The Intentional Growth Leader · Issue 3 · 4 July 2026
Quiet Significance
Lessons from a Balinese farmer on becoming who you were created to be.
Om Swastiastu.
(Balinese greeting - May you be blessed with peace, safety and well being)
I’m writing to you from Ubud, Bali, where I’m spending a few weeks to reflect, recharge and prepare for the year ahead.
Stepping away from my normal routine has given me the space to slow down, observe and think a little differently. Sometimes the simplest moments leave the biggest impression.
One of those moments happened today.
I met an elderly Balinese farmer.
He carried a bamboo pole across his shoulders with two woven baskets hanging from each end.
His face was weathered.
His hands reflected years of hard work.
When our eyes met, he smiled.
We exchanged a few words, and I asked if I could take his photograph.
He nodded, smiled, and I thanked him before we each went on our way.
As I continued walking, I found myself wondering how many times he had made that same journey.
How many seasons he had worked the land.
How many ordinary days had quietly become a lifetime.
It struck me that we often look for significance in the extraordinary.
The next promotion.
The next opportunity.
The next achievement.
Yet most of life isn’t lived in the extraordinary.
It’s lived in the ordinary.
Showing up.
Doing work that matters.
Keeping your word.
Looking after the people around you.
Growing a little each day.
As I begin thinking about the year ahead, I’ve found myself asking a different question.
Not simply,
What do I want to achieve?
But,
Who do I want to become?
Achievement matters.
But character shapes how we achieve it—and what we leave behind.
There has never been another person exactly like you.
Your experiences.
Your strengths.
Your values.
Your perspective.
Together, they make you uniquely equipped to contribute in ways no one else can.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with many outstanding leaders.
They’ve all been different.
Different personalities.
Different strengths.
Different leadership styles.
What they shared wasn’t a formula.
It was authenticity.
They understood who they were.
They committed to continual growth.
And they used their strengths to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
The farmer I met today reminded me that influence doesn’t always need a stage.
Sometimes it’s found in consistency.
In humility.
In faithfully doing what matters, day after day.
There’s a quiet significance in living that way.
Reflection
As the new financial year begins, perhaps these questions are worth considering:
- Who do I want to become this year?
- What strengths do I want to develop?
- Where can I make the greatest difference?
Intentional Action
This week, choose one habit that reflects the person you want to become.
Don’t focus on doing more.
Focus on becoming better.
Because meaningful growth rarely happens through one big decision.
It happens through small, intentional choices made consistently over time.
Are you growing on purpose, or by accident?
Twelve questions, about four minutes. An honest read on where you’ve quietly plateaued, and the one area setting the ceiling on the rest.
Take the Leadership Growth Check