Day 6, South Africa: A Leadership Reset

South Africa, that’s a wrap.

And I can honestly say this journey reshaped how I understand leadership.

I thought I had a solid grasp of what leadership meant… until I found myself standing in Durban’s townships and running through the bush in Phinda. Two very different environments, one threaded with community resilience, the other with wild unpredictability, yet both revealing the same lesson: leadership is not about power, position, or perfection. It’s about presence.

In the townships, I met leaders with no formal titles, no structured development plans, no corporate resources, yet they led with a clarity and conviction many organisations struggle to cultivate. They anchored their leadership in values: courage, hope, community, and an unwavering belief in their people.

And then there was the bush. Running through it reminded me how quickly fear fills the void when the path ahead is unclear. But again, the fear wasn’t real, the story was. On the other side of that discomfort was perspective, vibrancy, and a reminder of what it feels like to be alive. Leadership isn’t about being fearless, it’s about choosing to be brave anyway.

And when things get tough, when change hits, when pressure rises, when uncertainty expands, trust becomes the true compass.

Great leaders don’t have all the answers, great leader listen, empower, build teams they can rely on and create space for others to shine.

My experience in South Africa echoed a truth we hold deeply at D3 Partnership, effective leadership begins with how we treat our people. Support them, invest in and trust them and they will help you build something extraordinary.

South Africa deepened my understanding of leadership as a human practice, one grounded in courage, connection, trust, and purposeful action.