CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Imagine you’ve been talked into parachuting for reasons that you can no longer remember, and you’re now moments away from leaving a perfectly good airplane in midair. You’re sitting on the floor of the plane, decked out with a parachute, a reserve chute, and a helmet. Your parachute straps are incredibly uncomfortable. In fact, the straps around your upper thighs are rubbing so hard that you’re starting to wonder if you should loosen them, but that small part of your mind that isn’t screaming, “You aren’t going to do this, are you?” tells you that it would probably be a bad idea to loosen anything attached to your parachute.
Someone opens the plane door and a rush of air hits you in the face like a bucket of ice water. You look outside, and all you see is wide-open blue sky. Then, like an executioner coming to open a cell door for the final time, the jump instructor crawls over to you. He’s smiling as he starts tugging and shaking your chute, harness, and helmet. It’s all you can do not to fall over. When he stops shaking, you take a quick look. Fortunately, nothing appears to have come loose but the fact that parachuting isn’t something you’re going to do, it’s something you’re about to doright now hits home. You’re seriously considering telling the instructor that you’ve changed your mind but when you open your mouth, nothing comes out. The instructor leans over and yells in your ear as he connects your static line, “You’re good; enjoy the ride!” He then positions you in the door—some might say forcibly shoves—before he shouts, “Go!” and gives you a not-so-gentle push.
You’re falling and even though your eyes are truly wide open, you can’t see anything beyond a blue blur. The wind is howling in your ears—or is that you screaming? Suddenly there’s a tug on your harness and everything slows down. You look up. Mercifully, your chute is open and you’re gently falling. Everything slows down and you realize you’re still alive! Your heart has slowed down to a gentle nine
