A classroom unlike any other
What happens when you put 20 senior leaders from 9 countries, across 4 continents, into a room in Mumbai for four days?
You get the Common Purpose Senior Leader Programme — an intense, immersive leadership experience designed to challenge how we think, lead, and connect. I was fortunate enough to take part just a few weeks ago, and I’ve been reflecting on the impact it had on me ever since.
This wasn’t your typical leadership programme. There were no PowerPoint presentations or front-of-room lectures. Instead, we learned from each other, from the communities and organisations we engaged with, and from the city itself.
Why Mumbai? Why now?
For context, I’m currently part of Common Purpose’s Lighthouse Programme, which brings together leaders from across Ireland. As part of that journey, I was invited — along with others from global CP programmes — to expand our leadership learning on an international scale.
And there’s something about Mumbai. It’s a city of contrasts and complexity, where rapid development meets deep tradition. It served as the perfect backdrop for exploring big leadership themes — empathy, bias, diversity — in a living, breathing context.
The power of experiential learning
The most powerful leadership lessons often come when you're out of your comfort zone — and this was no exception.
Rather than sitting in a room passively consuming content, we were placed into real-world environments, learning from people and organisations facing challenges that felt both unfamiliar and strikingly similar to our own. It reminded me that growth often begins with perspective — and with the courage to ask better questions.
Kindness still lives in the world
In a time when the world can feel overwhelmingly divided, Mumbai reminded me of something simple and profound: most people are inherently kind.
Everywhere we went, we were met with smiles and curiosity. People asked where we were from. They welcomed us. One woman even stopped to help us sort out a minor disagreement with a tuk-tuk driver.
Sure, I recognise that my experience as a 6'3" male may have shaped how I was perceived and treated — but it still left me with a renewed belief in the quiet goodness of people.
Bias is everywhere — awareness is everything
One of the most uncomfortable, but necessary, parts of leadership is confronting your own biases.
We all have them — it’s part of being human. What matters is whether we’re willing to recognise them when they surface and ask ourselves: Is this true? Is this helpful? Am I jumping to conclusions?
It’s easier to stay in the safety of what we’ve always thought. But real leadership means being willing to challenge your own assumptions — even when it’s hard, especially when it’s hard.
Empathy begins with curiosity
In leadership circles, we often talk about “meeting people where they are” or “walking in their shoes.” But in practice, that means letting go of assumptions and getting genuinely curious about someone else’s story.
The most powerful moments came not from “solving” anything, but from slowing down and asking deeper questions — and then truly listening to the answers. Empathy isn’t passive. It’s an intentional, ongoing act of seeking to understand.
Diversity is ultimately about 'better ideas'
When we talk about diversity, we often default to visible markers: race, gender, ability. Or surface-level facts: nationality, language, religion.
But being in a room with people from such a wide range of lived experiences — and hearing how they solve problems, how they lead, how they navigate complexity — reminded me: the true value of diversity lies in the diversity of thought. In challenging each other, respectfully. In seeing things through a lens we never knew we needed.
Three leadership lessons I’m taking with me
There was no single “aha” moment — no lightbulb epiphany. Instead, there were dozens of small shifts. Here are three that have stuck with me most:
1. Take a beat.
Borrowed from the BBC drama Blue Lights, this phrase is simple but profound. Before rushing to respond or jumping to conclusions, take a moment. Pause. Breathe. Ask yourself: Is there another perspective here?
2. Listen more to ask better questions.
Too often, we listen to respond — not to understand. What if we gave someone the space to finish their thought, fully listened, and then asked a thoughtful question in return? That kind of exchange changes everything.
3. Ask those closest to the people you serve.
One organisation we visited worked with teens aged 16–18 — and many of their staff weren’t much older. That proximity made a huge difference. They spoke the same language (literally and metaphorically) and could connect in ways others couldn’t. Sometimes, the best insights come from the people closest to the work.
Final thoughts: Leadership is a slow unfolding
I didn’t come home from Mumbai with a three-step framework or a tidy answer to what “great leadership” looks like. But I did return with a deeper awareness, a sharper lens, and a lot more questions.
And honestly? I think that’s the point.
The best leadership development isn’t about big, dramatic revelations. It’s about quiet shifts — a new way of seeing, listening, noticing. It’s about choosing, every day, to lead with empathy and curiosity.
If you’re interested in learning more about Common Purpose and the global leadership programmes they offer, head over to www.commonpurpose.org.
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