Travelling stories: curiosity, kindness and connection

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG

This week’s theme? Travelling stories: curiosity, kindness and connection.

Every time I travel, I seem to come home with a story. Sometimes it is about delayed trains or changing plans; more often, it is about the people I meet along the way. I have learnt that if you are curious enough to ask a question, brave enough to start a conversation and open enough to listen, people will nearly always teach you something.

The Weekly Debrief

Last week involved plenty of travelling — from France to London, then onwards to Cyprus — and, as always, it came with a cast of characters and a few stories to tell.

I met a retired schoolteacher who had taught English to children with dyslexia. Her passion for helping young people find their way into reading was inspiring. It reminded me that we should never stop learning, never stop reading and never underestimate the impact one person can have through patience, skill and belief in others.

I also spent time with two representatives from the Malaysian Ministry of Education. Their perspective was fascinating. They are thinking about the future of their country not just in months or years, but over decades — and about the lives, opportunities and potential of young people across Malaysia. Our conversation was a powerful reminder of the importance of connections, good data and understanding the impact on real individuals, not just the numbers on a report.

Then there were two fantastic Wizz Air flight crew, who made a long journey feel much more human. And, two families travelling with three young children between them. A confined space for more than five hours can test anyone’s patience, so I did my best to help entertain the children along the way. Colouring, chatting, distraction tactics, a little bit of silliness — sometimes kindness is simply noticing that someone could use a hand and offering it.

Once in Cyprus, I also had the pleasure of meeting Kyle’s new friends. Different settings, different people, but the same lesson: relationships grow quickly when we show an interest, listen properly and make the effort to connect.

The Week Ahead

This week is full of meetings: executive coaching, strategy conversations and plenty of opportunities to put last week’s reflections into practice.

For me, coaching and strategy work are built on curiosity. You cannot support a leader, a founder or a team by arriving with all the answers. You have to ask thoughtful questions, understand the context, listen for what is being said — and sometimes what is not being said — and help people see the situation more clearly.

The second part is reality. Strategy is not wishful thinking. It has to start with an honest understanding of where you are now: the opportunities, the risks, the people, the resources and the constraints. Only then can you work out a route forward that is ambitious but achievable.

Lessons Learnt

My main reflections from a week of travelling and meeting new people are simple.

First, kindness is king. We do not always know what someone is carrying, what kind of day they have had or how much a small gesture might mean. A smile, a conversation, an offer to help, or simply making someone feel seen can change the energy of an interaction completely.

Second, work with your true reality. We can have big plans, ambitions and brilliant ideas, but progress comes from being honest about the starting point. The best leaders combine optimism about what is possible with clarity about what is real.

Perhaps that is the real value of travelling stories. They keep us curious. They remind us that everybody has a perspective we may not have considered, that connection creates learning, and that the people we meet can help us see both the world — and our own reality — a little more clearly.

Here’s to asking one more question, offering one small kindness and staying grounded in what is real. Just the right dose of #NRG.

Question for you: When was the last time a conversation with someone you had only just met changed how you saw a situation?