Tinkering with the carburettor

Tinkering with the carburettor

In one of the recent top team workshops, one analogy just stuck to my mind. A senior leader shared the analogy and it fit in very well with what most top teams in organisations end up doing. Instead of focusing on the road forward and instead of being future centric, instead of aggressively tackling competition they keep tinkering with the carburettor. Those long hours spent resolving for the operational issues which don't seem to get resolved.

Yes I understand, we cannot drive without the carburettor working, but if the leadership team is spending more time fixing it then there is something not working in the larger organisation system that needs to be fixed. And yes, it is a one time fix, not fix the carburettor, which needs maintenance, but the systems that keep the carburettor running. There need to be other teams in the larger organisation whose only job is ensuring the carburettor is working consistently.

Research shows that outstanding top teams deliver results by :

  1. Owning and implementing the organisation strategy
  2. Mounting an aligned and integrated response to market opportunities and threats
  3. Anticipating and adapting quickly - especially in a hyper change market environment
  4. Increasing decision making speed and action despite uncertainty
  5. Maintaining a high sense of urgency and capitalise on windows of opportunity
  6. Delivering high performance - predictably and in a sustainable fashion
  7. Increasing stakeholder confidence - internal and external


They delegate the operations and indeed the carburettor to more able teams below whose primarily responsibility is to ensure the car is running at optimal conditions.

Share your perspectives on organisations and the wider systems where the carburettor is a key focus of the top team and not the big wide road and unexplored destinations beyond...what could be implications of such a narrow focus.

#leadershipdevelopment #topteamperformance #fixthecarburettor #topteamalignment


要查看或添加评论,请登录

Mathew Kuruvilla的更多文章

  • Designing Executive Development Experiences

    Designing Executive Development Experiences

    A lot of senior executive development begins with an assessment, a team alignment a leadership workshop or a similar…

  • Agile Learner/Leader

    Agile Learner/Leader

    This week, my focus is on leadership and learning. My exploration is on what makes leaders agile, what makes leaders…

    2 条评论
  • Fulfilling the “deservingness”

    Fulfilling the “deservingness”

    Organizations that aspire to grow and thrive need to create equitable environments. Environments that provide truly…

  • Leading an Adaptable Ecosystem

    Leading an Adaptable Ecosystem

    Auto companies producing ventilators, fashion firms releasing hand sanitizers and masks. Hotels and IT offices being…

    3 条评论
  • Enviable Appeal Across Generations: Ennio Morricone ( 1928 - 2020)

    Enviable Appeal Across Generations: Ennio Morricone ( 1928 - 2020)

    Italian composer, conductor, orchestrator, and trumpet player passed away on 6 July 2020. He composed over 400 scores…

  • "Thank Yous" Build Team Culture

    "Thank Yous" Build Team Culture

    Have been closely observing a few leaders driving peer recognition in their teams. The initiative is very simple…

  • Action Learning Laboratories for Leadership Development

    Action Learning Laboratories for Leadership Development

    Action learning laboratories for Leadership development are a great crucible for evolving a group to engage and grapple…

  • Unprecedented Leadership in the Time of COVID - 19

    Unprecedented Leadership in the Time of COVID - 19

    April 3, 2020, More than 30,000 doctors, including retired government and Armed Forces Medical Services, and private…

  • Leadership Beyond the Visible

    Leadership Beyond the Visible

    Anand (Name changed) is one of those leaders who has a number of stories to share. He is quite reflective and pretty…

  • What Sparks Your “Lion Light”?

    What Sparks Your “Lion Light”?

    Richard Turere lives in Kitengala, on the edge of the Nairobi National park. Turere first became responsible for…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了