By DSFP Candidate, Stephen Keys

What if the key to your future purpose lay hidden in the voice of your younger self?

That was the starting point for a group of senior leaders during a week-long immersion at Smiling Gecko in Cambodia. We travelled together as part of the NUS SCALE Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme (DSFP), specially designed and curated for accomplished senior leaders who seek to thrive with joy and significance in the 100-year life, through a bespoke 13-week journey of inquiry and discovery.

Against the backdrop of a bold social enterprise tackling poverty through farming, education and community projects, we explored not only what we could do next in our lives, but why it matters. The journey was less about abstract ideals, and more about connecting memory, meaning and action.

Listening to Our Younger Selves

The week began not with strategy documents, but with art. Each of us was asked to ‘speak’ with our younger self and express that dialogue visually. Through colours, symbols and sketches emerged fragments of memory and values that had endured despite long professional lives.

Sharing these stories in small circles revealed something essential: the purpose projects that we are each beginning to work on, and that form a core part of the overall programme, are not academic exercises. They are extensions of our own unfinished stories.

From Individual Intentions to Shared Ground

Through exercises in ‘purpose pattern recognition’, we mapped how childhood dreams had evolved into adult aspirations. When these maps were combined, common themes appeared, including education, food security, social cohesion and promoting positive ageing.

This was a turning point. Purpose gains strength when it is shared. By connecting our stories, we began to see possibilities for collective projects, while also recognising the unique gifts each of us could bring to the table.

Structure Meets Vision

Purpose is powerful, but purpose without structure can dissipate. Using the DSFP “Color Block” model and the Theory of Change framework, we tested our early project ideas. We were asked to define the people, problems and places at the heart of each initiative before exploring solutions.

This required discipline and humility. What exactly is the change we hope to see? Why do these problems persist? What systems hold them in place? In answering, our passion sharpened into strategy.

Assumptions and Stakeholders

Every idea rests on assumptions: about communities, systems and feasibility. By surfacing these assumptions in open dialogue, we learned to embrace uncertainty. Our projects became living hypotheses to be piloted, tested, and adapted.

Stakeholder mapping deepened this realism. Change does not happen in isolation. It requires allies, champions, and most importantly, the participation of those who will be most affected. And so we started to map out next steps, tasks and activities.

Building Movements, Not (Just) Projects

For different groups or individuals to truly work together, they need more than just shared interests or agreed-upon procedures. They need a common story about what they're ultimately trying to achieve and why it matters.

A movement requires clarity of purpose and the ability to tell stories that inspire action. Within our cohort, we found both. Even small beginnings, we agreed, can grow into something transformative if the narrative is compelling and the connections are real.

The Power of Place

Smiling Gecko itself was a constant teacher throughout. Its farm, school and community programmes demonstrated how bold ideas, even if not yet self-sustaining, can change lives.

For us, it sparked essential questions: How do we truly serve the needs of our beneficiaries? How do we balance scale with sustainability? How do we ensure resilience for the long haul?

Vulnerability as Strength

Perhaps the most powerful moments came when we shared our origin stories. Speaking openly about where we came from, what shaped us, and why we care dissolved barriers. It created trust, reminding us that behind every role or achievement stands a human being seeking meaning. That vulnerability strengthened our sense of fellowship.

Lessons to Carry Forward

By the week’s end, sketches of our younger selves had become team-based projects with clear problem statements, stakeholder maps and pathways to action. The arc of the week mirrored transformation itself: from introspection, to collaboration, to commitment.

The lessons we carried home were simple, yet profound:

* Authenticity anchors impact – Purpose begins with who we are.
* Community sharpens clarity – Shared purpose is stronger than solitary ambition.
* Frameworks bring discipline – Models like Theory of Change turn passion into action.
* Assumptions invite learning – Testing builds resilience.
* Place shapes possibility – Real change is always contextual.

Closing Reflection

If our younger selves had witnessed us at the end of the week, perhaps they would have smiled. Not because we had found easy answers, but because we had found the courage to connect intention with impact.

At Smiling Gecko, purpose stopped being a concept. It became something we could see, shape, and carry forward together as a fellowship of the willing. No longer individuals but a community of leaders supporting one another in driving purposeful change.

Smiling Gecko has produced a video documenting the DSFP visit. You can watch it here.