Business is a Formula 1 race. Most leaders forget the track
This morning I went for a run. 🏃♀️
Nothing fancy — just a few kilometers before the chaos of the day.
It made me laugh a little because… why is it that the things that help us most are the ones we often don’t make time for?
The last three months have been a blur: a different company every single day, back-to-back evaluations, meetings, interventions. And yet, the pattern I kept seeing was the exact same I saw 10 years ago.
👉 Disengaged teams.
👉 Burnt-out leaders.
👉 Blame and egos everywhere.
👉 Chaos that doesn’t need to exist.
And the hardest part? I know it takes less than a week to set a team on a completely different track. So why do so many keep running in circles for years?
Here’s the thought that hit me while catching up on Netflix’s Formula 1 (yes, still a Fernando Alonso fan over here 🇪🇸).
Imagine a leader telling their team:
“You have to win the race!” 🚦
…as if saying it magically turns the wish into reality.
That’s not leadership. That’s delusion.
Business is a race. And leadership? It’s not about shouting “Win the race!” from the sidelines.
Imagine a driver having to:
- Check if the pit crew knows how to put the wheel back on.
- Choose between two random roads in the middle of the track.
- Wonder whether their fuel team even filled the tank.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Nobody wins a Grand Prix like that. 🏎️
But that’s exactly how most companies operate. Leaders announce goals, throw them in a PowerPoint, then hope the team “figures it out.”
Real leadership is building the track, not just setting the finish line.
It means:
✅ Removing every blocker before the race starts.
✅ Defining the exact route so nobody wastes energy deciding where to go.
✅ Equipping every role with the skills, resources, and trust they need to perform at their best.
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When you do that, the team doesn’t waste energy worrying, guessing, or covering gaps. They focus on one thing: speed and performance.
That’s how races are won. That’s how businesses grow.
SO YES!….🏎️ The real job of a leader is what happens before the race.
- Removing every single failure point.
- Defining exactly what “winning” means.
- Giving the team only one clear track to run on.
- Creating an environment where all they have to do is drive full speed — with the confidence that the pit crew knows exactly how to put the wheel back on.
Now ask yourself:
- In your company, does the team spend more time figuring out the road… or actually driving?
- Are you setting people up to succeed — or just hoping they’ll raise their hand, guess the path, and somehow think like you?
- If your strategy lives in a PowerPoint and a bunch of random tasks, is that really a strategy?
Because in most organizations, that’s exactly what’s happening. Leaders announce goals, write them on slides, and then… chaos takes over.
📖 Here’s where the theory comes in:
Chris McChesney’s 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) shows us that clarity, focus, and accountability turn strategy into results. But it’s not just theory — I see it in practice every single week. The organizations that win aren’t the ones with the flashiest slogans. They’re the ones that:
✅ Define roles and functions so nobody doubts what they’re there to do.
✅ Invest in the skills, mentoring, and support needed to succeed.
✅ Create one clear road — and make sure everyone knows they’re on it.
That’s when performance takes off. 🚀
💡 So here’s the challenge for you:
If you’re the leader, are you just shouting “win the race!” …or are you designing the system that makes winning inevitable?
Save this post if it hits home.
Share it if you know someone stuck in the “Excel strategy” trap.
And if you’re ready to remove the chaos once and for all, I’m currently supporting 5 new companies who are serious about growing faster and setting their teams up for success. DM me if you want to be one of them.
