Yes, that’s a phone charger plugged into a lamp post.
Welcome to the world of gambiarra. ️

If you’re not Brazilian, you might be wondering what on earth that means.

A gambiarra is a scrappy, improvised solution to a problem.
It’s not always pretty.
It’s not always legal.
But it gets the job done.

Like running a wire from a power line to avoid an electricity bill.
Or charging your phone from a public lamp post.

Sounds dodgy? Maybe.
But also… it’s kind of genius.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

Masters of creativity under constraint.
Constantly improvising, adapting, refusing to give up.

And that mindset?
It’s a superpower in business today.

Let me tell you a story.

In 2020, my partner Guga was in the middle of the Atlantic, racing in the Cape2Rio regatta. From Cape Town to Rio.

Halfway through, a toilet broke.
Then the part needed to fix it dropped into the ocean. Gone.
10 people. No toilet. No spare parts.

So what did they do?

Guga remembered a piece inside an Italian coffee maker onboard.
They dismantled it, cut the metal part, and used it to fix the toilet.

It worked.
One coffee maker lost. One toilet saved.
Gambiarra at sea.

And when we look a bit deeper, there is this truth:

Constraints can be a catalyst.
Ingenuity thrives not despite limitations, but because of them.

But pressure alone isn’t enough.
You also need passion.
People only push through when they CARE.

When they’re connected to something meaningful?
They don’t give up.
They get creative.
They find a way.

At TIE Leadership, this is exactly what we unlock.

We throw leaders into unfamiliar environments.
We spark purpose.
We unleash gambiarra thinking. The kind grounded in grit, human connection, and possibility.

Because in a world of constant change, that’s how we build better leaders. Better companies. And a better world.

Keen to know more? Why don’t you reach out. I’d love to explain the various ways we are making this happen.