Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Growth doesn’t always look like momentum…sometimes it looks like pressing PAUSE.
Why did I accept a visiting faculty role? The honest answer was simple:
I was at a moment of reflection and recalibration.
Nothing was broken, but I just realised growth requires space. I wasn’t looking for answers to abandon what I already do. It was a perspective I was yearning for to deepen.
I needed:
- New vantage points when familiar approaches felt insufficient
- Time to think beyond immediate deliverables
- Exposure to different ways of building, teaching, and collaborating
- Space to test ideas that inform the next phase of my work
I wasnt looking to add yet another credential or change direction. I wanted to strengthen how I think about health systems, cancer care, equity, and leadership, and bring that thinking back into the continuous oncology work I’m committed to.
Moments like this are not gaps or detours, nor depict failure.
Every growing leader needs them at a point in their career. They’re strategic investments that allow you to:
- Challenge assumptions before they calcify
- Reconnect with purpose as it evolves
- Build relationships that compound over time, and
- Sharpen clarity about what matters now
Those six weeks of immersive work at Stanford University gave me exactly that: not answers to everything, but better questions.
Sometimes, that’s the most valuable outcome of all.
The most meaningful growth doesn’t always come from constant acceleration. It comes from knowing when to pause, think deeply, and return stronger.
Q: When has taking space helped you lead or build more intentionally?”
More posts featuring Miriam Mutebi.