Why Leading Wide Open?
19. Jan, 2010 
7 Comments
I live life wide open.
A perfect day is hefty with accomplishments and low on time wasters. I like to achieve as much as possible in the shortest time possible. My fast walking and high speed talking betrays the express speed at which I do life. I remember a question posed during my first phone interview with Oak Hills Church. Executive Minister, Jim Dye, asked, “Do you walk as fast as you talk?” I admit it. I resonate more with speed of a Tesla Roadster than with that of a Volkswagen Beetle. Both have precision engines but produce results at dramatically different speeds.
I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call from a friend who asked if I’d like to drive a Tesla Roadster. I listened to his offer in stunned silence. My answer was a no brainer. Less than 500 have been shipped, and this powerful car accelerates from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.
The drive was the ride of my life. Smooth acceleration. Superb handling. We won’t talk about the speed. The designers of the Tesla Roadster took the challenging idea of a powerful electric car and made it a reality.
I find it energizing when my throttle is at full speed, the wind is in my face and I am making progress toward reaching a goal. Like the designers of the Tesla, I am invigorated when facing the challenge of transforming ideas into reality. The process of transforming dreams into tangible realities invites challenges, and the best choice is often found in approaching it with the speed of the Volkswagen Beetle rather than that of the Tesla.
Timing is critical for effective leadership. There are plenty of occasions when Tesla-paced decisions are essential, but leading wide open is about more than just finding the right speed at which to reach the goal. Leading wide open is also about being intentional in partnering with others in the journey. The vision I see of the future is one where leadership is characterized by being wide open to building a team and seeking input. The collaboration of ten passionate followers of Jesus will always produce a better outcome than the pursuit of one lone ranger with the best of intentions. I’d rather celebrate with a team that has experienced God’s leading on the journey than I ride off into the sunset pumping my fist in the air all alone.
Leading wide open, the blog, is where I will document the ebbs and flows of the journeys and the celebrations of my family, my personal life and the ministry team I lead. It’s about sharing failures, lessons learned and successes earned. It‘s about stopping for a refresher. Even a super-fast Tesla Roadster needs to stop long enough to recharge. Best of all, it’s about remembering how God-given ideas make a difference in the lives of people when they become reality.
There is nothing I would like more than for you to feel like you can open the passenger door, sit down and enjoy the ride as we press the throttle down and live life wide open. Join the journey.
Update 5/15/2010
The past four months of blogging has been an uphill learning process. Once I decided to start “blogging” I had to figure out what I wanted to write about and how to do it. I have learned a lot and have a lot to still figure out. What I now know is that I am most passionate about investing my energy and thoughts into thinking about what could be rather than what is. I want to imagine, dream and discover what is possible, and if that journey leads others to consider what could be – all the better! So now I have got to figure out whether or not to drop the “Leading Wide Open”… not sure what to do with that. For now, I have added www.gerrytrue.com as I ponder what could be…
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I’ve heard the Tesla story before, but I never thought of it as an analogy for life. I like it — it fits you well!
Looking forward to reading more from you!
Love it, leading wide open. Great theme. I am currently reading this from an amazing resort on a mini retreat with Lionel where we are discussing, planning and sharing in an amazing venture of our own. So this is so timely, you have no idea. I just completed the strengths 2.0 test, as did most of our start up team and I say AMEN to your words of team rather than “one lone ranger.” Would only ad the importance of well placed strengths that compliment in that team. So looking forward to your insite along the way!
O.K. Gerry this blog was worth the wait.
And being on your team is worth the ride!
Gerry,
Glad to see you’re blogging (again). I used to love reading your post on the 2ndMen’s blog site back in the day. (Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?)
I don’t find myself envious very often, but I must admit I’m drooling over the thought of driving a Tesla.
I’ve subscribed to the RSS feed and am glad to be along for the journey.
Anthony
Thanks for the encouragement and for posting your thoughts. It is good to hear from each of you!
Love the blog, Gerry, and the layout and what you’re communicating with it. And I like the idea of living large and living fast. The Tesla story is cool… A life lesson for me: I’ve driven a few fast cars, including a Maserati at a very crazy fast speed. I’m learning to be content driving my Honda. It gets me around town in just about the same amount of time as the BMW or the Porsche. And, even though it’s a just a four cyclinder manual trasmission, for some reason it’s a whole lot less complicated, on a whole lot of levels… and, for me, a few less complicated things in my life are always welcomed! Thank you for what you continue to teach me about leadership and ministry.
Thanks Rich, I am glad you are enjoying the blog and boy do I wish I could say I have driven a Maserati! Struggling with a little jealousy right now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on a less complicated life – couldn’t agree more.
I am glad we are on this journey together. Learning together. Giving our best together.