Leadership Is About Flow, Not Force
Every CEO I coach faces the same problem: the harder they push, the more the system resists.
I first learned that lesson as a kid, fixing diesel engines under a flickering torch.
Because organisations like engines only run smoothly when every moving part is tuned for flow.
As a kid, I spent nights fixing diesel engines under a flickering torch. Now I fix organisations.
Same principle - many moving parts, all needing flow.
That’s Kasem Da, our night watchman at dad's place, now retired. I caught up with him earlier this week at his village. (Da is elder brother in Bengali)
It was almost pitch black, and we had just finished setting up the old diesel water pump in his paddy field.
Water is the lifeblood of rice. Too little, and the seedlings die of thirst. Too much, and they rot.
But we couldn’t get the flow right. The pump kept coughing black smoke and grinding to a halt.
No starter motor back then - just two determined brothers taking turns to pull the starter cord and hoping it wouldn't kick back on us!
Kasem Da held the torch while I opened the engine cover, adjusted the injectors, and played with the throttle until the rhythm steadied.
A few more tweaks and suddenly the engine purred.
Water began to flow evenly across the field, just enough to nourish the rice and keep the pump running smoothly through the night.
Looking back, that night taught me something about systems.
Modern organisations aren’t all that different. They’re full of moving parts, each affecting the others.
A leader’s job is to understand how they interact, where friction builds, and what adjustments restore balance.
In leadership, pushing harder rarely creates progress.
Flow comes from tuning — the right rhythm, roles, and relationships that let performance emerge naturally.
Where in your organisation is the system straining under pressure right now and what would easing it unlock?
Former Fortune 10 C-Suite Executive and 2022 HR Leader of the Year. I coach executives, advise boards, and help leaders solve complex problems by seeing the system — not just the symptoms.