An unexpected hiatus
And what two very different rooms taught me.
I disappeared for a minute. And frankly, I've been away for a lot longer than I meant to be!
If you noticed, and wondered — thank you.
And also, I'm sorry.
And also, I have a handful of excuses.
I'VE BEEN PLACES
In mid-July, I spent ten days volunteering at a church convention in Phoenix.
Ten. Days. Straight.
No weekends, some 14-hour days, and a front-row seat to more church politics and parliamentary activity than I care to stomach.
And then — because it seemed like a good idea at the time — days later I went to my first-ever GenCon in Indianapolis.
It's where 70,000+ game lovers and hobbyists descended upon the city with the spirit and energy of pure, unfiltered fandom.
GenCon was, in almost every conceivable way, the opposite of my experience on the church convention floor.
It was a bit of whiplash, to be sure.
AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION
These were two very different trips, with two very different objectives.
But when reflecting upon these two experiences through the values of Oddball Leadership — as I'm apt to filter everything these days — I arrived at the same two conclusions:
- The values of Oddball Leadership — belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy — will always show up in delightful and unexpected ways.
- There is room in every place, every experience and every sub-culture for more belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy — and Oddball Leaders can be reliable suppliers.
The convention floor, for all its clinical procedure and 20-minute debate limits, had real moments of genuine curiosity and gratitude.
And at GenCon — despite claims of built-in belonging — I experienced some uncomfortable moments where psychological safety was lacking.
SAME LESSON, DIFFERENT ROOMS
So over the next two weeks, I want to walk you through both rooms.
I want to share the beauty of belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy showing up in surprising ways.
And I want to think about how we as Oddball Leaders can bring our values with us to fill in the gaps we encounter — because, as I learned over the last few weeks, there are going to be gaps (some larger than others).
Next week, we'll talk about my time at the church convention — the good, the bad, and the ugly — including moments at the delegate microphone that still have me in my feelings.
After that, GenCon — and having to balance the "these are my people" moments with instances of the ick.
See you next week. I promise I'll be more rested.
