67,080 kilometres. 53 countries. 444 days. One near-death experience in an Iranian interrogation room.

Most people drive to work and back. We drove from the UK to New Zealand — overland.

And every desert crossed, every border refused, every breakdown in the middle of nowhere taught us something that no boardroom, no classroom, and no self-help book ever could.

This is one of those lessons. 👇

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟔𝐤𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡

That night, we camped in the trees near the river that forms the Latvia-Belarus border. A tranquil, quiet spot. We wandered through the trees to watch a couple of fishermen on the riverbank. Moments later, two grim-faced border guards materialised. Cameras hidden in the forest had tracked us.

“€500 fine if you don’t move,” they barked. (Seems that a €500 fine is the constant theme in Europe – recall the Policewoman in Italy)

We asked for a ride back to our car. “Walk,” they said, without a hint of a smile. Six long kilometres back in wet shoes. No smiles, no leniency. Plonkers.

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫

We skirted past the Russian enclave Kaliningrad which we couldn't enter. Prior to camping for the night we filled up with fuel—only €1.40 a litre. Bliss. Then we stumbled upon one of the best campsites of the whole journey, south of Vilnius: high meadows, cool shade under the trees, and the glassy surface of Stavka Lake.

We stayed here several days, swimming, reading, soaking in the silence.

The Baltics—humble, breathtaking, and unforgettable—offered more than we expected and asked nothing in return. They surprised us, challenged us, and gave us peace.

An unplanned detour. A chapter of pure gold.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧

The Baltics were never part of the original “must-see” list.
They happened because we turned left instead of right.

Leadership often feels like disciplined planning, structured routes, and clear objectives. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 — the willingness to adjust direction when instinct whispers, “Go this way.”

The Baltics gave us contrast: kindness and coldness, humour and hostility, beauty and bureaucracy.

Closed borders.
Open fields.
Smiling farmers.
Grim-faced guards.
Laughter at checkpoints.
Six-kilometre walks in wet shoes.

That’s leadership terrain.

You don’t control every border. You won’t always be welcomed. Surveillance might follow you. Rules may be enforced without warmth.

But if your foundation is steady, detours don’t derail you — they deepen you.

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧

Turning left required flexibility. Handling refusal required composure. Walking six kilometres in wet shoes required humility.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞.

In leadership, the question isn’t: Did everything go to plan?
The question is: Did you grow because it didn’t?

Some chapters are scheduled. The best ones are discovered.

And sometimes, the smartest move you’ll ever make… …is simply turning left.

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