I’m a traveler by nature – my passport has been neatly tucked away since last September, and I can feel it getting itchy and ready for use…
For me, there is nothing quite like getting out of Dodge and leaving the everyday behind.
There is SO MUCH that travelling the world has taught me…yes, I’ve gotten to meet with some amazing people, and had truly exceptional experiences, but true change is often in the less scripted moments... It’s shaped in moments of surprise, humility, sweat, and tears (often of laughter, but sometimes pain!)
As I start dreaming about my next adventure, I’ve been thinking about some of the lessons I’ve learned from a couple of my most amazing trips.
Uganda with the Gorillas
A few years ago, I was invited to speak at the ieq9 Conference in Cape Town and decided to get there via Uganda with a couple of good friends (not exactly en route!)
We climbed up and down through mud, brush, and creatures not seen on this side of the planet before finally finding the gorilla family we were tracking. Watching a mama kiss her baby, a Silverback stand guard over the group, and a curious juvenile come to take a closer look, it was an unforgettable experience.
At the time, I was so completely in awe and fully in the moment, but now, a few years later, I can also see the leadership lessons:
The importance of play
The value of boundaries
The impact of presence
Vietnam: Banh Mi, Bruises, and Beautiful Strangers
Cycling through Vietnam - sweaty, sore, and unsure what I’d gotten myself into, offered a crash course in perspective. Lesson one, learned just minutes after landing…of course, no one there calls it the Vietnam War…to the local folks, it is the American War.
The learning kept coming: from roadside meals to rapping Eminem with a local teenager, to falling (more than once) and getting back up. When you're far from home, curiosity becomes your greatest asset.
Those same "muscles" that help us navigate in an unfamiliar place - openness, humility, respect are what allow leaders to connect brilliantly back home.
There are so many more stories – I am grateful for the teachings my passport has facilitated. But, maybe most importantly:
To lead well, we have to be willing to learn. To be changed. To be uncomfortable.
Leadership doesn’t only happen when we know the way.
Sometimes, it happens when we’re lost, when we’re listening, when we’re out of breath and slightly out of place.
So here’s my question:
When was the last time you left your “everyday” behind?
I’d love to hear your stories... Where did you go that changed how you lead?
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