Elevating Adventure in Leadership: How Stepping Outside the Norm Unlocks New Perspectives

Last week my mom & I journeyed out of the norm for a little adventure on a small island and its surroundings, about 50-minutes by helicopter from Vancouver, BC. I’m a big fan of new experiences (both near & far) & often, I find the gained perspective opens doors to creativity & an abundance of new possibility. (𝙑𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬: 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 3 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 AND 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚!)

Choosing to step outside of our everyday routine and embark on unique adventures isn’t just about the thrill of something new. It’s a 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. Leadership is about navigating unknowns, & adventures teach us to do just that.

When we immerse ourselves in unfamiliar environments, we’re forced to 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 new challenges, 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 to different circumstances, & 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 before.

It 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 & teaches us to 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁. Each adventure, whether it’s a physical journey or a new cultural experience, gives us a 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀, & 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 operate differently from our own. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 & 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀.

Beyond that, adventure allows us to step away from the grind, giving us a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 on our leadership. Sometimes, in the hustle of daily demands, we can lose sight of what truly matters. But out there—on the road, in the mountains, or simply outside our usual context—things come into focus. We start to see connections we might’ve missed, priorities shift, & our capacity for empathy deepens.

Leaders who consistently seek out new experiences are more likely to 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 others, innovate, & approach challenges with fresh eyes. The next time you’re tempted to stick to the familiar, you might instead ask: ‘What could I learn if I choose the adventure?’

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!