The Wake-Up Call I Didn’t Know I Needed: Why Every Leader Needs a Passport, Not Just a Plan

India May 2025

I thought I was flying to India for work. Meetings, presentations, business as usual. But what I got was something far more powerful: a jolt to the system. The kind that leaves you reflecting deeply – not just about how you lead, but how you live.

 India has a way of getting under your skin. It’s vibrant, intense, beautiful and confronting all at once. And from the moment I stepped into the chaos of the roads – where seatbelts seem optional, four people on a bike is normal, and a 5km journey back to the airport takes two hours – I realised I wasn’t in familiar territory anymore.

 But it wasn’t just the traffic. It was the heat. The haze. The vast rubbish tips. The people living by the roadside in makeshift shelters – and yet, somehow, still clutching smartphones. It was the city that came alive at dusk, when the sun finally dipped and life poured onto the streets. It was the quiet reverence of a temple visit, where incense curled into the sky and spirituality pulsed through everything.

 This wasn’t just travel. This was a cultural wake-up call.

The Growth That Comes from Discomfort

There’s a certain comfort in our Western way of life – and I say that with gratitude. But comfort can lull you. It can dull your curiosity. It can trick you into thinking you’re growing just because you’re busy.

India snapped me out of that.

 Being in a place so radically different made me see how much we take for granted – safety, space, structure. But it also showed me how much we’re missing. The hunger I saw in the teams I met – the curiosity, the drive, the ambition to learn and do better – was electric. They weren’t just turning up. They were all in!

And for many, it’s about far more than curiosity – it’s about survival. The drive to succeed isn’t just ambition; it’s the pathway out of poverty, the bridge from village to city, the means to support a family and build a better life. That hunger is deeply rooted – and it shows.

 And it made me question: have we in the West become a bit too passive? A bit too content? A bit too “comfortable with comfortable”?

 Curiosity Over Comfort

 One thing stood out to me on this trip: the power of cultural curiosity. The willingness to ask questions. To embrace difference. To be stretched.

 I met people who were navigating complexity with optimism. People who had fewer resources but more resourcefulness. And people who weren’t waiting for permission to learn – they were charging ahead, full of energy and ideas.

 It was a reminder that curiosity is the true driver of growth. Not just in individuals, but in teams, in companies, in entire countries.

Why Every Leader Needs a Passport

 You can read all the books. Attend all the webinars. Quote all the thought leaders. But there’s something about stepping into another culture – breathing its air, hearing its stories, feeling its pace – that teaches you more in a few days than months in a classroom ever could.

 Leadership isn’t about knowing the answers. It’s about asking better questions. Seeing with fresh eyes. Letting go of assumptions. And nothing challenges your assumptions faster than travel.

 If we want to be global leaders – not just geographically, but in mindset – we need to get out into the world. To trade our plans for perspective. Our habits for humility. Our meetings for meaning.

 The Real Souvenir? A Shift in Mindset

 I came home from India with more than just memories. I came home more reflective. More grateful. More energised to learn. More determined to keep stretching. To stay hungry. To lead with curiosity and courage.

 Because in the end, travel doesn’t just show you the world. It shows you yourself.

“That all sounds great Jo but not all of us get the opportunity to travel globally?”

Fair. Most of us aren’t hopping on planes every month. But you don’t need a passport stamp to cultivate cultural curiosity or grow outside your comfort zone. Here are a few ways to bring the spirit of travel into your everyday life:

1. Seek out different perspectives

Talk to someone from a different background – culturally, generationally, professionally. Ask questions. Listen more than you speak. Diversity of thought is all around us – if we choose to notice it.

2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Take on a project that scares you a bit. Say yes to something you’d normally avoid. Discomfort is a sign you’re growing – lean into it.

3. Practise gratitude for what you take for granted

Clean water. Quiet streets. A seatbelt that works. The basics we rarely notice are luxuries in many places. Noticing them builds perspective – and gratitude.

4. Make curiosity a daily habit

Instead of jumping to conclusions, ask:What don’t I know yet? What am I missing? Curiosity shifts your mindset from judgement to learning.

5. Zoom out regularly

Whether it's a walk, journaling, or just staring out the window for five minutes – give yourself space to think beyond the immediate. That’s where reflection lives.

Final Thought

You don’t need to travel to India to have a wake-up call. You just need to stay awake – to yourself, to others, and to the world beyond your bubble. Because growth doesn’t come from staying still. It comes from choosing to move – in thought, in action, and in mindset.