In the 1960s, my father and uncle raced Pro Stock drag cars. They were exceptional mechanics, always tuning for more speed. But eventually, they hit a ceiling.
The conventional answer was more horsepower, more money, more of the same. Instead, they asked a different question: what if the real issue wasn't speed, but weight?
The unexpected answer — make my mom the driver.
She was petite, which helped. But once she got behind the wheel, it was clear she brought something far more important: instinctive timing, total command of the car, and no fear of going full throttle. In a race measured in seconds, that changed everything.
With my dad and uncle in the pit and my mom driving, they beat sponsored teams with more money, more backing, and more resources. The Kottler crew was scrappy, unconventional... and winning.
Sometimes the answer isn't more force. It's asking a better question — and the courage to go when the light turns green.
That story shaped how I work today. In retirement, I see the same pattern all the time. Organizations focus on the obvious lever — more features, more sales calls, more partnerships — when the real advantage is somewhere else entirely.
At Kottler Advisory Group, we help organizations step back, evaluate the variables, and find the point of leverage.
Acceleration isn't just what we do. It's where I come from.
