The Leadership Engine
I ride a scooter for all of my buzzing around town. And I literally mean BUZZING, since I ride a 50cc two stroke. Compared to the rumble of a Harley it sounds cute.
I’m not much of a gear head but I do like to know what things are to a point, so let me give you a little engines 101. I expect to be corrected by people that actually know this stuff but here goes.
There are essentially three kinds of engines:
Two Stroke
Two stroke engines are small and high strung. They are quick and are happiest when they are running flat out at high RPMs. A well tuned two stroke will be happy idling also, but if it is asked to cruise at mid to low range RPMs, it will run hot and overheat.
Gasoline
This is probably what is under your car hood. It’s dependable, cost effective and can be applied to most any situation. It can be a solution for everyone.
Diesel
Big. Powerful. Slow. Very Dependable and built for high mileage. It is the norm for a diesel engine in a big rig to put on two million miles. They don’t require near the maintenance of the two stroke and much less than a gasoline engine.
I would be unfare to say one is better than the others, they are just different and need to be applied to different situations.
In a leadership setting, it might look like this:
Two Stroke
Quick light and maneuverable. These are your snipers that you call up to do focused work, usually revolving around launching projects that don’t exist or need a quick shot of energy.
Gasoline
This is really your rank and file. The majority of leadership efforts are driven by gasoline. Broad in scope and ability.
Diesel
This is your long haul people. Able to carry the load far. Changing course is a long slow project for the diesel people. Their strength and commitment is important for caring for a lot of people and programs
Asking two stroke people to care and shepherd for long term would be setting them up for failure since it doesn’t fall into their strength set. And asking diesel people to launch a ministry from the ground up would be too much of a stretch.
So what type of engine drives you?
Don’t forget the TURBINE Engine, which I believe has essentially one moving part. It’s for those of us who want things simple and efficient. Easy to diagnose, easy to fix. Plus its what makes Tom Cruise look so cool!
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