Why organizational pace determines the ability to change
In motorsport, the role of pace control is clear. It leads the starting field, sets the speed, indicates the direction and creates the conditions for all participants to act in a coordinated manner. Similarly, leadership in an organization functions. The leadership not only sets the strategy, but also defines the organization’s pace, focus and priorities. This is what can be described as the organization’s ”pace,” that is, the overall rhythm that determines how quickly and in which direction the organization moves. The analogy becomes particularly relevant in large and geographically dispersed organizations where information must pass through several levels before it reaches employees at the farthest end of the organization. When the leadership changes direction or pace, the entire organization is affected, but not simultaneously. Some parts perceive the change immediately, while others still work according to previous instructions. The result is that different parts of the organization find themselves in different ”races” of the same race. Just as a starting lineup behind a pace car, organizations function best when everyone clearly perceives the same speed and direction. When the pace is predictable, resources can be planned, priorities coordinated, and decisions made with greater certainty. However, when the direction changes frequently or communication fails to keep up, uncertainty arises. Employees begin interpreting signals in different ways, managers make local decisions based on different information sets, and coordination deteriorates. In a time where the pace of change is constantly increasing, the ability to steer the organization’s pace becomes a strategic management issue. It is not about avoiding change, but ensuring that the organization can keep up when change occurs. Here, a Chief of Staff often plays a crucial role by translating the management’s intentions into clear communication, coordination, and follow-up across the entire organization.
Wise words about leadership, pace, and direction
There is an old leadership phenomenon that is often overlooked: people do not just follow decisions; they follow signals. The direction the leadership highlights, prioritizes, and communicates becomes the organization’s true focus, regardless of what is stated in the strategy documents. A fitting quote is:
”The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack.”
Mary Kay Ash
The quote captures the essence of organizational pace. If leadership moves chaotically, changes focus from week to week, or sends conflicting signals, the organization will do the same. However, if leadership is clear, consistent, and predictable, it creates a sense of security that allows people to act independently within clear boundaries. In track and field, we see the same principle. The starting lineup behind the lead horse must be able to read both speed and direction. If the pace suddenly changes without warning, the horses further back risk falling out of position. The same applies to organizations. Employees do not need to know every detail behind management decisions, but they need to understand where the organization is headed and how quickly change is expected to occur. The real wisdom therefore lies not in leading the fastest, but in leading so that others can follow.
The organization as a starting lineup behind the pace car
Imagine a large starting field behind a pace car before a crucial race. The driver at the front sees exactly when the vehicle accelerates, brakes, or changes lanes. The driver further back receives the information with a slight delay and must also interpret the signals through several layers of other drivers. The same phenomenon occurs in organizations. The leadership is closest to the strategic decisions. When the external environment changes, market conditions shift, or new priorities arise, the leadership can decide to increase the pace, redistribute resources, or change direction. The problem is that the decision is communicated significantly slower than it is made. When the information passes through multiple levels of management, three things happen:
- Time delay occurs.
- The message risks being interpreted differently.
- Local adaptations change the content.
This means that different parts of the organization can work from different perspectives at the same time. One business unit may have perceived that innovation is now the top priority. Another continues to focus on cost optimization because it has not yet received the same signal. A third tries to manage both priorities simultaneously. Everyone believes they are working in line with the leadership, but the organization is no longer moving as a cohesive unit. The challenge becomes even greater when the leadership makes frequent course changes.
In motorsport, a pace car that switches between acceleration and braking would create a prolonged and disjointed field. Some drivers would try to respond immediately while others were still reacting to the previous change. The result would be greater distance, increased uncertainty, and a higher risk of mistakes. Organizations react in the same way. When strategic priorities are changed too often, employees begin to doubt which signals are really relevant. Initiatives are started but terminated before they have had a chance to yield results. Projects shift direction. Local managers start waiting for new decisions instead of acting. Energy goes into interpreting the changes rather than creating results. A particularly interesting aspect is information asymmetry. Management often has access to the full picture behind a decision. Employees further down the chain have only parts of the information. When the direction changes without the background being explained, a vacuum arises that is quickly filled with assumptions, interpretations, and informal stories. That is why visibility and communication are at least as important as the decisions themselves.
A good pace car is visible to all participants. In a similar way, the leadership needs to be visible in the organization. Employees need to understand not only what is changing but also why the change is happening. The clearer the link between decisions and purpose, the faster the organization can adapt. Here, consistent leadership becomes crucial. Consistent leadership does not mean that the direction never changes. On the contrary, modern organizations must be able to adapt quickly. But changes need to take place within a clear strategic framework that helps people understand what is constant and what is changing. In practice, this means that the leadership needs to continuously communicate four issues:
• Where are we heading?
• Why is this important?
• What is changing?
• What doesn’t change?
When these questions are answered regularly, the risk of speculation and uncertainty decreases. Another important component is feedback. In a race, pace car drivers observe the entire field. If the starting field is split, the pace needs to be adjusted. Similarly, the leadership needs to create mechanisms to quickly receive signals from the business. If local managers report that priorities are perceived differently or that messages are misinterpreted, correction can be made before the problems grow too large. Organizations that lack this ability to provide feedback risk discovering coordination problems only when the results are negatively affected. This is where a Chief of Staff often becomes a central function. By acting as a hub between management, operations, and change initiatives, the role can monitor the organization’s pace, identify deviations in understanding, and ensure that communication, priorities, and follow-up remain on the same course throughout the organization.
Synchronization and organizational control in practice
Many management teams naturally focus on strategic decisions, but underestimate the importance of how quickly and consistently these decisions are communicated. Strategy without synchronisation risks becoming theory rather than reality. The central question is therefore not just whether the organization has the right strategy. The question is also whether all parts of the organization perceive the same strategy at the same time. As the pace increases, communication needs to increase. As the direction changes, explanations need to become clearer. The larger the organization, the greater the need for structured coordination. Otherwise, what can often be described as organizational lag occurs, where operations continue in yesterday’s direction despite the management having already changed. Organizations that succeed are therefore characterized by high management visibility, clear priorities, recurring communication, and well-functioning feedback channels. They actively work to ensure that the entire starting lineup remains in the same pace car.
Organizational pace as a strategic leadership skill
The most important insight is that organizational pace is about much more than the pace of change. It is about the organization’s ability to move collectively. Just as in motorsport or horse racing, success is not achieved by the fastest possible acceleration, but by the entire field understanding the same speed, the same direction, and the same signals. When leadership is clear, consistent, and visible, the organization can act with force and coordination. When direction changes frequently without sufficient communication, understanding and effectiveness deteriorate. For management teams, this means an important responsibility. Every strategic change not only needs to be decided upon, but also translated, communicated, and followed up throughout the organization. The ability to keep the field together thus becomes as important as the ability to choose the right path forward. This is also where the value of a Chief of Staff becomes clear. The role serves as the organization’s coordinator of pace, priorities, and communication. By ensuring that management’s signals reach out quickly, understood consistently and systematically followed up, conditions are created for the entire organization to move forward with the same momentum. Ultimately, the best pace is not the one that runs the fastest. It is the one that gets the entire field moving together. It is also the hallmark of successful leadership and a well-coordinated organization.
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