Nascar is big in the USA.  Big cars. Big tyres. Big sponsorship.

It was dramatised by Tom Cruise in the film, where he, as is usually the case, starts from scratch, has some ups and downs and then wins everything in sight.

In reality though this sport is extremely intense with Teams working together to ready the car, produce efficient pit stops and work towards a common goal.  However, the driver you may argue, is the most important element in the winning formula.  The CEO, who has to execute and deliver..... But, there is one person in the Nascar team, who we rarely hear about. An individual who looks after the driver, guides him through troubled times and looks ahead with vision....The Spotter.

The Spotter has a boom mike, headphones and a set of digital binos.  In a Nascar race there is a spotter for each driver.  They are located at the very top of the grandstand.  The Spotter's role is to constantly look ahead and divert the driver from trouble or limit his exposure to incidents that take place ahead of him.  Driving at 170mph in a tight cluster of cars, where the road ahead is literally the asphalt 10 metres in front of you is full of uncertainty and ambiguity.

If a crash takes places at the bend ahead, the Spotter can tell the driver to go high or go low to avoid collision and stay in the race.

In business, no matter who the CEO is and how well he/she can drive, I would suggest they need a Spotter.  Someone who can think ahead, look from different angles and offer a different perspective.

So far, 7 months into this programme, I'm kinda feeling that Saltire Fellows will be ideal spotters with the acumen and prowess to keep drivers on track....and the entrepreneurial vision to spot the winning opportunities.