Running a business is a lot like driving a car. A great CEO would be akin to a pro driver. A pro will get all he can out of the car, but no matter how great he is, he cannot make a broken-down jalopy beat a Ferrari. It's the same in business. Some companies are just of a higher quality than others. Find one that sets you, the driver, up for success.
Just like driving a car, you need to at times step on the gas and accelerate growth while other times give a pause and tap the brakes.
The accelerator as growth in a company is an easy analogy. The harder you push the faster you go. Push too hard and you run the risk of overheating or crashing. Some of those accidents may be repairable and others will be the end of the road.
The suspension and tires are the processes. They are what keep the car from running off the road. They define the control points and how to maneuver the company through different obstacles.
The greatest control a CEO has is the brakes. When to take a pause. It would be foolhardy to go out on a track without any breaks. When a turn presents itself, the CEO will naturally pause or slow down the business, assess the situation, and then proceed. A great CEO will be able to maneuver these turns with more speed and precision, leading to a better outcome. But don’t forget, no matter how great the CEO, it is impossible to always be driving with the accelerator to the floor.
Remember the cars from Fast and the Furious? They had these Nitro Boost kits that would launch them into the stratosphere. Nitro would be debt. It will get you somewhere very fast, but also adds fragility and less room for error. It is unnecessary to operate the vehicle and you would not want to trust its use to a novice driver. However, there is a time and place when it will improve your vehicle's performance and perhaps give you a chance to win the race. But it is always a risky option.