Four Days That Most Leaders in Asia Won’t Take (and That’s Your Edge)

Cory McGowan
Jan 6
3 min read

Updated: 7d

A sunrise over a sea of clouds rolling across layered mountains in Asia.

The sun rose over the ridge at 5 a.m., the air cold enough to wake even the most jet-lagged executive. We were only on day two of the retreat, and already the noise of the outside world felt distant — no red exclamation-mark emails, no “quick sync?” requests, no half-finished slides waiting to be polished. Just mountains, breath, space… and the kind of clarity that rarely survives a normal Tuesday morning in Asia’s corporate world.

Standing there, it hit me again:

Most senior leaders in Asia will never give themselves four full days to think.

Not deeply.

Not undistracted.

Not unplugged.

And in that refusal, they hand over one of the greatest leadership differentiators available to them.

Because while they’re in yet another meeting trying to align a dozen competing priorities, you — if you’re willing — could be up here building something far more valuable:

a vision that actually holds up under pressure.

Against the backdrop of the dawn sky, a silhouetted figure stands wearing a hat. The sky shifts from blue to orange, creating a quiet, serene atmosphere.

What Most Leaders Do (And Why It Doesn’t Work)

In Asia especially, many leaders have mastered the art of “productive avoidance”: filling calendars so tightly that strategic thinking becomes theoretical — something that lives on a slide, not in their body.

You know the pattern:

・Sprints without direction.

・Decisions made from urgency instead of clarity.

・Strategy decks that read well but lack conviction.

・Leaders who are exhausted but still performing “leader-ness.”

Four days away? That feels impossible.

Which is exactly why it’s powerful.

Taking time to step outside the frame — to walk slower, think longer, breathe deeper — isn’t indulgence. It’s leadership.

A person points toward the light in a misty forest. Sunlight filters through the trees, creating an ethereal atmosphere. A narrow path and deep shadows stretch into the background.

Harvard Business Review: Retreats Aren’t a Luxury, They’re an Advantage

Harvard Business Review makes a point that I wish more leaders absorbed:

The executive retreat is not a nice-to-have. It’s a critical container for strategic clarity.

HBR emphasizes that getting leaders physically away from day-to-day operations is what makes meaningful, long-term thinking even possible.

The message is clear:

If you want to think differently, you must get out of the environment that keeps you thinking the same.

This isn’t about escape.

It’s about access — to deeper thinking, truer priorities, and a wider field of vision than any boardroom can offer.

Two men are talking on a bridge in an autumn forest with a waterfall in the background. One is wearing orange clothing, and the other is wearing a checkered shirt.

McKinsey: Nature Isn’t Aesthetic — It’s Cognitive Fuel

McKinsey goes even further. Their research on immersive, nature-based leadership programs shows that:

・Being in nature improves creativity

・Restores attention

・Reduces cognitive fatigue

・Increases strategic focus

In other words:

That “I finally know what to do next” moment you get on a mountain trail?

It’s not luck.

It’s neuroscience.

McKinsey’s takeaway is blunt and refreshing:

Get leaders out of the office and into wild, quiet places — and their performance improves.

Which is exactly why I bring executives here to Minakami.

Not because it’s beautiful (though it is).

But because the mountains make honest leadership possible.

In a lush green forest, a person wearing a blue jacket walks quietly along the riverbank. The water reflects the vivid colors of the trees, creating a calm, peaceful atmosphere.

What Actually Happens in Four Days (That No Zoom Meeting Can Replicate)

Here’s what leaders consistently tell me they gain:

Space for real vision
Not the “editable vision deck” kind.
The kind rooted in values, truth, and lived experience.
Decision clarity
Once the noise drops away, what matters becomes obvious.
A reset of leadership presence
You can’t fake presence around a fire at night.
It calibrates something every leader needs but few practice.
The courage to choose differently
When leaders return home, they make bolder moves — not because they feel inspired, but because they’ve remembered they’re capable.