What does leadership look like when there’s no clear path to follow?
In this conversation, Lt Col Johnny Fenn reflects on his 114-day journey walking across Nepal without a map — navigating risk, ambiguity and constant decision-making in extreme conditions.
But this isn’t just a story about endurance. It’s a powerful lesson in leadership.
From staying calm when things go off track, to simplifying decisions under pressure, to trusting that a way forward will emerge — the insights from this journey apply directly to leading teams in uncertain and fast-changing environments.
If you’ve ever felt slightly off course, this conversation offers a simple but important reminder: you’re rarely as lost as you think.
These are the kinds of real-world leadership insights we’re bringing together on Leader-Connect — practical, grounded and immediately applicable.
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Neil Jurd OBE is a TEDx speaker, author of the bestselling ‘The Leadership Book’ and founder of the award-winning Cumbria leadership development company Leader-Connect.
Neil served as an army officer leading soldiers on operations in Iraq, Sierra Leone, Bosnia and Yemen, as well as teaching leadership at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Neil established Leader-Connect 10 years ago and major clients include Virgin Media, The University of Sheffield, and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. Leader-Connect also works with small and medium sized businesses, schools and educational trusts.
Neil has founded two successful local charities, including the Michelle Jurd Trust, is a director of Alertacall, a Governor of Windermere School and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Lancaster University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, was awarded the OBE in 2021. Leader-Connect recently won the Cumbrian Training and Education Business of the year Award 2024 and were runners up in the Institute of Leadership Most Innovative Training Programme Award 2023.
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