--- title: "Wet Tires At COTA: When The Conditions Change" description: "Master unexpected changes in any environment by learning to adapt your strategy, stay calm, and adjust quickly for optimal results." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#person", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "image": "https://christianespinosa.com/__l5e/assets-v1/de07e44b-a8e0-4bcc-bcb0-13aec15421f1/headshot-front.jpg", "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official", "https://x.com/Ironracer", "https://www.instagram.com/christian.espinosa.official/", "https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/" ], "jobTitle": "Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur", "worksFor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Blue Goat Cyber", "url": "https://bluegoatcyber.com/" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#website", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#organization", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/logo.svg" }, "founder": { "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/#person" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.facebook.com/christian.espinosa.official", "https://x.com/Ironracer", "https://www.instagram.com/christian.espinosa.official/", "https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianEspinosaOfficial", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianespinosa/" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Wet Tires At COTA: When The Conditions Change | Christian Espinosa", "description": "Master unexpected changes in any environment by learning to adapt your strategy, stay calm, and adjust quickly for optimal results.", "image": "https://christianespinosa.com/__l5e/assets-v1/270e2a85-8c87-496b-bb1a-c694b73b1af8/wet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change-card.png", "datePublished": "2026-05-08T15:00:00Z", "dateModified": "2026-05-08T15:00:00Z", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://christianespinosa.com/blog/wet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/about" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian Espinosa", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://christianespinosa.com/logo.svg" } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the core idea behind \"Wet Tires At COTA: When The Conditions Change\"?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The second video from the Skip Barber Advanced Formula Car course at COTA is up. This lap was from the passing exercises on day two" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who is this post for?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Honestly, leaders, founders, and anyone running a team who is tired of the sanitized version of leadership advice. If you want a listicle, this is not that. If you want the honest version of what I have actually lived and worked through, keep reading." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I actually apply this, not just nod along?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Pick the single line in the post that made you flinch or look away, and change one thing in your week because of it. One choice this week beats a whole framework you never touch." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How does this connect to When the cybersecurity conditions change, adjust early?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Blue Goat Cyber helps medical device manufacturers re-plan in real time when FDA guidance, threat landscape, or product scope shift mid-program; before the deficiency letter forces the adjustment. If the post landed, that is the natural next step; the talk to blue goat cyber link at the bottom of the page goes straight there." } } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main) [](/) [About](/about)[Speaking](/speaking)[Cybersecurity](/cybersecurity)[Programs](/programs)[Books](/books)[Media](/media) Writing Search Ctrl K[Connect](/connect) [Leadership](/blog/category/leadership) # Wet Tires At COTA: When The Conditions Change May 8, 2026 2 min read 414 words The second video from the Skip Barber Advanced Formula Car course at COTA is up. This lap was from the passing exercises on day two ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/0e45e1f0-a01d-454a-ba0d-11557096a27b/wet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change-hero.webp) Published May 8, 2026 Read time 2 min In this essay 1. [01 What "Wet Tires" Looks Like Off The Track ](#what-wet-tires-looks-like-off-the-track) 2. [02 The Adjustment Itself ](#the-adjustment-itself) Jump to 1. [01 What "Wet Tires" Looks Like Off The Track ](#what-wet-tires-looks-like-off-the-track) 2. [02 The Adjustment Itself ](#the-adjustment-itself) The takeaways 1. 01 Track conditions can change unexpectedly, requiring immediate adaptation to maintain control and safety. What to do next Pick one meeting on this week's calendar where control is actually the underlying issue, and put that on the agenda by name. 2. 02 Driving on a slick track with wet tires demands a calmer approach and heightened attention to detail. What to do next Have one direct conversation about driving with the person on your team who most needs to hear it. 3. 03 Successfully navigating changing conditions necessitates adjusting your strategy rather than forcing an original plan. What to do next Block 30 minutes this week to audit how strategy is showing up on your team, then decide one thing to change. 4. 04 The ability to adapt quickly to new circumstances is crucial, whether in racing, leadership, or cybersecurity. What to do next Block 30 minutes this week to audit how leadership is showing up on your team, then decide one thing to change. 5. 05 Prioritize early assessment and adjustment to new conditions to achieve better outcomes and avoid negative consequences. What to do next Pick one meeting on this week's calendar where prioritize is actually the underlying issue, and put that on the agenda by name. Editor's note The FDA equivalent of changing weather is a new guidance document. The 2023 omnibus and the 2026 premarket guidance both shifted the surface mid-race. The teams that adapted early were filing without drama by Q2. The teams that insisted their old line still worked are still re-doing submissions. It was super cold that morning. There was frost on the track, so I switched to wet tires because the surface was still slick. That changed everything. I cannot drive the same way when the conditions change. I have to calm down, pay attention, and adjust fast. That was the lesson for me. Whether it is on a track, in leadership, or in cybersecurity, trying to force the original plan usually does not end well. The better move is to read the conditions for what they are and adapt early. ## What "Wet Tires" Looks Like Off The Track The track gives you immediate feedback. Push too hard on a cold, wet surface and the car steps out before the next corner. You learn within seconds. In business the feedback loop is longer, which makes the same mistake more expensive. The market shifts and a sales motion that worked last quarter stops converting; the team keeps running the old script for two quarters before anyone admits the conditions changed. A reorganization moves a key partner out of the chain and the project keeps tracking against a plan that assumed they were still in it. A regulatory expectation tightens and the submission plan that was a layup six months ago is now a three-month rewrite, but the team has not adjusted the timeline yet. Same mistake every time. Conditions changed; plan did not. The drivers who survive cold mornings are the ones who notice the surface before the car tells them. The teams that survive shifting markets are the ones who notice the conditions before the numbers tell them. ## The Adjustment Itself Adjusting is not panicking. Panicking is what people who did not notice the conditions do once the car is already sideways. Adjusting is three small moves: slow the inputs, widen the line, and shorten the horizon. On the track that means smoother steering, smoother throttle, and only thinking about the next corner instead of the lap. In a company it means fewer big decisions, more reversible ones, and a planning horizon you can actually see clearly. You give up some speed in the short term. You keep the car on the track. That is the whole trade. Have you ever had a situation where the conditions changed fast and you had to adjust in real time? > “The line that worked yesterday is the line that beats you today.” Frequently asked ### What is the core idea behind "Wet Tires At COTA: When The Conditions Change"? ### Who is this post for? ### How do I actually apply this, not just nod along? ### How does this connect to When the cybersecurity conditions change, adjust early? ### When the cybersecurity conditions change, adjust early Blue Goat Cyber helps medical device manufacturers re-plan in real time when FDA guidance, threat landscape, or product scope shift mid-program; before the deficiency letter forces the adjustment. [Talk to Blue Goat Cyber](https://bluegoatcyber.com/contact) Share this essay [X ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fwet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change&text=Wet%20Tires%20At%20COTA%3A%20When%20The%20Conditions%20Change) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fwet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fwet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change) [Email](mailto:?subject=Wet%20Tires%20At%20COTA%3A%20When%20The%20Conditions%20Change&body=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianespinosa.com%2Fblog%2Fwet-tires-at-cota-when-the-conditions-change)Copy link ![Christian Espinosa, headshot](/__l5e/assets-v1/de07e44b-a8e0-4bcc-bcb0-13aec15421f1/headshot-front.jpg) About the author [Christian Espinosa](/about) · Founder & CEO, Blue Goat Cyber I'm the founder and CEO of Blue Goat Cyber, a medical device cybersecurity firm where my team has supported 250+ FDA submissions with zero failing to clear on cybersecurity. I previously founded and sold Alpine Security. I host The Med Device Cyber Podcast and wrote The Smartest Person in the Room and The In-Between: Life in the Micro, with Medical Device Cybersecurity: An In-Depth Guide out in 2026. Air Force Academy grad, 24x Ironman, climber of two of the Seven Summits. Keep reading - [ ### Speed Is Easy. Control Is Hard. Same track, same lesson: the win is not the throttle, it is how much control you keep around it. Read essay → ](/blog/speed-is-easy-control-is-hard) - [ ### Five Seconds on Elbrus and the FDA Submission Another version of conditions changing fast; what happens when you stop reading them in time. Read essay → ](/blog/five-seconds-on-elbrus-and-the-fda-submission) - [ ### Neural Pathway Highways and Ruts: Change Your Habits - Christian Espinosa Same thread: leadership. Read essay → ](/blog/neural-pathway-highways-and-ruts-change-your-habits) [← Previous essay No Wasted Years, No Wasted Cycles | Christian Espinosa ](/blog/no-wasted-years-no-wasted-cycles)[Next essay → The Circumstance Will Lie To You | Christian Espinosa ](/blog/the-circumstance-will-lie-to-you) Related, Cybersecurity ### Need medical-device or offensive security expertise? Blue Goat Cyber, Christian's firm, runs FDA-aligned premarket submissions, penetration testing, and SBOM/SOUP analysis for medtech and high-stakes industries. [Explore Blue Goat Cyber](/cybersecurity) Christian Espinosa Bestselling author, keynote speaker, and Founding CEO of [Blue Goat Cyber](https://bluegoatcyber.com/). Helping technical leaders develop the soft skills that turn brilliance into impact. 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