Shifting focus from the parts to the machine

A perspective from Justine McLeod on leadership, systems and complexity.

My perspective wasn’t formed in a boardroom. It was formed on a farm, as the daughter of a mechanic, learning how to fix what was broken. 

I carried that 'technical expert' mindset through my engineering degree and into the field, from the Northern Territory at Jabiru to expat roles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

The DRC was a turning point. It was a profound shock that redefined my view of what leadership truly looks like under pressure.

What does “shifting from parts to the machine” mean in leadership? It means moving beyond managing individual functions in isolation to understanding how the entire operation works as a system. In complex environments like mining, leaders can no longer rely on checking every detail. Instead, they need to connect the dots at a glance and align teams around how the whole machine performs.

From technical expert to siloed leadership

By the time I became Engineering and Maintenance Manager at Blackwater, I was a technical expert.

I knew how to run a department.

But I was still operating in a silo.

The introduction of the Business Delivery Model (what is now CubeNorth) was the pivot point.

Seeing the whole operation: moving beyond silos

At the time, Ben Hiatt, General Manager of Blackwater, challenged us as a siloed leadership team to broaden and elevate our perspective to see the operation as a whole rather than from our individual functions.

That shift changed everything. It shifted my focus from the “parts” to the “machine”.

It marked the start of building my drive to always find ways to systemise that instinct for how a whole operation fits together, how we can see where things are going well, where they are not, and how to do that with the whole team, department, organisation, on board.

What successful mining organisations have in common

The most successful organisations have a streamlined flow between their layers.

Coming from a maintenance background, I look for where the gears are grinding.

In successful companies, everyone speaks the same language, from the pit to the global office.

Struggling organisations are different. They are “jarring”: you feel the friction every time you move between levels.

They are collections of people working within a system.

Whereas successful organisations are self-led, with people driving the system because they understand how the entire machine works.

The challenge today: complexity and content fatigue

One of the biggest strategic challenges in mining today is complexity and what I call “content fatigue”.

In my global roles, I experienced how impossible it is to see and test everything. It’s unrealistic. There is simply too much information and too many competing demands.

Leaders become lost in their silos, not because they want to, but because the volume of information makes it unavoidable.

From checking to connecting

We’ve reached a point where we can no longer manage by “checking.”

There is too much to track and validate.

Instead, we need to manage by “connecting.”

Connecting the dots at a glance.

Understanding how the system works as a whole, without needing to inspect every part individually.

The shift

For me, the shift is straightforward (but not easy): from focusing on the parts… to understanding the machine.