Don’t Be the World’s Best-Kept Secret

Over the past few weeks, something has shifted.

On 25 May, BOLDER will be officially launched at the Presidential Palace in Dili, hosted by His Excellency José Ramos-Horta.

Even writing that still makes me pause. Because this wasn’t part of some grand master plan. It’s been one step, one conversation, one door opening after the other.  And if I’m honest, this step feels like a new edge again: a bigger room, a different level of visibility, and that familiar question in the background: Are you ready for this?

Stepping into a new kind of room.

​What has become very clear to me over the past few weeks is this: None of this would be happening if I had kept things to myself.

Momentum doesn’t build in isolation
For a long time, I believed grit was enough: put your head down, do the work, deliver, keep going.

And yes, that matters. But at some point, it stops being sufficient. Because momentum doesn’t build in isolation, it builds in connection.

I learnt this in a very real way when I first considered doing the Marathon des Sables, the 250km self-sufficient ultramarathon across the Sahara. At the time, I had no plan, no experience running such distances over several days, and no real idea how to even begin getting used to carrying a heavy backpack while running.

But I shared my commitment to give it a try anyway. Not fully thought through yet, just shared.

That one act changed everything: a friend connected me to a coach. Training became real. A short video reached the Timorese military. A sponsor stepped in. None of that would have happened if I had kept the idea to myself.

This started with one shared idea.

Visibility is not self-promotion — it’s leadership
We often wait until things are “ready” before we speak about them, thinking that clarity must come first. But in reality, that delay is exactly what slows everything down.

Support tends to show up after you share, not before.

This is something I speak about in Shift L of the B.O.L.D.E.R.™ framework — Leverage Collective Power. It’s the shift from doing it alone to intentionally building the ecosystem around your vision. And a big part of that is choosing not to be the world’s best-kept secret.

Building the room
I’m seeing this play out again right now. As I prepare for the launch at the Presidential Palace, I’m not just organising an event; I’m building the room. Reaching out to people I respect, putting leaders, partners, thinkers, challengers, and connectors across sectors on the guest list I will provide to the presidential office.

And yes, there are moments of hesitation. Moments where I wonder if I’m aiming too high, or stepping too far. But more often than not, those are exactly the moments that matter.
Because this is the work: stepping forward before everything feels fully certain, and trusting that the right people will meet you there.

Your leadership is an ecosystem

This is where most of it actually happens.

The bigger the vision, the more intentional your support system needs to be. Strong ecosystems don’t happen by accident; they are built through small, deliberate actions over time. Sharing an idea early, making an introduction, reaching out without a clear outcome, or simply acknowledging someone’s contribution: these are the moves that quietly build momentum.

It’s less like a corporate ladder and more like a coral reef. Everything is connected. Everything supports everything else. And over time, that’s what creates resilience, adaptability, and real impact.

A simple check for you
Take five minutes and map your ecosystem. Not perfectly, just honestly.

• Who supports you when things get challenging?
• Who stretches your thinking rather than just agreeing with you?
• Who gives you access or opens doors?
• Who might you not be reaching out to yet?
• And just as importantly: how are you showing up for them?

Because bold ideas don’t move forward on their own. They move through people.

One more thing
​Over the past weeks, I’ve started bringing BOLDER into rooms through keynote conversations and leadership sessions. And what I’m noticing is this:

Many leaders are doing powerful, meaningful work… but quietly. Holding back just enough that the idea never fully lands.

If there’s one shift that keeps coming up again and again, it’s this one.
Not doing more. But being seen more clearly.

Keep the conversation going
If this resonates, I’d love to hear your reflections.

And if you’d like more insights like this, you can join BOLDER Reflections here: 

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Or explore the B.O.L.D.E.R.™ Edge Lever, a short tool designed to help you identify which shift will have the biggest impact on your leadership right now: [link]

BOLDER EDGE Lever