The Gift of Time – Reflections from Day One in Durban

Day one of the Lead with Humanity Leadership Programme in Durban, South Africa offered something rare, especially for leaders and founders constantly in motion: the gift of time.

⮕ Time to pause.
⮕ Time to breathe.
⮕ Time to reflect on the path that brought us here.

As a coach and the founder of D3 Partnership, I spend much of my working life helping leaders expand their awareness, stretch beyond their comfort zones, and rediscover their own resourcefulness. Yet this first day reminded me that I, too, must make space for the same work. We were invited to look back, not with judgement, but with gratitude, to honour the moments, choices, and lessons that have shaped us. Each experience, even the uncomfortable ones, has carved a part of who we are today.

And then, with equal importance, we were encouraged to look forward. Not with the pressure of certainty, but with curiosity. With courage and with the understanding that our journey is still unfolding, and that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about remaining open to what we have yet to discover.

Galileo said it best “We cannot teach people anything. We can only help them discover it within themselves.”

This sentiment sits at the heart of true leadership. It is not about directing, instructing, or controlling, it is about awakening. Awareness. Ownership. The quiet confidence that comes from knowing we already hold the beginnings of the answers we seek.

Today reminded me that slowing down is not a luxury. It is a discipline. A strategy. A form of courage in itself. Because when we pause long enough to listen, really listen, we create room for the insights that shape who we become next.

As I prepare to step into the next 48 hours fully off-grid (#nophone!), I feel a blend of excitement, curiosity, and healthy disruption. There is something powerful about removing the noise and allowing the experience to do its work.

The journey has only just begun, and I’m intrigued to see what emerges when the usual rhythms fall away. What new awareness will surface? What edges will be revealed? And how might this shape the leaders, and humans, we are becoming?

For now, I carry forward a simple but profound reminder ‘Growth begins the moment we make time for ourselves’.