Leading Yourself Into the Unknown

Last month, I traveled to Tanzania. My role was to complete a 7-year project and to hand over a servant leadership certification for institutionalization into three universities.

It was both a professional homecoming and an expansion. Colleagues from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania immersed themselves in the curriculum, practiced the methods, and built the capacity to implement experiential learning programs in their universities and for external partners across the sectors.

The work affirmed something essential: when we invest in developing others to carry the torch, our impact multiplies. Leadership is not about holding on to what we’ve created but ensuring it lives beyond us. Watching facilitators embrace, adapt, and deliver the program reminded me that growth is not static. It is continuous, evolving across people, places, and time.

I also gifted myself with a safari in the Serengeti. I chose to camp - outfitted with a guide, a cook and a tent. I wanted to shake up the routine and step into something unstructured and wild.

Nights were alive with the roar of lions and the haunting calls of wildebeests racing through camp. One morning, as I sipped my coffee, a family of elephants appeared 30 feet away. Watching them up close, I was struck by their power and elegance, and at the same time reminded of my small but meaningful place in a much larger universe.

I was aware that I stood out. An older woman camping alone in the African wilderness was, to many, unusual. Some expressed surprise that I wasn’t sharing the journey with a partner. But instead of discomfort, I felt pride. At this stage of life, I am still willing to adventure, to step outside my comfort zone, to challenge myself physically and mentally.

What I carried home with me was more than memories and photographs.

First, the expansiveness of perspective. Traveling solo into the wild reminded me that my daily routines are just one small part of a much bigger world. This broader awareness reorients how I see challenges and possibilities in my work and life.

Second, the confidence of self-reliance. Navigating uncertainty and drawing on my own resourcefulness, affirmed what I often coach others to trust: you already have the strengths and inner tools to face the unknown.

And finally, the power of vulnerability. Being willing to go it alone, to be seen as different, and to embrace the unpredictable cracked me open in ways that were both humbling and energizing. Vulnerability, I was reminded, is not weakness. It is an engine of connection, creativity, and resilience.

Continuous learning is not confined to classrooms, certifications, or leadership retreats. It often emerges when we lead ourselves into unknown territory. Whether that’s launching a bold project, taking on a new role, or even camping in the Serengeti. The unknown tests us, expands us, and, ultimately, deepens our leadership.

The journey outward often brings us home to ourselves in ways we least expect.