By Jochen Werne
There are moments in life that define not only a mission’s outcome but the very essence of what makes great teams extraordinary. I’ve been privileged to lead teams both in the boardroom and on the open ocean—under blue skies and in the unforgiving embrace of storm and ice. Whether steering a business transformation in a data-driven world or navigating a yacht through a gale in Arctic waters, I’ve witnessed a remarkable truth: when a true A-Team comes together, anything becomes possible.
In these experiences, I’ve seen more than just tasks being completed or objectives being met. I’ve seen people grow. I’ve seen individuals step beyond what they believed were their limits—because of each other. What binds these peak-performing teams is not luck or raw talent alone, but a foundation of Performance, Trust, and Leadership.
Simon Sinek aptly captures this philosophy when he reflects on his learnings from the US Navy SEALs: it’s not just about the strongest or the smartest. It’s about trust. The SEALs—just like the best-performing business units I’ve worked with—rank performance and trust as twin pillars. The most valued team member is not always the top performer, but the one most trusted when the pressure mounts.
At Experian DACH, one of the three strategic pillars guiding our transformation is “Unleashing the A-Team.” Why? Because even in a global technology and data leader, the decisive factor remains unchanged: people.
Let me share nine key principles, shaped by both professional and expeditionary experience, that help unleash the full power of any A-Team:
- Create the Environment for the Team to Emerge
Onboard or in business, great teams don’t simply form—they are shaped by environment. The Apollo space program is a striking example: despite the complexity, risk, and urgency, NASA fostered a culture where engineers, astronauts, and mission control could speak openly, flag concerns, and rapidly adapt. This atmosphere of psychological safety, long before the term became mainstream, was a decisive factor in the successful return of Apollo 13.
At Experian, we foster this by anchoring everything in our People First culture. In our DACH transformation program, we’ve restructured hierarchies and replaced silos with cross-functional squads—creating clarity, space for dialogue, and ownership.
2. Set Clear Goals
A ship without a course ends up nowhere. So does a team. Whether it’s navigating 560 nautical miles in the Arctic within a narrow weather window, or delivering a time-critical client migration project, clarity of purpose aligns every move.
In Experian DACH, we’ve introduced OKRs at scale—ensuring every team knows not just what to achieve, but why it matters.
3. Allow Creativity
Creativity is not a luxury—it’s survival. At sea, when equipment fails or weather turns, improvisation is a core skill. The same holds in business.
We empower teams through Experian’s Global Innovation Framework—like our internal Innovation Sprints —where ideas become MVPs, and MVPs become business. From fraud analytics to tech transformation, many of our best solutions started as team-driven initiatives.
4. Use the Power of Diversity
At Experian, we don’t just talk about diversity—we live it. As of 2024 in Experian globally:
- 49% of global employees identify as women
- 51% of global leadership development participants are female
- Over 10 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)—including Women in Experian, Pride Network, and Neurodiversity groups—actively drive inclusion.
Diverse teams outperform because they question assumptions, challenge blind spots, and reflect real-world customers. I’ve seen this dynamic both on international sailing crews and in data science teams that blended backgrounds from Berlin to Hyderabad.
5. Use the Power of an International Setup
Sailing between nations demands real-time coordination under pressure. The same applies when you’re part of a company operating in over 30 countries, like Experian.
In our DACH region, we partner daily with colleagues all around the world. They inspire us and we inspire them. Global reach means global insight—but also global humility. Great ideas come from anywhere. Our job is to listen and amplify them.
6. Incentivise Team Achievements
We celebrate not just individual wins—but collective achievement. In Arctic missions, success meant arriving together, safely. In business, it means designing reward systems that foster collaboration, not internal competition.
At Experian DACH, we’ve redesigned team incentives to reflect shared KPIs—so data science, product, sales, and compliance all pull together, not in parallel.
7. Support Getting Out of the Excuse Trap
“Too hard.” “Not my job.” “We’ve always done it this way.” These mindsets don’t survive in the face of a force 11 storm. Nor should they in business.
We teach teams to own their path. This mindset—reinforced by leadership coaching, internal mentoring programs, and transparent retrospectives—helps teams build accountability, not alibis.
8. Create a High-Performance Environment
High performance doesn’t mean stress. It means flow. In extreme sailing, we achieve peak performance through rhythm, rest, and roles. Everyone knows their duty. Everyone has space to breathe.
At Experian, we do have a unique High Performance program, which tackles all the above mentioned points in business. Performance comes from clarity, not chaos.
9. Let New Team Leaders Emerge
In high-performance teams, leadership is fluid. Onboard, the best leaders are often those who step up in the moment—regardless of rank. In business, the same principle applies.
We actively encourage this at Experian through:
- “Step-Up” opportunities for junior staff
- Talent acceleration programs (e.g., the Future Leaders Programme)
- Internal mobility, allowing talent to lead across functions and borders
Leadership is not a title—it’s a behavior. A-Team cultures recognize that.
Final Thought
Whether navigating uncharted waters or building solutions that power the financial world, one truth remains: the team is the multiplier. The A-Team is not a myth—it’s a method. It’s built through trust, aligned goals, and empowering environments.
As we continue to grow Experian DACH into one of Europe’s most admired data and technology companies, let us remember: it’s the people who make the transformation happen. Together.
