For some reason, recently, there has been an increased interest in my book, “Exploding Turkeys and Spare Trousers, Adventure in Global Business” published five years ago. A best-selling author of mysteries in the UK contacted me, as did the organizer of a book fair in Scotland. And I was approached for an interview about the book by a radio program in Singapore. So, yesterday morning I was interviewed by Simon Lim who hosts “Nights with Simon on One FM 91.3 I. His show airs i

Our mind sets the foundation not just for how we feel, but for how we act and communicate. And sometimes the biggest perceived obstacle isn't the thing we're truly afraid of. Don't tell my next tennis opponent, but since shoulder replacement surgery, I've had trouble with balls hit high to my backhand. There's no real pain involved — my mechanics are just off. My coach pointed out something interesting: I'm mentally anticipating pain that isn't going to happen, and that a

Yesterday, US Ambassador to Finland, Ambassador Howard Brodie, hosted a wonderful party in Helsinki’s Kaivopuisto celebrating Freedom250. The theme was Philadelphia, where US Independence began and where the Ambassador was raised. There was music by the colorfully dressed Fralinger String Band whose origins date to South Philly in 1914; and the main act was The Hooters, who burst on the Philadelphia music scene in 1980. The first musician to join the band was their drummer, D

I am pleased to announce that I have joined the roster of speakers at Motorsport to Business® in the ‘Performance’ category focusing on Leadership, Team Management, Teamwork, and Communication. https://ignitionperformance.com/event-speakers/ken-pasternak. M2B offers the complete pit stop for business, delivering high-performance events, team development, and expert speakers to help organisations lead better, work smarter, and achieve more. https://ignitionperformance.com/ Mot

I am often asked how, 25 years ago, I got involved with Formula 1. After three years delivering an intensive action learning program for senior leaders at Ford Motor Company, I was asked to join a faculty team assembled by UK law firm, Freshfield Bruckhaus Derringer. We were tasked to design and deliver a workshop using Formula 1 as the theme for teaching business acumen to their lawyers. At Ford, I developed a deep knowledge about car manufacturing but learned little about m

My co-authors and I wrote “Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing” in 2005, pioneering the concept of finding business and leadership wisdom from observing F1 teams and how they achieve high performance in a competitive, pressure-filled industry. The success of the book’s first edition published by Cambridge University Press (two revised editions followed in 2008 and 2016) led to our working with the BBC in the creation ‘Formula for Success’ in

Formula 1 is a truly global sport and business. Since 1950, F1 has raced in 34 countries on 77 circuits. In 2007, when BBC World’s ‘Formula for Success’ television series was broadcast, there were 17 races on the schedule. As foreseen Episode 7, F1’s reach would grow particularly through expansion into new, emerging markets. This year, Formula 1 scheduled 24 races on five continents in 20 countries, a season that started in February and will end in December. Two races have be

Episode 6 of the BBC World’s television series ‘Formula for Success’ addresses the importance of TEAMWORK. It showcases my “Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing” co-author, @Richard West, delivering the Pit Stop Challenge, a team exercise that simulates execution under pressure and how the takeaways from the experience relate to performance on the job. Before writing the book, the Pit Stop Challenge was included in our two-day workshop for an

When BBC World produced ‘Formula for Success’ in 2007, my co-authors – Professor Mark Jenkins, Richard West, and I - had the opportunity to appear on-screen along with the many F1 drivers, personalities and experts. The 8-part television series was inspired by the eight chapters in our book, “Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing,” published by Cambridge University Press in 2005. Two later editions followed along with several translated versio

I recently found and posted Episode 1 of “Formula for Success,” an eight-part BBC World television series based on our book “Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing made in 2007. My co-authors and I collaborated with a very professional production team from Sunset + Vine in the making. I just discovered more episodes, each about 25 minutes long. While many of the people and teams that appear in the series are from an earlier era of F1, the story

Recently, my social media feed has been bombarded with studies that have found if you want to add 10 years (9.7 years to be exact) to your life compared to people who are sedentary – play tennis. Tennis ranks higher for longevity than other sports like soccer (4.7 years), cycling (3.7 years), swimming or gym workouts. Why? Tennis offers High-Intensity Cardio: The explosive stop-and-start bursts during rallies improve heart rate recovery and cardiovascular health. Also, tennis

It was great to be back in Istanbul last week to teach at the Global Turks Foundation’s Leadership Academy in collaboration with Ozyegin University. Executives from Unilever, PepsiCo, Garanti Bank, Yapi Kredit Bank, FIBA Retail, and other companies have attended the program monthly since January. I delivered a two-day workshop on ‘Leadership Lessons from Formula 1, very timely since F1 racing will return to Istanbul next year. I was delighted that Ayşegűl Dicle Aydin found ti

I finished teaching my “Performance at the Limit” workshop in Istanbul on Saturday and awoke early on Sunday morning to live stream the fourth quarter of the final Knicks-Spurs game. Congratulations to the 2026 New York Knicks. Home in Helsinki, I returned my suitcase to our attic storeroom this morning and retrieved my New York Knicks jacket. It was a gift from my college roommates, JD and Fred, for my 40th birthday, thirty-five years ago. I am delighted that it still fits.

In 1986, when I arrived in Türkiye, Yavuz Canevi was Governor of the Central Bank and a primary mover behind our establishing the Center for International Banking Studies. He then served in numerous leadership roles as the Undersecretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Turkish Eximbank and Deputy Chairman of the Istanbul Stock Exchange. He is member of the High Advisory Board of TÜSIAD and after many years as Chairman of Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) he now acts as Advisor to t

Marshall Goldsmith is a member of the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame. He is the only two-time #1 Leadership Thinker in the world and has been ranked the #1 Executive Coach in the world for many years. His books have sold over 4 million copies and have been published in 36 languages. At age 76, his mission is to share all that he knows with as many people as he can. I have been a direct beneficiary having been selected seven years ago into Marshall’s @100 Coaches community of execut

The first edition of ‘Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing’ published in 2005, set a benchmark for learning about business and leadership from how F1 teams operate. Two revised editions and several translations followed. In 2007, my co-authors and I also collaborated with the BBC to make an 8-part television series, “Formula for Success.” Produced by Sunset + Vine Productions, the episodes were based on the book’s eight chapters. The series a

Today, I had the wonderful experiencing of unboxing my latest book, “A Lost Chapter in the Transformation of the Turkish Banking Industry,” and holding it in my hands for the first time. After researching, visiting Istanbul to conduct interviews, and writing, it is very special to see a manuscript turned into a physical book (and e-book if preferred). https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966837577?ref=sp_email The story explores when I headed a project to create the Center for Internat

Formula 1 Grand Prix racing began in Miami in 2022 and returned this past weekend. I was reminded that it was in Miami, ten years ago, that I delivered my first of many “Performance at the Limit, Business Lessons from Formula 1” workshops in the U.S. for a select group of participants. Working closely with Bonnie Hagemann and her EDA, Inc. colleagues, we examined how F1 teams deliver high performance while under extreme pressure. The insights discussed about leadership, teamw

I look forward to being in Istanbul this June to deliver a two-day “Performance at the Limit, Leadership Lessons from Formula 1” workshop at the Global Turks Foundation’s Leadership Academy. It is 5-month program co-developed with Özyeğin University, designed to equip the next generation of Turkish leaders with future-ready skills and real-world business insights. For my introductory session I had prepared a slide showing that a Formula 1 Grand Prix had taken place in Istanbu

Last Thursday the print version of my new book, “A Lost Chapter in the Transformation of the Turkish Banking Industry” was launched. It tells the previously unknown story about my experiences establishing the Center for International Banking Studies in Istanbul which helped develop a new generation of banking leaders in Türkiye and the Middle East. I am pleased to announce the e-book version is also now available. Both can be found at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966837577?ref=