Crew members for the different Formula 1 teams begin to arrive at the track. They too can see that conditions are near-perfect. The smell of fuel and engine oil hangs heavy around the pit lane. The morning is punctuated by the occasional roar of an engine and the sound of tools and parts being moved into position. There's a gentle babble of conversation and an electric excitement in the air that always accompanies a race day.

As the crews assemble, they get to work quickly and efficiently. Some are making final checks to the cars themselves, others are poring over data gathered during qualifying, making final tweaks to enhance performance by the smallest of margins. Just like the cars they are preparing, they are a well-oiled machine.

The principal moves among them, directing some individually and, as the start of the race nears, calls everyone together for a team briefing. As the cars leave the pit lane to line up on the grid, every member of the crew is in position. The team members are focused and know exactly what they have to do over the coming couple of hours. They all know that the aim is a win at Silverstone.

The roar of the engines mingles with the shouts of the crowd as the cars complete their warm-up lap. With all the cars in position on the grid, there is almost a collective intake of breath. The crew seems to pause as the noise dies down. Even those unable to see the lights at the start line know when the race begins, thanks to the deafening roar of 40 engines firing to life. The drivers are off, and every member of the crew is laser-focused on their role. They know what they have to do and how they have to do it.

Within a business, the crew encompasses a number of different things. The team is, of course, a crucial part of that and one of the most vital elements to understand is how to create momentum throughout the whole business. But the crew also includes the car itself and how you can tinker with it to improve its performance as well as the facilities and components you have available. In Formula 1, these are the elements that will allow you to shave fractions of a second off the time your driver spends in the pit lane or the speed of a lap.

All of these elements are things that a Formula 1 team can control. In business, the elements that are within your control equate to not only your team, but also the culture you create within your organisation. They also include the facilities you have at your disposal. In Chapter 4, we're going to start to tie together the leadership that comes from the principal and the crew. While the principal's role is to set out the priorities, when it comes to the crew, it's all about how you can move quickly as part of that process.

Think of a rocket that is waiting to take off. There is significant initial inertia when that rocket takes off because it has to go from a standing start to upward movement to get it off the ground. This often starts slowly, but then quickly gathers speed. What we are going to explore in Chapter 4 is how you can minimise the amount of time it takes to build up speed.

It's also important to bear in mind that, given the incredible force that's required to get the rocket off the ground, you are moving in the right direction once you have exerted all of that effort. This is why starting with the principals, who set the direction of travel, is absolutely key. However, once the principals have set that direction, they will need help to move, and this is where the crew comes in.

The energy that's expended to launch a rocket, or get a transformation within a business moving, is huge. That energy also won't last forever, so you have to ensure that you're using it in the most efficient way and at the right time. Think of a cheetah that's hunting on the plains in Africa. It can run incredibly fast, but only for a short period before it becomes exhausted. When it decides to sprint, it has to go for the kill, otherwise it doesn't eat that day. In business, this concept translates to making every shot count.