete realized many of the issues he had running departments are similar to what Christina deals with on a racing team. Car-racing is a team sport. The car doesn't now the difference. Male or female. 

Christina: “Shitting your pants” is a real term when it comes to driving race cars. Women start from -1. Men start from 0. 

Allyship and  networks  are critical to navigating the day-to-day. Men and women are treated differently. And, male allies made a big difference for Christina's career. Women already have a voice, it’s a matter of being heard. 

Getting women IN. In the automotive industry as well as others, the odds aren't with women. We need more women at the TOP of the funnel when it comes to recruiting.  Until you solve for diversity at the top of the funnel, it's not going to change. Check out Lewis Hamilton's work on why the lack of diversity in Formula One.  The learnings apply to ALL industries. 

Deli points out how Diversity AND inclusion  aren’t the same thing and HOW.  As an Iranian-American, she talks about the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, women and men together fighting for equality and basic human rights.  She quotes Terence Real on how our narcissistic, patriarchal culture harms both men and women. In that kind of culture, you're force to choose between power and connection. In reality, we don't have to make that choice. Authentic power isn't power over.

Failing toward success. Pete's background being told academically he would never succeed. And yet failing forward is HOW you succeed and the merits of stepping into and through your fear.

Women are automatically questioned. Men's competence is automatically assumed. 

Christina's latest racing team exemplified an inclusive culture of trust, communication, honesty and understanding. They won. Christina talks about how as a race car driver, the fear isn't am I going to die, it's am I going to lose my job.  Being on a race team is living on the razor's edge. And in an environment of trust, you achieve SO much more.