The speed was overwhelming; unlike anything I had ever experienced on 4 wheels.  The acceleration felt like warp speed on the Starship Enterprise.  My helmet-clad head was pasted back on the head rest with no chance of shifting its position.

The sound of the engine resonated deep within my chest and my inner ears.  The screaming cry of the 12,000 RPMs was deafening.  Hearing this sound on TV is one thing, sitting track side is another, and actually sitting inside this rocket ship was almost too close – too dangerous.

However, the danger-fueled adrenaline rush was out of this world.  All I could do was laugh and yell at the top of my lungs.

Movement was out of the question.  I was strapped in by a multi-point harness with my helmet clamped to my shoulder straps to prevent my neck from snapping due to a violent sideways movement.  I had been lowered into the open cockpit like a body being placed into a snug fitting coffin.  And if things went wrong this could very well end up being my coffin.  I had to trust the expertise of the professional driver in front of me…

I was experiencing the ride of a lifetime in a tandem Indy Car.

Strapped into this cramped cylinder, inches off the track, propelled by a 700 horse power 2200 CC, 32 valve, dual overhead cam, V6, turbocharged engine capable of 12,000 RPM and 235 miles per hour or 378 kilometers per hour, was unforgettable.

What a rush.

After picking up significant speed down the straight away we came into the first corner at a speed I was convinced was unsustainable.  We were not going to make this corner.  We had to slow down or it was curtains – we were not going to make it out of this turn.

And then it happened: I was overcome by the most g-force I had ever experienced.  We sucked around that corner like a high-speed roller coaster on rails.  Wow, that was a paradigm shift.  I had never cornered in a land-based vehicle like that in my life.  What was once impossible in my mind was now possible.

I like this!

So what are the leadership lessons from this Indy Car episode?

Well, no matter where you are as a leader, you can always benefit from having the input of someone with more expertise than you.  There is no way I could have driven that Indy Car the way the professional driver did.  We all need someone to help take us up to speed and see what we are capable of with the right tools.  I don’t care how capable you may think you are, there is always more learning for you if you choose to live within a community of leadership – hang out with other drivers and learn from them.  That is one of the benefits of being part of a peer advisory council: driving tips from the other drivers.

The other lesson has to do with knowing the capability of your people and of yourself for change.  Cornering in a vehicle is a metaphor for change.  We’ve all heard the old adage that ‘the only constant in life is change’.  We will always need to change in life and in business.  Our ability to change quickly, efficiently and effectively can be a key advantage for our organization and for us as leaders.

So, how well can you corner?  Do you approach change like a 70’s Volkswagen van in a windstorm?  Slow that baby right down, take it easy, don’t get carried away or you are going to blow out of the race.  Hey, if that is the reality of where you or your organization is at, fine, but now determine what you need to do to tune up your and your organization’s ability to corner faster.  Unless, of course, you want to be left back in the 70’s.

If we cannot corner quickly – implement change effectively and efficiently – we are at a distinct disadvantage from our competitors.  A wise driver (leader) understands and pushes the capability of his/her people to embrace change, and then continues to fine tune that ability to create a competitive advantage.

And that can be a very thrilling ride.