The Path Less Traveled
Having lived and worked in four countries, and having grown up in South Africa, traveling has always been a significant part of my life, as well as a responsibility. Constantly changing environments and working with employees and clients from diverse cultures demands a skillset that sets many leaders apart. It not only positively impacts the relationship you have with your employees and clients, it also gives you a competitive advantage in your industry.
Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" is sometimes interpreted as being about the choices we make in life, but it can also be seen as a reflection on the tendency to look back with regret at paths not taken. The poem itself, according to some interpretations, is not necessarily a celebration of individuality but rather a commentary on the human tendency to romanticize choices and regret decisions. This is why traveling is important because it teaches us about risk taking, and bringing clarity to motivations.
Taking that uncomfortable step in the road not taken, and going against fear is also about decisions to go white water rafting or scuba diving for the first time. Traveling is a teacher in taking choices and making decisions. Eating street food from a stall somewhere in Southeast Asia, sleeping in a tent in the middle of a desert, or making your way around in a foreign land where no-one speaks your language can lead to satisfaction from self-reliance in problem solving. I believe this is how entrepreneurs develop their "anti-fragility" muscle. Traveling can help you make difficult decisions when you return home, such as killing a project you may have have been working on for a long time without hesitation.
Well, some of them.
Being able to think outside the box is also one of the benefits when it comes to traveling. If a situation arises that you didn't foresee, you need to be able to adapt quickly and think on your feet. Even if it means dealing with no Wi-Fi or having to figure out how to install a new sim card in your phone. When you return home, these experiences will stay with you forever — and they're something that will help shape who you are as an individual over time. These experiences are lost at home because at home, or in the office, things go the way we want them too, and it's easy for us to get stuck in our own ways. Thats why I believe that leaving travels for later can actually disempower leaders, and hold them back from their full potential. Staying home gives us a false perspective of reality and may even lead us to “first world problems” that diminish our empathy and happiness levels. While meeting random people in the streets, hostels or local bars around the globe you realize what a different map of reality another person can have. That can also change motivations in business from making money to making a positive impact in your community.
Do we really know why we do what we do for 50-70-or-more hours a week? When I travel I relax and let my mind wander. In that blank space great ideas might emerge. Make sure you write your new ideas down and learn from everything you do. Not to mention, its a good time to read a book. Bringing new ideas into the workplace is not only a skill that leaders need have, but that, in general, everyone needs to have in life.
In a monotonous life, all we sometimes wish for is the adventure of the unexpected, the road less taken. Thats what traveling brings out in us. Travel can evolve you as a leader by creating new experiences, making you feel new emotions, or giving you a new thought process. Even if it was a bad experience, it always changes us for the good.
There is an African proverb that has always resonated with me: “If you want to go fast, travel alone. If you want to go far, travel together.” This is the mindset I take with me into the office every day, no matter what location I am at.