If the Goal Was Transformation, What Would You Do Differently?
The following is an excerpt from our August 2025 issue of Hey Leader.
Hey Leader, crafted with thought & care by The Perk, is a monthly email series all with the intention to help you lead better. You belong here!
Hey, Hi! —
I’ve been joking with the team lately that I feel like I’m having a midlife crisis of sorts because all I want to do is dream up big ideas & go to Disney World.
Or better yet—dream up big ideas AT Disney World.
Because the truth is, I’m not going for life-altering churros. Or the Lapu Lapus at the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian Resort.
Dan & I are there several times a year because going to Disney is like getting a master class in transformation.
It’s innovation, creativity, collaboration & connection wrapped up into one immersive experience. With Disney characters & mouse ears, of course. It leaves you changed, forever. You don’t walk out of those gates the same person you walked in, & I say that as a person who has walked out of those gates many times.
Always reluctantly, by the way.
To transform on that level, to that degree, is always what I’ve wanted us to do at The Perk. When I first launched The Perk, I was adamant that we wouldn’t be doing convenient, “check the box” leadership development.
I didn’t want the goal to be completion. I wanted…yep, you guessed it…transformation.
But here’s the thing: transformation isn’t convenient. For anyone. To make it happen, there’s a certain amount of disruption that has to exist.
It means pulling yourself & your team out of the day-to-day. Breaking patterns. Stepping out of the proverbial echo chamber. Experience something new enough, big enough & bold enough to change the way you lead, think & live.
And that’s true whether you’re developing a team or developing yourself. For Dan & I, it’s Disney. For my friend Mel, it’s getting on a plane & heading to far-off places like Morocco, Cuba & Spain. “When I touch down in a different country, I can feel my curiosity go into overdrive,” she told me. “I can’t wait to get out there & see, hear & feel things that I just can’t find inside my normal routine.” For Emily on our team, it’s meeting up with old friends, swapping stories with peers in different industries, or diving into a podcast that sparks new ideas. Those moments remind her there’s a whole world of perspectives waiting just outside the usual routine.
That feeling of transformation? If you’ve felt it before, you know how incredible & indescribable it feels. That spark of possibility that combines with a rush of clarity. The quiet confidence that you can now do things you couldn’t even conceive of the day before. The moment your perspective shifts & you can’t “unsee” what you’ve just experienced. You’ve got no choice but to go out & do it.
And once you’ve felt it, you start to crave it. You start looking for the next big shift, the next experience that will stretch you, challenge you, & pull you into a better version of yourself.
That’s the kind of hunger we want to ignite in the leaders we work with. Because when transformation becomes part of your leadership DNA, you stop settling for small improvements & start aiming for the kind of change that sticks.
That’s the standard we’re making at The Perk. We’re asking ourselves every day: If the goal is transformation—not convenience, not just a “great experience”—how does that change what we create? How does that change how we show up?
When you settle for convenience in your leadership development, you get small tweaks. But when you aim for true, unbridled transformation, you get the breakthroughs you’ve been looking for.
You get the people who walk back into their companies, seeing possibilities they didn’t see before. You get leaders who feel braver, bolder & more equipped to lead through complexity. That’s what I want & I know that’s what you want, too.
So, here’s my question for you: If the goal of developing your leaders wasn’t convenience, or completion, or even a “great experience”...if the goal was to transform the way people lead & change them forever—what would you do differently? What actions would you take?
If you need someone to talk out your answer with, or dream big—I’m always just an email away.
You’re amazing
6 Tips for Leading an Innovation Safari at Your Org
I remember the first time I heard the term “innovation safari.” I was at a client retreat (shoutout to KeyCare!), & the Founder, Dr. Lyle Berkowitz, was talking about innovation. He said one of the best ways to innovate was to get inspired by what other companies are doing—not just similar companies, but all companies. Even the ones that are light years different from you.
Then, he casually dropped that he was actually part of a group that would do this regularly. They’d go to all sorts of companies, tour the facility, talk with the leadership about what they do really, really well there, & get a bunch of ideas for what they could do differently at their organizations. He said they were called “innovation safaris.”
I have to admit that I spaced out for a bit after he said that. Because my mind was blown. Of course, I had visited clients & other companies, but never intentionally, never with a team & never for the purpose of getting curious & bringing back ideas for my own biz.
That was over two years ago & now we’re always heading out on Innovation Safaris at The Perk. We are now officially offering these incredible & immersive experiences for our clients, AND if you’d like to lead one of your own, here’s my advice on how to do that:
Plan to go during work hours. This sounds obvious, but it bears repeating. Innovation Safaris aren’t something you do on a PTO day. Rest is for rest & Innovation Safaris are for work, so plan a day—or if you’re really feeling bold, a series of days!—where you & your team can immerse yourself in the rhythm & operations of other businesses.
Pick your destination with intention. Don’t just go somewhere “fun” — go somewhere that pulls you out of your industry & everyday patterns. If you’re in finance, go to an art museum. If you’re in healthcare, tour an architecture firm. The magic happens in the cross-pollination.
Bring a curiosity lens. When you’re on these safaris, ask yourself: What here could inspire the way I lead? What here could inspire us to deliver services for our clients in a different way? Look for systems, experiences & interactions you can translate back to your own work. Make sure to keep track of the ideas as they come—even the ones that feel “out there.”
Ask: “What’s your secret sauce?” Invite them to share the thing they’re most proud of: the practice, process, or philosophy that sets them apart. Is it how they welcome new employees? How they turn first-time customers into lifelong fans? How they consistently hit ambitious goals or maintain a flawless safety record? Give them space to brag, then look for ways you can adapt their “secret sauce” to make your own organization even better.
Engage all your senses. Notice how the space looks, sounds, & feels. Pay attention to the small details—how people are greeted, how problems are solved, how creativity is encouraged. Sometimes the most transformational insights are in the little things.
Bring it back & make it real. Within 48 hours, choose one insight from your safari and put it into action. Share what you learned with your team, & brainstorm how to adapt or scale the idea for your own environment.
As always, if you try the #PerkProTip, please let us know how it goes!
Also, if you’re ready & interested to explore big ideas with bold leaders, join our Innovation Safari Club! Quarterly safaris led by us here at The Perk where adventurous leaders, like you, from different companies come together to discover, learn, & spark fresh thinking. Just reply with the word “Safari” & we’ll send you all the details!
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About The Perk
We're a premiere leadership & culture development studio.
The skills your leaders need today are very different from the ones they needed 5 years ago. We equip leaders with the skills they need to confidently & effectively lead their teams now & going forward.
And we have quite a lot of fun doing it!