Brent Tilson :
WHAT COULD PUT YOUR COMPANY OUT OF BUSINESS ?
During the fourth lap of the 2020 Indianapolis 500 race , I was on the edge of my seat watching as the right front wheel of car # 51 driven by Australian James Davison burst into flames ! It was a shock and disappointment for me personally , as one of the sponsors for this car is Brent Tilson , a client since 2014 . Recently , I interviewed Brent for this article , and he referenced this incident as a powerful reminder that the smallest things can suddenly take an Indy car out of a race . As the author of the best-selling book Go Slow to Grow Fast : How to Keep Your Company Driving and Thriving in a Fast-Paced , Competitive Business World , and based on his experience with his sponsored Indy Car , Brent provides a compelling argument for why business owners and executive leadership teams must consider this question : What can put your company out of business ?
- Dr . Craig Overmyer
Craig : Recently when speaking virtually to business owners in Australia , you shared the story about the Indy car you sponsored and how it was put out of the Indy 500 race Sunday , August 23rd , 2020 . What happened to car # 51 ?
Brent : The problem was a brake line ended up having a crimp in it , and the brakes locked as he was driving at 230 miles an hour ! Friction from front calipers heated the wheel and brake components above magnesium ’ s boiling point , ending James Davison ’ s Indy 500 after just four laps .
Craig : How has this become a powerful message for business owners ?
Brent : Like this incident , any business could be moving along and can have something small — such as the tiny COVID-19 virus — bring the entire world of business to a screeching halt .
Unlike a race car , we can ’ t always take it to the garage and , in a little bit of time , have it on the track again .
MY MESSAGE IS THIS : BUSINESS OWNERS AND THEIR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM MUST GIVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COULD HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON THEIR BUSINESS .
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