Leadership Lessons from a Tractor

Written Originally on Jan 7, 2018

One of the most fascinating aspects of the tractor is the way in which power gets transmitted effectively from the front of the tractor to the rear end. In the search of understanding the same, spent quite some time visiting Universities, going through literature, meeting with engineers , visiting workshops, riding tractors, having a hands on feel of the understanding – The trip has been an exciting one !

Yet, this blog is not a technical paper on the working mechanisms. However, some lovely lessons emerged from all the learnings.

 LESSON 1 : INTERNAL COMBUSTION : TEAM POWER

One of the most powerful lessons is that each member in a team is uniquely gifted. It takes a leader to harness / channelize these gifts or capabilities in combined single direction.

A 4 Stroke Combustion Chamber has 4 strokes signifying 4 stages – Intake, Compression, Combustion and Exhaust. The combination of the four is what makes it a power center. Yet, all of these have to happen in a controlled manner, in a defined chamber, producing just the required amount of power.

If we look around, we are sure to be able to categorize strengths and people into – INTAKE – COMPRESSION – COMBUSTION – EXHAUST buckets. We are sure to find people who are good at fuelling and spreading information, some others who take stress unto themselves and others - Compression, still others who are good at igniting the environment (positively) with their spirit and motivating others, and still others who are good listeners and good shoulders to cry on (Exhaust). None of these are in any way lower in importance than the other. Harnessing Negative Energies also into Positive Power is part of effective leadership. The right mix of all 4 strokes creates POWER – TEAM POWER.

LESSON 2 :   TRANSMISSION :  POWER OF TRUST

I start this learning from a recent talk delivered by Capt. Raghu Raman, whom I was fortunate enough to listen to. Being from the Army background, he spoke very passionately about effective communication that could transcend across people irrespective of their background / ability to comprehend, based only on the skills they were trained in. It was the most powerful thought.

It has since set my perspective and learning into a new dimension. I started imagining a position where 2 gears were linked to each other and made to run in opposite directions. Or even a situation where one gear refused to move and would hold position in spite of receiving pressure to rotate. Over a period of time, the stronger gear would prevail, breaking the relatively weaker gear.

So, power is truly seen, when transmission is seamless. Imagine, a situation on the war front, if a jawan were to contemplate, analyze and then execute the command given to him. He would be endangering himself and his team. Out on the war front, he understands and implicitly trusts that there his team has expertise of a high caliber and he trusts that he is in the safest hands possible as he prepares for the battle. Each person has a role to do and is trained to follow processes even under emergency situations. This team power transcends as power, which translates into FAITH. Communication and Re-affirmation of team’s capability is important. It builds a stronger inner shield, which feeds confidence and trust. Trust stokes team to perform its best. Transmission is at its best !

LESSON 3 :   THE DIFFERENTIAL :  NURTURING PEOPLE

One of the biggest and influential inventions as regards the automobile industry is the “DIFFERENTIAL”

Wiki Defines a differential as “A differential is a device, usually but not necessarily employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways. In one way, it receives one input and provides two outputs; this is found in most vehicles. In the other way, it combines two inputs to create an output that is the sum, difference, or average, of the inputs.”

So differential essential accepts transmission from the main shaft and transmits it differentially to the wheels. So if the vehicle has to turn, each of the wheels have a different level of task, and a different load to carry. The Differential allows each wheel to follow its own principles and yet harnesses all efforts in the unified direction.

Imagine if each of tyres were rigid and held on to their positions – What would happen to the tractor ?

Each tyre here is allowed its space based on its constraints and yet the efforts are aligned to a single direction by the “DIFFERENTIAL”

If each manager and each of us act as differentials to people working with us, allowing them their space, trusting and aligning – the principle of WIN WIN emerges.

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While I fell in love all over again with the lovely machine called the TRACTOR as I understood its functioning, it left me pondering deeply over my management style and the corrections it needed to fortify the force with me in to the POWER OF ONE….