# Oddball Leadership > a leadership philosophy for those who disrupt the c-suite with belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Looking for your next conference speaker? Look no further. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/request-a-speaker/ Last updated: 2026-09-05T15:45:31.000Z [View my (soft, pudgy) body of work](https://www.oddballleadership.com/request-a-speaker/#my-soft-pudgy-body-of-work) I am a career fundraiser with over 14 years of experience in the faith-based and social-service sectors, and I've been leading fund development teams since 2019. (Yes, only six months before COVID was officially a thing.) Because my management experience was almost immediately forged in the fires of a years-long global health crisis, I have learned — A LOT — about myself and the commitment leadership truly requires. Today, I motivate teams by creating spaces of belonging. And I’ve leveraged my inner weirdo to master the art of leading authentically and effectively. I have opinions about leadership, and apparently people keep inviting me to share them out loud. Over the years I've had the opportunity to present, write, and generally make my case — at conferences, in webinars, in print — about what it actually looks like to lead with joy, belonging, curiosity, and gratitude. Some of it has been about fundraising. Some of it has been about culture. All of it has been about people — and that's the point. ## WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK ME I talk about leadership in a way that makes people feel seen — and occasionally makes conference organizers nervous. 😏😏😏 > If you host a podcast, run a publication, or organize programs and conferences for nonprofit professionals who are probably (definitely) tired of the same polished talking points, I'm your person. Things I love yapping about ("professionally," of course) include - Irresistible, joy-filled team cultures — and how to build them - The reality of belonging and psychological safety as ubiquitous needs in the workplace - The importance of distinguishing between leadership/management skills and technical skills - How performative professionalism can go take a long walk off a short pier Send all speaker and writer requests to [bri@oddballleadership.com](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com). ## MY (SOFT, PUDGY) BODY OF WORK Here's some of my work in the wild: ### RECENT FEATURES Author, “[Challenging the Way We've Always Led: Bri Gerzevske on Rethinking Nonprofit Leadership](https://thenonprofithive.com/nonprofit-leadership-bri-gerzevske/?ref=oddballleadership.com)” (The Nonprofit Hive, August 2026) Presenter, “They Are Not the Same: Why Top Fundraisers Shouldn't Be in Charge” ([AFP St. Louis](https://afpstl.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com) Regional Conference, August 2026) Guest, “[Leading Ladies: Curiosity with Oddball Leader Bri](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/362-leading-ladies-curiosity-with-oddball-leader-bri/id1480772652?i=1000787856626&ref=oddballleadership.com)” (*The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge*, September 2026) [#362\. Leading Ladies: Curiosity with Oddball Leader BriPodcast Episode · The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge from KFUO Radio · September 4 · 57m![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/favicon-32-c3a24625-6b67-478f-bc92-2060a5e61d92.png)Apple Podcasts![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/1200x1200bf-60-18807b12-539f-454b-8eaf-191c4f1fa106.jpg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/362-leading-ladies-curiosity-with-oddball-leader-bri/id1480772652?i=1000787856626&ref=oddballleadership.com) ### PRESENTATIONS Presenter, “Leading with Love: How Joy, Belonging, Gratitude, Appreciation, and Curiosity Make Fundraising Magic Happen” ([AFP Global](https://afpglobal.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com) LEAD Conference, October 2025) Presenter, “Enter the Donor Matrix for Strategic and Intentional Connections” ([AFP St. Louis](https://afpstl.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com), April 2025) Presenter, “God's Word: Where Faith and Fundraising Meet” ([ACF](https://acfundraising.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com) Faith & Fundraising Conference, March 2023) Presenter, “Inspiring Their Second Contribution with a New Donor Welcome Kit” (YNPN STL Symposium, March 2022) ### PODCASTS Guest, “[Building Trust and Belonging: Transforming Nonprofit Fundraising Teams with Bri Gerzevske](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-trust-and-belonging-transforming-nonprofit/id1749892784?i=1000685634670&ref=oddballleadership.com)” (*Let's Talk Fundraising*, January 2025) Guest, “[Leading Ladies: Bri Gerzevske, Oddball Leader](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/339-leading-ladies-bri-gerzevske-oddball-leader/id1480772652?i=1000757753752&ref=oddballleadership.com)” (*The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge*, March 2026) ### INTERVIEWS “[Can I Ask You Something? Vol. 8](https://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com/caniaskyousomething/bri-gerzevske?ref=oddballleadership.com)” (Harlow Nonprofit Consulting, June 2026) ### ARTICLES Author, “[Care, NOT Cake: Nonprofit Leadership’s Hardest Lesson](https://thenonprofithive.com/nonprofit-leader-psychological-safety-team-care/?ref=oddballleadership.com)” (The Nonprofit Hive, June 2025) Contributor, “[Top 12 Nonprofit Fundraising Tips for the Summer](https://www.mikeespositocfre.com/nonprofit-resources/top-12-nonprofit-fundraising-tips-for-the-summer?ref=oddballleadership.com)” (Mike Esposito Fundraising Newsletter, June 2025) ### WEBINARS Panelist, “[Reframing the Nonprofit Narrative: Telling the Real Story of Impact](https://thenonprofithive.com/reframing-the-nonprofit-narrative/?ref=oddballleadership.com)” (The Nonprofit Hive, January 2026) Panelist, “Mission Accepted: Conveying Your Nonprofit's Mission to New Supporters” (NXUnite Webinar, June 2023) Panelist, “A Tight-Knit Community: Best Practices for Faith-Based Organizations” (NXUnite Webinar, May 2023) Panelist, “New Year, New Donors: Finding, Engaging, and Retaining New Donors” (NXUnite Webinar, January 2023) ### Let's Talk! URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/contact/ Last updated: 2026-09-10T02:07:04.000Z Nonprofit leadership is a strange craft. One minute you’re celebrating a big win. The next minute you’re mediating a disagreement, chasing a funding gap, or wondering how humans became so complicated. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/SoComplicatedGIF.gif) > If you’re leading a team, building a fundraising culture, or just trying to figure out a more intentional way to do this job — let’s talk. Reach out to ask a question, issue a challenge, or [invite me to present at your next professional development event](https://www.oddballleadership.com/request-a-speaker/) (9 out of 10 dentists say I am a friggen delight). Or contact me simply because you feel like it — no agenda required. (Just don’t call me. I am a millennial with crippling phone anxiety.) **Email:** [bri@oddballleadership.com](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com) **WhatsApp:** [6187951541](https://wa.me/16187951541?text=Hi%20Bri!%20Let%27s%20talk%20Oddball%20Leadership.&ref=oddballleadership.com) **LinkedIn:** [https://linkedin.com/in/bgerzevske](https://linkedin.com/in/bgerzevske?ref=oddballleadership.com) Join the [Oddball Leadership community on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/oddball-leadership/?ref=oddballleadership.com) or follow my personal writings on [musings of an everywoman](https://grrrzevske.net/?ref=oddballleadership.com). ### ✨ Welcome to Oddball Leadership Laboratories, Inc. ✨ URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-labs/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T17:25:10.000Z In my experience, most leadership advice exists in theory — without nuance, context, or lived experience behind it. > So I have created an exclusive space for those of you who are ready to apply the principles of Oddball Leadership in your unique work environment. It's an online community hosted on Discord called Oddball Leadership Labs, Inc.\* In the Oddball Labs, you'll have access to - **The Study Hall**, a video/voice channel that makes space for co-working, consulting and upholding accountability. - **The Forum**, a message-board style channel to share leadership resources, ask for and give advice on real, lived-experience challenges in leadership. - More structured professional development activities and resources. - Oddball Leadership content you won't get anywhere else, including **audio drops** from yours truly. - There's more — not right now, but I am cooking up something huge and special and beautiful. If you're ready to stop *reading about leadership* and *start practicing it in a way that actually feels like you*, grab your test tubes and lab coats. The Lab is here for you. *(\* not an actual corporation* 😆😆😆*)* ### The Core Tenets of Oddball Leadership URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/values/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T19:36:46.000Z Oddball Leadership is not a proprietary system I developed after years and years of research and study. And it's not something you'll read about in a textbook for your MBA program. Oddball Leadership was born from the fact that anyone can be an amazing leader whom people revere — even when you realize, in the middle of your work day, that you're wearing two different shoes. ***(me)*** Or your blouse is on backwards. ***(me again)*** Or you accidentally pee on yourself before lunch. ***(also me)*** Or you accidentally burp in a meeting. ***(yes, me)*** Or you mix up your words and instead of saying "service packs" in a Blackbaud CRM meeting you say "cervix." ***(also me, again)*** > To be clear, I am not an Oddball Leader because of those things. I am an Oddball Leader **despite** them. I am an Oddball Leader because I lead with four principles and a whole lot of intention. ### BELONGING AS THE FOUNDATION People do their best work when they feel safe enough to actually show up — ask hard questions, admit their mistakes, offer their weird ideas, and challenge assumptions in good faith. [Belonging](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/belonging/) isn't a platitude on a welcome mat. It's the foundation of trust, and it's the leader's job to reinforce it. [Seen. Heard. Valued.Oddball Leaders build a culture of belonging![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-31.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1543599538-a6c4f6cc5c05-6)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/seen-heard-valued/) ### GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION AS THE RESPONSE Your success as a leader is only as good as the team you are charged to lead. Gratitude means showing up for your people in ways that are actually meaningful to them — not just celebrating wins, but recognizing the work it took to get there. [Gratitude](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/gratitude/) isn't about pizza parties and crystal clocks. It's about genuinely caring for everyone you lead. [On pizza parties and crystal clocksGratitude is meaningless without the actions to back it up.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-36.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1758518732175-5d608ba3abdf)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-pizza-parties-and-crystal-clocks/) ### CURIOSITY AS THE EQUALIZER Ask more questions than you answer. Be genuinely interested in the people on your team, the problems in front of you, and the assumptions you've been carrying around unchecked. [Curiosity](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/curiosity/) is how leaders keep growing, how problems get solved, and how dialogue stays honest. [Call me GeorgeGreat Leaders are curious.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-34.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1587920149371-ac728dd20da4-1)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/call-me-george/) ### JOY AS THE MOTIVATOR Work is hard. It's also supposed to have moments of delight in it. Make time to play. Laugh at yourself. Don't take everything so seriously. [Joy](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/joy/) isn't a distraction from the work — it's what makes the work sustainable. [Scattering a Hundred GriefsGreat Leaders choose joy.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-35.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1540542608259-5be832201790-3)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/) [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/Copy-of-Copy-of-Untitled-Design.png)](#/portal/signup/free) This is the overview. Get the good stuff delivered to your inbox and access to all posts with a free membership. [Subscribe Today ](#/portal/signup/free) ### All Posts URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/archive/ Last updated: 2026-04-13T15:44:30.000Z _No content available._ ### Your Free Subscription is Waiting! URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/subscribe/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:02:51.000Z *In case you're one of those people who hates reading someone's life story before getting to a recipe on their blog post,* [*you can subscribe to Oddball Leadership here*](https://www.oddballleadership.com/#/portal/signup)*. It's free, hilarious leadership content for people who march to the beat of their own drum, served up once a week.* ## WHO ODDBALL LEADERSHIP™ IS FOR You've probably been told — directly or indirectly — that the way you lead doesn't quite fit the mold. Maybe you're too warm, too unconventional, too focused on people when everyone else is focused on metrics. Maybe you just always feel like you're doing leadership slightly sideways. > Good. You're in the right place. Most leadership content is written for people who already have it figured out — the ones who confidently stride into rooms, say the right thing at the right moment, and somehow always know where to sit. This newsletter is not for them. ❌❌❌ #sorrynotsorry ## WHAT LANDS IN YOUR INBOX Weekly essays on leadership culture, psychological safety, and what it means to build teams where people actually want to show up. The stories are real, the framework is honest, and you'll probably see yourself somewhere in it. Free membership gets you full access — but if you truly want some hot goss, it's $5 a month. (Honestly, it's a CYA move; I need to keep my big girl job. 🙈) > And if you want to go deeper, there's more coming: a community for people who feel genuinely seen by what Oddball Leadership stands for. Subscribers get first access. So what are you waiting for? Christmas? The Blue Fairy? Subscribe today and get seen. [Subscribe to Oddball Leadership](#/portal/signup) ## Posts ### The hidden harm of an open-door policy URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-hidden-harm-of-an-open-door-policy/ Last updated: 2026-09-16T13:03:21.000Z "My door is always open." Ah, the open-door policy — an evergreen platitude that managers use to seem cool and friendly and approachable. They trot it out to level the playing field, to say, "I'm a man of the people! You can tell me everything!" I mean, I get it. Part of [being an Oddball Leader](https://www.oddballleadership.com/values/) means being available, regularly checking in with staff members, and helping them feel best-equipped to do their jobs. "My door is always open" is commonly offered in good faith and with good intentions. > Well-intentioned though it may be, the open-door policy can actually do more harm than good in the health of a team culture. ## A TRAP GOOD LEADERS FALL INTO The "open-door policy," when all is said and done, is a trap. It's an absence of boundaries and realistic expectations disguised as progress. > (It's also the one deliverable you can complete by not doing anything.) There's no calendar to update. No new skills to commit to, no follow-up. It's declared in an all-staff meeting, everyone nods, and moves on. The proverbial door then just...hangs open. This is where the open-door policy model falls apart: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!" URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/think-of-the-children/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T13:03:26.000Z I was meeting with a friend over coffee a few weeks ago. She is a career fundraiser, like me, though our work styles couldn't be any more different. She's a very head-down, get-the-job-done, go-home kind of person. I respect it! Some office cultures look at someone like her and see her as unapproachable. Uncooperative. Unwilling to collaborate — though that couldn't be further from the truth in her case. Unfortunately, my friend is no stranger to this experience. (This is what happens when [belonging](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/belonging/) isn't embraced — people are ostracized, "othered," when they work in a manner that is countercultural, though it's the most effective approach for them.) [Tenet Round-up: The Belonging Issue 📰A round-up of content about the most important value of Oddball Leadership.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-9e257611-b4d9-4187-bc40-c6d6e2ce37c7.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1582213782179-e0d53f98f2ca-0ff865d8-efaf-4d9f-bd55-64e003d1ec64)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-belonging-issue/) During our time together, she said something that made me pause — that her work is a reflection of her loyalty to the organization, not some workplace clique. > I wondered aloud, *Should you *be loyal* to the organization you work for*? ## THE EXHAUSTION OF EXTRACTION As it is, I am wary of pledging allegiance to an institution — even if it's the thing that pays your bills, or, in the instance of nonprofit work, a mission you care about. Especially since [there is plenty of evidence to suggest that nonprofits can be extractive](https://nonprofitquarterly.org/the-burnout-economy-inside-the-nonprofit-sectors-structural-crisis/?ref=oddballleadership.com) of their employees' time and energy. They hijack moral authority to farm loyalty. Need more proof? Think of what we talk about in the sector. All. The. Time: - Worker burn-out - High turnover - The expectation of unpaid and underpaid labor - Emotional labor of self-sacrifice and martyrdom - The [passion tax/subsidy](https://museumsmovingforward.com/publications/mmf-publications-the-power-shifting-potential-of-collectivism-in-us-art-museums/chapters/the-passion-subsidy?ref=oddballleadership.com) > In other words, we're taught to believe that if we're not going above and beyond, we're never going to achieve our mission. Children will starve, animals will die, and all hope is lost. > And nonprofits will exploit that. It's a particularly tricky trapdoor in the nonprofit world. After all, most of us in the nonprofit sector have big hearts. Of course, it doesn't help we still exist in that "rise and grind" culture that the LinkedIn finance bros and nepo babies ascribe to — a recipe for disaster, wherever you work. [Stop Worshipping at the Altar of The GrindEveryone’s tired, and no one’s getting saved.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-4cd80c5c-05e2-40bd-8758-bc3979eab222.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1559965368-a6adb91e12fe-bdc1be8f-ba47-4689-8d99-9b684bc179d6)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/stop-worshipping-at-the-altar-of/) ## LOYALTY WILL NOT PROTECT YOU If I've said it once, I've said it 600 times: > Your dedication, your loyalty, your pursuit of professional development, your performance, albeit excellent — none of it can protect your job or your livelihood. And that's all. No questions asked. What you pour into your work will never be reciprocated by your employer — a harsh lesson I learned a year and a half ago. [Do-Over: When Oddball Leadership demands sacrificeLet’s talk about what really happened in February 2025.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-81caf58b-b316-4f36-96b1-b9a5e96dbdaa.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/https-3a-2f-2fsubstack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fdec845a4-9b58-4722-8c6f-e4eddf0a6a36_1080x810-jpeg-b1d4e82d-b73e-409c-89f9-671c31dcc281.jpg)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/do-over-when-oddball-leadership-demands/) ## THE SOLUTION You don't have to pledge allegiance to an institution in order to justify your work style, your heart, or your boundaries. Redirect your loyalty. Don't be loyal to an organization. Don't even be loyal to a cause. > Be loyal to **yourself**. ### Triplash in Indianapolis URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/triplash-in-indianapolis/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T13:03:49.000Z Last week, I wrote about my trip to Phoenix — ten days at a church convention, Robert's Rules of Order, Lutheran C-SPAN. [Lutheran C-SPANTen days on a convention floor, missed opportunities, and belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy in the margins![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-04dd09f4-b9ba-4c92-8900-4a660e94149f.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1632297480951-7093254b8de3-08bd2f2c-dece-43dd-8e97-4802baaace73)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/lutheran-c-span/) We're about to pivot away from that so fast it will hurt your brain (it hurt mine, anyway). Mere days after I returned from Phoenix, I road-tripped with some friends to my first-ever GenCon. If you're not familiar, just picture this: 70,000+ game lovers and hobbyists descend upon downtown Indianapolis — literally taking it over — for four days. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5298.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5295.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5306.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5303.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5319.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_0459.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/image.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5301.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/08/IMG_5307.jpeg) Four days of tabletop gaming, play-testing, dice, D&D, cosplay, and full-send fandom energy. I did cosplay for the first time. I fully immersed myself in the Pokémon TCG, which I didn't see coming (but probably should have). My freak flag was flying at full mast right alongside everyone else's. > It was, in almost every conceivable way, the opposite of the room I'd just left — and I was so ready for it. > (But I should have known better.) ## WHAT I EXPECTED VS. WHAT I GOT _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Lutheran C-SPAN URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/lutheran-c-span/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T13:56:15.000Z Last week I told you I'd been away, and found the values of Oddball Leadership (belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy) in unexpected places. In the middle of July, I went to Phoenix — at least it was a dry heat. I spent ten days, 12-14 hours at a time, volunteering at the 69th Convention for the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. My job there was simple: to help delegates reserve their two minutes at a microphone when they wanted to speak on a resolution. That's it. That was the whole gig. And when I wasn't helping, disassociating, or playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure on my phone at my station, I spent ten days watching Robert's Rules of Order in action, up close, for hours at a time. [Robert’s Rules of Order | The Official Website of Rober’ts Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order is America’s foremost guide to parliamentary procedure. It is used by more professional associations, fraternal organizations, and local governments than any other authority.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/favicon-a37351d2-0eee-409d-98a2-4f0deb863b32.ico)Official Robert's Rules of Order Website![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/screenshot-705a710f-e6e8-4c8d-90cd-fba544e1e606.png)](https://robertsrules.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) If you aren't familiar with Robert's Rules of Order, might I recommend some light reading? 🙈🙈🙈 I eventually began referring to it as Lutheran C-SPAN. Affectionately (mostly). And, boring as it generally was, the experience served as an apt reminder to me that the values of Oddball Leadership are desperately needed in every place, even when the rules don't make space for them. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### An unexpected hiatus URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/an-unexpected-hiatus/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T19:33:04.000Z 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](https://gencon.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com). 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](https://www.oddballleadership.com/values/) — as I'm apt to filter everything these days — I arrived at the same two conclusions: 1. The values of Oddball Leadership — belonging, gratitude, curiosity and joy — will always show up in delightful and unexpected ways. 2. 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. ### (Popsicle) pants ✨optional✨ URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/popsicle-pants-optional/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T14:12:19.000Z I've faced a number of detractors in my career. People who say I am too loud, or disconcertingly unpredictable. I'm unfit to lead because I crack jokes and wear popsicle pants in the office. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/07/image-1.png) TOO BAD FOR THE HATERS THAT I'M RECORDED IN THE ANNALS OF GOOGLE MAPS FOR THE REST OF TIME IN THOSE DANG PANTS. \* *CACKLES LIKE AN EVIL BOG WITCH\** (No, they are not pajama pants. And yes, I wish I could find these again in a smaller size.) And listen. I get it. I am a lot. I've never once in my life been described as "subtle." I know I am not taken seriously in some workspaces. I know there are detractors in my department right now who find it laughable that I am an emerging thought leader on shaping office culture and leading teams. [Professionalism: The Silent Killer of Team CultureProductivity, progress, and success are put on the back-burner when you prioritize decorum, etiquette, and propriety![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-b125cc3a-d36a-4ac5-a6a5-f0d12acb22aa.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1650137959510-d64eef290e86-1a049c5d-e49b-40ec-9eaf-0fc50ef0c4b7)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/professionalism-the-silent-killer/) But here's the thing everyone should realize when they think of leadership, particularly Oddball Leadership: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### A Tale of Three (Bad) Bosses URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/a-tale-of-three-bad-bosses/ Last updated: 2026-07-06T13:03:29.000Z You know what's wild? I learned a lot about leadership by observing how ***not*** to lead. Most of what I've learned, in fact, is from working for people who were bad at managing — three of whom that come to mind as I think about the importance of presence in leadership. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### My Year of No. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/my-year-of-no/ Last updated: 2026-06-29T13:03:11.000Z For most of my career, my calendar was a full itinerary of good — though clearly over-extended — intentions. AFP St. Louis Board of Directors. AFP Global Education Advisory Committee. CFRE Ambassador. Handbell rehearsal followed by choir, every Wednesday night. Panel here. Free gig there. Volunteer everywhere. Say yes. To **everything**. Show up. Repeat. I was busy. And busy, in the world I built for myself, meant I was doing it right. > Something that no one tells you about busy? It will let you down. When [I got let go from Catholic Charities of St. Louis in February 2025](https://www.oddballleadership.com/do-over-when-oddball-leadership-demands/), I looked around at all the things I said "yes" to — the committees, the board service, the credentials, the visibility — none of it cushioned the fall. Not a bit. > The hustle had made me look good. But it had not made me safe. So, I did something that felt, at the time, almost radical: I stopped hustling. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week! The subscription is free and gains you access to all posts on OddballLeadership.com.* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Tenet Round-up: The JOY Issue 📰 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-joy-issue/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T13:03:34.000Z *Oddball Leadership is marked by four core values: belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy. Here's a round-up of past posts based on each value. And — if you're ready to level up your leadership skills — there are some open-ended questions at the end of the post for you to ponder this week!* **ICYMI:* Last week we talked about *curiosity*. Click* [*here*](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-curiosity-issue/) *to catch up!* [Tenet Round-up: The Curiosity Issue 📰A round-up of content about the importance of curiosity in the every day life of an Oddball Leader.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-375e5a32-da16-40ef-b46a-bc29b19d6940.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1589471403909-e1bb34cb2982-c8a2fe52-4c2b-4a0e-aa90-ce3e32bc681f)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-curiosity-issue/) This week is about my all-time favorite characteristic of Oddball Leadership: JOY! Joy is a leadership value that a lot of people are the most skeptical of — because somewhere along the way, joy became a thing that was doled out reactively and proportionately to outputs, not a pre-existing condition for doing the work at all. And that's just wrong. WRONG!!! Let's dig in. 👇🏻 ## THE JOY READING LIST [**Scattering a Hundred Griefs.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/) "One joy scatters a hundred griefs" — ancient wisdom that's wildly applicable to leadership. And choosing joy doesn't mean pretending the hard stuff isn't hard. It means — especially when the going gets rough — sharing the shreds of joy with your team as you find them. [**Playing the Part.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/playing-the-part/) In which I make the case for Legos and coloring books in the workplace. Earth-shattering, I know! This one is about the intentional design of an office environment where playfulness can exist — not as a distraction from effective leadership, but as a cherished feature of it. [**Launch with Joy.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/launch-with-joy/) Written in the wake of the Artemis II mission and the viral phenomenon of "moon joy," this post ponders the question my endeavors have been circling all along: What if we didn't wait for the successful splash-down to feel joy? What if we launched with it? ## A FEW QUESTIONS WORTH SITTING WITH THIS WEEK **When you look at your own leadership approach, is joy something you experience — or something you plan to experience once the dust settles?** **Where do you find your shred of joy at work, and how often do you share it with the people you work with?** **What would it look like to design your work environment — physically, culturally, emotionally — so joy has somewhere to land?** If you have thoughts about these questions, [drop me a line](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com)! I would love to hear from you. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **Posts linked above are available in full to Oddball Leadership subscribers. Free and paid memberships are available at* [**OddballLeadership.com*](https://oddballleadership.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) *— come hang out with us!* 💖 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ### Tenet Round-up: The Curiosity Issue 📰 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-curiosity-issue/ Last updated: 2026-06-15T13:03:28.000Z *Oddball Leadership is marked by four core values: belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy. Here's a round-up of past posts based on each value. And — if you're ready to level up your leadership skills — there are some open-ended questions at the end of the post for you to ponder this week!* **ICYMI:* Last week we talked about *gratitude*. Click* [*here*](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-gratitude-issue/) *to catch up!* [Tenet Round-up: The Gratitude Issue 📰A round-up of content about the importance of expressing gratitude as an Oddball Leader.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-e015e8b4-bfec-4242-af60-3cfb20d5308d.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1638745391572-63fc289bf848-374655b4-3bdc-4441-ba1e-189c2ab665a8)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-gratitude-issue/) **This week's round-up is about curiosity.* The tenet that will save you from saying something you can't take back, and from leading a team that's too afraid to tell you when you're wrong.* *Let's dig in.* 👇🏻 ## THE CURIOSITY READING LIST [**Call me George.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/call-me-george/) Curiosity doesn't come naturally in a culture that rewards shooting from the hip. This is the case for slowing down, asking better questions, and keeping a few good phrases in your back pocket for the moments that matter most. [**Important reflections from a recovering know-it-all.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/important-reflections-of-a-recovering/) What happens when the thing you love most — *knowing stuff* — becomes the thing standing between you and actually leading well? A personal reckoning with the fine line between expertise and ego. [**The Dungeon Master's Guide to Leading People.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-dungeon-masters-guide-to-leading-people/) No script. No guaranteed outcomes. Just a world you built and a table full of people with intentions you can't predict. The best DMs (and leaders) stay curious about what their people will do next — and trust the story they're building together. ## QUESTIONS TO SIT WITH THIS WEEK Before you go back to the grind ([booo!!!](https://www.oddballleadership.com/stop-worshipping-at-the-altar-of/)), ponder these: - **Think about the last time you reacted before you had the full picture. What did you wish you'd asked first? What would curiosity have made possible?** - **When a team member brings you a problem, what's your default mode — *solve it* or *understand it*? Which one does your team actually need more often?** - **Where in your leadership does curiosity feel risky? What is it, specifically, that makes asking questions feel more dangerous than having answers?** If you have thoughts about these questions — or would like to share your answers with me, drop me a line at [bri@oddballleadership.com](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com). I would love to hear from you! > Bringing us home next week? JOY. It's more than hootin' and hollerin'. It's the glue that keeps a healthy team together. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **Posts linked above are available in full to Oddball Leadership subscribers. Free and paid memberships are available at* [**OddballLeadership.com*](https://oddballleadership.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) *— come hang out with us!* 💖 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ### Tenet Round-up: The Gratitude Issue 📰 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-gratitude-issue/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T13:03:00.000Z [*Oddball Leadership*](https://www.oddballleadership.com/values/) *is marked by four core values: belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy. Here's a round-up of past posts based on each value. And — if you're ready to level up your leadership skills — there are some open-ended questions at the end of the post for you to ponder this week!* **ICYMI:* Last week we talked about *belonging*. Click* [*here*](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-belonging-issue/) *to catch up!* [Tenet Round-up: The Belonging Issue 📰A round-up of content about the most important value of Oddball Leadership.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-8dda1dcf-e155-443f-8788-c6ce144789a3.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1582213782179-e0d53f98f2ca-0e462af9-a907-42bd-8c51-ab4d5085f36c)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-belonging-issue/) **This week: Gratitude.* The value that separates the Oddballs from the leaders who outsource appreciation to a trophy company. After all, a team member who feels genuinely appreciated doesn't need — or want! — a commemorative plaque to know they matter.* *Let's dig in.* 👇🏻 ## THE GRATITUDE READING LIST [**On pizza parties and crystal clocks.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-pizza-parties-and-crystal-clocks/) A case for ditching corporate-branded swag in favor of fair compensation, flexibility, and a safe workplace. [**The alarming paradox of leadership in philanthropy.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-alarming-paradox-of-leadership-in-philanthropy/) If we can appreciate, listen to, and empathize with donors, fundraising leaders can (and should) do the same — and more — for the people they lead. [**What Being Stuck in a Van for 16+ Hours with my Team Taught Me.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/road-trip-lessons/) A lesson in how Oddball Leadership shows up in unexpected places — when titles disappear, snacks are passed around, and you have a haiku-writing contest about your favorite gas station chain. (This is a story based on true events. 😂😂😂) ## QUESTIONS TO SIT WITH THIS WEEK Before you go back to the grind ([boooo](https://www.oddballleadership.com/stop-worshipping-at-the-altar-of/)), ponder this: - **Think about the last time you felt genuinely appreciated at work by someone else — not just recognized, but actually *seen*. What made that feeling land? What did the leader or culture do to make that feeling possible?** - **If your team were honest with you right now, would they say your gratitude shows up in your actions — or just in your intentions?** - **Where in your organization does appreciation get "outsourced" — think programs, annual events, or templated emails — instead of practiced in the day-to-day? What would it look like to enhance appreciation strategies like these?** If you have thoughts about these questions, or would like to share your answers with me, drop me a line at [bri@oddballleadership.com](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com). I would love to hear from you! > On deck for next week: Curiosity. It's the key to having difficult discussions, solving complex problems, and creating shared understanding. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **Posts linked above are available in full to Oddball Leadership subscribers. Free and paid memberships are available at* [**OddballLeadership.com*](https://oddballleadership.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) *— come hang out with us!* 💖 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ### Tenet Round-up: The Belonging Issue 📰 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/tenet-round-up-the-belonging-issue/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T23:56:22.000Z [***Oddball Leadership***](https://www.oddballleadership.com/values/) *is marked by four core values: belonging, gratitude, curiosity, and joy. Here's a round-up of past posts based on each value. And — if you're ready to level up your leadership skills — there are some open-ended questions at the end of the post for you to ponder this week!* **First up: Belonging.* The value from where everything else grows. After all, a team that can't exist authentically can't access gratitude, curiosity, or joy. They're too busy bracing for impact.* *Let's dig in. 👇🏻* ## THE BELONGING READING LIST 1. [**Seen. Heard. Valued.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/seen-heard-valued/) What ensuring psychological safety *actually* requires of you as a leader, and why cookie-cutter approaches to team culture consistently fall flat. 2. [**The Leadership Skill We Don't Measure.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-leadership-skill-we-dont-measure/) A practice more challenging than active listening — active *presence* — can only take root in a place that feels psychologically safe. 3. [**Workplace Grace.**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/workplace-grace/) This one gets into the mechanics: how you handle conflict, correction, and the very human mess of working alongside people without blowing up the safety you've worked to build. 4. [**"I'm Sorry."**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/im-sorry/) What a real apology looks and sounds like — and why leaning into your mistakes instead of deflecting them is one of the most belonging-forward things you can do. ## QUESTIONS TO SIT WITH THIS WEEK Before you go back to your daily routine, try one of these on for size: - **When have you felt the most genuine sense of belonging at work — and what did the leader or culture do (or not do) to make that possible?** - **If someone on your team were asked right now whether they feel psychologically safe, what do you think they'd say? What's your evidence?** - **Where in your own leadership — or in the culture around you — do you see belonging treated as a platitude instead of a practice? What can you do to influence more intentional belonging?** If you have any thoughts about these questions, or would like to share your answers, I think it would be awesome to hear from you. Just drop me a line at [bri@oddballleadership.com](mailto:bri@oddballleadership.com). > Next week? Gratitude. And yes, it goes way beyond the pizza party. 🍕 [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **Posts linked above are available in full to Oddball Leadership subscribers. Free and paid memberships are available at* [**OddballLeadership.com*](https://oddballleadership.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) *— come hang out with us!* 💖 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ### Check the Box? Or Change the Culture? URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/check-the-box-or-change-the-culture/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T13:03:50.000Z Well, everyone, we are at the close of another fiscal year — which means the most wonderful time of the corporate year is at hand: Performance review season. Ah, performance review season. > The yearly ritual of awkward one-on-ones, apprising performance that doesn't matter half the time, and judging people against standards that some (probably) old, white executive drummed up as best practice in 1985. Do not get me wrong. I am all about helping my team members grow, learn, and reach their goals. But every time late May/early June rolls around, I find myself cringing just a little at the thought of having to size up everyone who reports to me. ## DOODLING IN THE MARGINS I actually think I wrote off these formal performance review processes pretty early in my career, after I was roundly criticized — a grown-ass woman with a graduate degree — for the practice of doodling on my copy of the agenda at staff meetings. (The last time I had been reprimanded for such a thing was in like the fifth grade, so maybe my heart was still feeling a little tender???) You know [how I feel about "professionalism" and optics in the workplace](https://www.oddballleadership.com/professionalism-the-silent-killer/). Nevertheless, one of the things that was not accounted for during that review? I retain information better when my hands are moving. I was engaged. I was present. I could have recited back everything said in that meeting. The doodle wasn't a distraction — it was how I paid attention! What that performance review moment actually measured was how closely my process matched someone else's expectations of what focus looks like. Not whether I was focused. Or contributing. Or thriving. And that's the problem with annual reviews. - We do them to check a box. - We do them to ensure we hold people accountable once a year. - We do them despite standards that don't matter. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Oddball's Guide to Leading the Chronically Unenthused and/or Offended™️ URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-oddballs-guide-to-leading-the-chronically-unenthused-and-or-offendedtm/ Last updated: 2026-05-18T13:03:07.000Z I've long believed that [effective team leadership is a demanding, difficult calling](https://www.oddballleadership.com/if-you-think-you-deserve-to-lead/) that requires more than most people can or want to commit to. That reality is even more pronounced when you lead like an Oddball — even if your brand of Oddball Leadership doesn't look like mine. Because at the end of the day, the most soft-spoken, modestly-dressed Oddballs are also - [Prioritizing psychological safety over appearances](https://www.oddballleadership.com/professionalism-the-silent-killer/); - [Showing gratitude to their teammates in ways that are actually meaningful](https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-pizza-parties-and-crystal-clocks/)— even when it's "weird," or whatever; - [Leveraging the power of curiosity to blow up the power dynamic](https://www.oddballleadership.com/call-me-george/) during difficult conversations; and - [Creating team cohesion with joy](https://www.oddballleadership.com/launch-with-joy/) because it makes the work survivable. [Spotted in San Diego: Oddball Leaders everywhereI went to AFP ICON looking for practical takeaways and networking opportunities. I found the whole Oddball Leadership movement instead.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-42.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1583133010806-4368fdcb29e0.jpeg)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/spotted-in-san-diego-oddball-leaders-everywhere/) The honest and unfortunate truth about leading like this is that some of the people you lead are going to find the care and thought you put into your leadership approach inconsequential. Still others are going to be annoyed with your leadership style or even [resent you for it](https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-courage-of-being-too-much/). It's a one-two punch with your name on it. Congratulations! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/05/ScreamingScreamingManGIF.gif) I've discovered gifs and have no business using them in my posts, which means I have no choice but to use them in my posts to an annoying degree. You're welcome. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spotted in San Diego: Oddball Leaders everywhere URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/spotted-in-san-diego-oddball-leaders-everywhere/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:11:53.000Z I just came back from four days in San Diego, attending [the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) ICON event](https://afpglobal.org/afp-icon?ref=oddballleadership.com). And boy, is my cup full. Once you hit a certain point in your career, professional conferences like ICON don't have a ton of practical takeaways — especially since session content is really geared toward early- and mid-career professionals. So I went to ICON with no particular agenda. A number of my peers were presenting at the conference, and otherwise I had a surprisingly full roster of sessions I wanted to attend. I was generally open to whatever the conference had in store. What I did not expect was to spend four days bumping into Oddball Leadership around every corner. Not the brand, but the principles. > The movement is already moving, people. Here's what I mean: [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Dungeon Master's Guide to Leading People URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-dungeon-masters-guide-to-leading-people/ Last updated: 2026-04-27T13:03:07.000Z *If you've been reading this newsletter for a minute, you probably saw this one coming.* [I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons](https://www.oddballleadership.com/there-is-strength-in-sweetness/) for a couple years now — and seeing as how roll-based mechanics for making business decisions have made their way onto my team, amongst other things, the evidence that it's my whole personality is pretty clear. [A serious case for inviting whimsySometimes you need to combat the beige, joyless vacuum of a cubicle farm.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1736580511815-b4fb3055f36f?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDYwfHx3aGltc2ljYWx8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc1MDU4NTgyfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/inviting-whimsy/) One thing I haven't talked about here is my favorite role at the table, and what it has quietly taught me about leading people. That role is Dungeon Master — or DM, for those of us who casually say it at parties and watch people slowly back away. ## WELCOME TO THE TABLE Here's what you need to know, if you don't already: D&D is a collaborative storytelling game where a group of players create characters and go on adventures together. At the center of it all is the DM — an additional player at the table who builds the world, lays the groundwork, and works alongside everyone else to help them achieve their goals as they advance a larger mission together. No script. No guaranteed outcomes. Just a world you built and a table full of people with intentions you don't know and actions you can't predict. Shameless plug: If you want to see me in action, check out this episode of the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge podcast. ## CAMP BONKASONK AND THE BEST LAID PLANS Last year I started running my own homebrewed campaign — set at Camp Bonkasonk, an enchanted summer camp. Very [Bug Juice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug%5FJuice?ref=oddballleadership.com) meets [Salute Your Shorts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salute%5FYour%5FShorts?ref=oddballleadership.com) meets Hogwarts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_00000000e5f461f5bc8f8172f1f2b6a6-76e4df60-3e8d-4950-a0cf-4c251d4725ef.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_000000005b7061f98a1b6f3f6a3c304f-1d9d0779-e502-401e-9a81-8d8300b43dea.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_000000006f0461f5a7affa527787a6fc-153e34f3-1a0c-4d40-a7ca-137914241dc7.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_0000000033dc61f9a70755e01a9988f6-cb41ff75-5302-405f-a555-72069b9e5768.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_000000005e0861f6a1852bb8c1dfedd2-94e51fda-440a-4f21-84fb-0f8c0e6ea154.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_000000004dbc61f9a270ac7b83e99469-17741033-f09f-49d8-8e74-db991af2e942-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_000000003aec61f9a3934ba82be10819-ee254512-952e-4ce7-a8d1-e2a07d02f424-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_00000000231c622f9ee9826a9b5e11e0-11c618d5-2a2f-4ce2-8ec2-5046536fa997.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/04/file_00000000532c61f6bdb9fecebaf69d8f-61ae0f68-62ef-4e44-95b7-572d9153dcd3.png) I wasted so much water using AI to generate all these images last year and I don't think I am even sorry. Building Camp Bonkasonk has been, genuinely, one of my greatest joys. I've woven a rich tapestry of NPCs with deeply complex backstories, tomes of lore, relationship webs, and a forest cryptid named Mossy Geoff who is a giant walking butt made out of butts. (Don't ever let your adult players design characters using mad libs.) Last year's campaign was full of carefully placed clues designed to move the story forward. I was ready to wow my players with what I'd toiled endlessly on. And then we started playing. - My players **fixated on details I invented in thirty seconds**. - When there was a jilted goddess on the verge of breaking into existence from the evil Mirror Realm, **the table wanted to row their characters to the middle of the lake and push each other out of canoes**. - When two NPCs were supposed to have a heartfelt moment, one player **wanted to play matchmaker instead** — although in their defense, that pair was very shippable. - My husband (bless his heart) plays a "tragic" runaway teenager — I use quotes because everything is a tragedy when you're a teenager — and tried to **escape into the forest every fifteen minutes. Every. Session.** So I found myself retrofitting their ideas into a story I'd already written. It was exhausting. And I had to ask myself: was it even fun anymore? But then I realized something. > In my obsession with the carefully curated experience, I forgot something important: > > It's not about me. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Launch with Joy URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/launch-with-joy/ Last updated: 2026-04-20T14:49:13.000Z The *Artemis II* mission that wrapped last week had everyone in a chokehold!! If you spent any amount of time on social media or watching the news over the last two weeks, the story couldn't be avoided. And we liked it that way. ## A NOTABLY POIGNANT MOMENT When *Artemis II* astronaut Christina Koch pressed her face to the window of the Orion spacecraft and described a moon that was completely unrecognizable from the one we see on Earth — yes, ***our*** moon — mission control in Houston coined a term for what the crew was experiencing: "moon joy." And I think [moon joy is contagious](https://youtu.be/ZGR71AvdTCw?si=6V4d9x-H9oM6DJlL&ref=oddballleadership.com), because the rest of us caught moon joy, too. It can't be a coincidence that so many people — people who don't typically track NASA missions, people who aren't space nerds, people who had a thousand other things to do (all me) — found themselves absolutely riveted by *Artemis II*. We watched the livestreams. We shared the photos and made memes. We teared up a little at four humans floating around outer space in a tin can. We held our breath when the craft made splash-down, and we weren't going to breathe again until those astronauts were on *terra firma*. > We couldn't get enough. We were enthralled. > > We were starved for it. > > Not for space, specifically. > > But **for a joy that doesn't need to be earned first**. ## LAUNCHING WITH JOY At a press event after the Orion returned to Earth, another *Artemis II* astronaut Jeremy Hansen said something that I haven't quite been able to shake. When asked if being in space had changed his perspective, he said it hadn't. He acknowledged that the purpose of humanity's existence on earth is finding joy and uplifting others — and that this mission only affirmed that. Seeing the moon up close and personal didn't tell Hansen anything he didn't already know. The mission didn't teach him this lesson. He went into space already armed with that purpose. He *launched* with joy. [Scattering a Hundred GriefsGreat Leaders choose joy.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1540542608259-5be832201790?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyNHx8am95fGVufDB8fHx8MTczOTM4OTYxMHww&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=1080)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/) ## ARE WE JUST WAITING FOR WATERSHED MOMENTS? I've been thinking about how rarely we do as Hansen says at work. In my experience, joy is a permission slip signed by leaders after a performance review. Joy is earned. Your team hits the quarterly goal? Congratulations, you can have some joy. You earned it. Your team tanks this quarter? Joy goes back in the cabinet until further notice. > We ration joy like it's a finite resource, doled out in proportion to how well things are going. But circumstances are unreliable narrators, and a leader who waits for the watershed moment of outcomes isn't doing leadership. They're just being reactionary. > But what if, instead of being **reactive** with joy, we were **proactive**? > > What if we launched with joy instead of waiting for the successful splash-down? [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### On pizza parties and crystal clocks URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-pizza-parties-and-crystal-clocks/ Last updated: 2026-04-13T13:03:35.000Z Every year, on the first Friday of March, companies across America remember that their employees exist. **Employee Appreciation Day** arrives, even though nobody asked for it — complete with a catered lunch that has no gluten-free options, a mass email from an executive who could pick maybe three staff members out of a lineup, and company-branded merch that invariably will wind up in the donation bin at Goodwill. HR checks the box. Leadership feels good about themselves. And everyone goes home feeling roughly the same as they did the day before, except now there's a tote bag and a coffee mug involved. > Friends, these are not expressions of real gratitude. They're gratitude-shaped activities. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### A serious case for inviting whimsy URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/inviting-whimsy/ Last updated: 2026-04-06T13:03:33.000Z Last year I wrote about my deep and abiding love of Dungeons & Dragons — it was my second entry, only [four days after I was removed from my job at Catholic Charities of St. Louis](https://www.oddballleadership.com/do-over-when-oddball-leadership-demands/). [There is Strength in SweetnessGreat Leaders are sweet.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-25.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/https-3a-2f-2fsubstack-post-media-s3-amazonaws-com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff80753b1-0039-4417-934b-7ed8ca42becd_1421x1421-jpeg.jpg)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/there-is-strength-in-sweetness/) What I didn't realize at the time? In my next role, there would be a number of fellow fans and players on the team that I was hired to lead. And future hires would be compelled to learn and love the game, too. It's become somewhat of a running joke that — when I am interviewing someone for an open position on my team — I *have* to ask them whether or not they love Dungeons & Dragons to determine their fitness for the job! Eventually during a weekly team meeting, as D&D super fans, we're going to build character sheets to help us better understand one another and make very important business decisions (😆😆😆). But we've started small. For now, we roll Meetings checks. Our entire department meets bi-weekly in a big, fancy board room. With fancy, leather-look ergonomic chairs, a fancy (though usually malfunctioning) A/V system, fancy room lighting and climate controls, and fancy stadium seating. Fancy. Professional. Polished. (Boring.) Until someone on my team walks in with a 20-sided die (a D20) and proceeds to perform a Meetings check. We roll before the meeting begins, and whatever number comes up will indicate — ceremonially, at least — how good, long, or interesting the meeting will be. Roll a one? Buckle up. It's going to be a long, boring, stupid meeting. Roll a 20? That's an automatic critical hit, for the uninitiated — and it's gonna be a good meeting!! There are other roll-based mechanics I’ve dreamt up. I have considered implementing a Leave Early check. If anyone on the team rolls a Natural 20 when prompted, they get to go home early. (I haven't made good on that one yet, but I am also not opposed to it.) Do we look like a group of infantile dorks with a silly shared ritual like rolling Meetings checks? Will Leave Early checks get extreme side-eye from other key decision makers if I allow them? Yes, to both — and perhaps that’s kind of the point. Either way, I’ve learned over the years that whimsy is a powerful (largely underutilized) leadership tool. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Stop calling it leadership when it's self-abandonment. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/leadership-is-not-self-abandonment/ Last updated: 2026-04-01T19:14:27.000Z I've been thinking about how easily we take innovative, effective corporate concepts, exaggerate them to the nth degree, and inevitably realize this is why we can't have nice things. Take servant leadership. Somewhere along the way, a useful concept got dragged through the corporate swamp and turned into a moldy little lie: > The best leaders are the most available, most accommodating, most self-sacrificing, and most willing to absorb nonsense with a smile. So those leaders who answer emails at 9:47 p.m. “to set an example?" The ones who say yes to every meeting, every favor, every fake emergency? The ones with an open-door policy where every “quick question” can become a 40-minute emotional hostage situation, and that's somehow reasonable??? > These people are not Oddball Leaders — they are just people who are allowing self-erasure. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) Let me say this plainly about leading without boundaries: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### In the Wild #1 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/in-the-wild-1/ Last updated: 2026-03-27T19:35:45.000Z I recently returned to my roots on the [Lutheran Ladies' Lounge podcast](https://www.kfuo.org/2026/03/27/lutheran-ladies-lounge-episode-339-leading-ladies-bri-gerzevske-oddball-leader/?ref=oddballleadership.com), where I was invited to talk about Oddball Leadership — not only the principles, but the process that went into building this thing! I am incredibly thankful to Sarah, Erin, and Rachel for giving me the opportunity to introduce these concepts to a new audience. Take a listen now! 💖💖💖 ### What Being Stuck in a Van for 16+ Hours with my Team Taught Me URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/road-trip-lessons/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:12:07.000Z I recently got back from a road trip with my team: Eight hours to Omaha. Another 90 minutes to a farm in rural Iowa. Eight hours home. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Media-1-1.jpg) I ate a burger on a glazed donut at this place. It was obscene. Even if you [love](https://www.oddballleadership.com/tag/empathy/) your team with all your might, that much time in forced proximity with co-workers will humble anybody. But that's totally fine — because this kind of experience becomes a level-setter in the most human way. Here’s what I’ve observed: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The alarming paradox of leadership in philanthropy URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-alarming-paradox-of-leadership-in-philanthropy/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:23:21.000Z If you've been in fundraising — or a role that is fundraising-adjacent — for any amount of time, you probably know the etymological foundation of the word ***philanthropy***. Acts of love and care for fellow humans. Giving to the needy. Helping those who can't help themselves!!!!! *(I hope you read those descriptors with increasing levels of sarcasm — and if you're not, please go back and do so. Remember that I can be a very unserious person.)* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/image-1.png) I mean...just look at how the Oxford Dictionary even defines "philanthropy." In more recent years, the term has amassed scrutiny given its association primarily with wealthy, powerful, (usually) white people. And does anyone else fondly remember when [Vu Le](https://www.nonprofitaf.com/?ref=oddballleadership.com) unleashed chaos upon the world three years ago, and thereby broke Nonprofit LinkedIn™️ [when he referred to philanthropy as often becoming "a hobby for the rich" on a webinar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u%5F0FpOEGDaw&ref=oddballleadership.com)? Fun times, people. **FUN** times. This is not about that — but feel free to take a trip down memory lane once you're done reading this post. > No, what alarms me — especially through the lens of Oddball Leadership — is the lack of love, care, and support fundraising leaders possess for the people around them at their 9-to-5. Let’s take a look at why. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### On 40. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-40/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:38:02.000Z I remember when my dad turned 40. I was in junior high school. My mom threw him this bananas-bonkers surprise party at a restaurant with friends and family. There was karaoke. I think I was at a sleepover at Michelle R.'s house that night so I wasn't at the party. I just knew it was a big deal. He was ***40***. "Over The Hill." He came home with cheeky, funeral-themed birthday cards. He was old. ***OLD!*** Practically seconds from death, if you didn't know any better. And that sentiment seems reasonable — until you turn 40. Because, as an Oddball Leader, I’m realizing that reaching 40 is pretty dang great: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Leadership skill we don't measure URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-leadership-skill-we-dont-measure/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:35:05.000Z This month, I began working with a career coach. As a part of my coaching, I recently completed the [CliftonStrengths assessment](https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx?ref=oddballleadership.com), and one of my top themes is **Includer**. I've taken the assessment multiple times, and Includer is always in my Top 5. > **“Stretch the circle wider.”** This is your philosophy. As an instinctively accepting person, you hate the idea of someone being ignored or on the outside looking in. You want to include people and make them feel like they are part of the group. While some are drawn to exclusive clubs or cliques, you avoid groups that prohibit some people from joining. You welcome what people have to say without judgment regardless of their status, race, sex, nationality or faith. **Your kindness and inclusive nature are rooted in the belief that people should respect differences and that fundamentally, we all have value and deserve to be included.** I mean, it checks out! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 [Seen. Heard. Valued.Oddball Leaders build a culture of belonging![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/icon/-White-BG--Oddball-Leadership-Monogram-4-color-1-5.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1543599538-a6c4f6cc5c05)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/seen-heard-valued/) [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) I’ve always been someone who *notices*. - I notice who hasn't spoken yet in the discussion. Or who has dominated it. - I wonder if one's silence is comfort or discomfort. - I track the person or people lingering on the edge of the conversation. AND TBH THAT'S ON [MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle%5Fchild%5Fsyndrome?ref=oddballleadership.com)™️. Kidding aside, inclusion feels natural to me. And not as a means of strategy, either. It just *is*. So when I reflect on leadership culture, I get the sense that even the more "progressive" concepts (/cough/ active listening /cough/) truly are not enough to be an effective, human-centered leader. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Do-Over: When Oddball Leadership demands sacrifice URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/do-over-when-oddball-leadership-demands/ Last updated: 2026-09-28T20:24:32.000Z \[EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m p sure this post is cursed bc 1.) it’s been published more than once before I scheduled it, 2.) it went out via email today without a paywall, and 3.) the original post is nowhere to be found on my website. I think either the universe is against me or the Vatican has gotten involved. 😝😝😝—b.\] ## SIMON SINEK MADE ME FEEL LIKE A FRAUD FOR A SECOND — THANKS, MAN. If you’ve read the “essentials” for emerging leaders — *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People*, *Good to Great*, *True North*, *How to Win Friends & Influence People* — then of course you know Simon Sinek. You know, the *Start with Why* guy. You have to know him, you must!! Anyway, I just found out he also wrote *Leaders Eat Last*. I’m embarrassed to admit that until recently, I thought that title was just a clever metaphor I could use to roast my bosses at work whenever they led the buffet line at the work picnic — “Way to eat last, boss!” But then I finally Googled it. And realized: ***SIMON SINEK BASICALLY CODIFIED ODDBALL LEADERSHIP IN 2014!!!!!*** For about five seconds, I felt like a fraud. Then I laughed — because if anything, I feel *vindicated*. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ## THE MESSY COST OF ODDBALL LEADERSHIP What I appreciate most about Sinek is that he doesn’t romanticize leadership. He calls it what it is: **a role that demands sacrifice**. And he’s right. > Because sometimes, being the best Oddball Leader you can be means making the ultimate (career) sacrifice — and doing it without regret. I mean, let’s be fricking for real a moment: Leading like an Oddball takes guts. It’s ***not*** always LEGOs and clay snakes and affirmation circles. [Playing the partOne of the most amusing comments someone has made about my “office aesthetic” was made late last year.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/02/90ec02ea-ed95-4a3a-bc81-b613918501eb_1280x1280.png)Oddball LeadershipBri Gerzevske![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1620309668391-26ac1c90f61b?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw1fHxsZWdvc3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3NDAzNDE4NTN8MA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=1080)](https://www.oddballleadership.com/playing-the-part/) Oddball Leadership requires **empathy in an ego-driven world**. [**Curiosity**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/call-me-george/) in a culture addicted to certainty. [**Softness**](https://www.oddballleadership.com/there-is-strength-in-sweetness/) in a system that only rewards sharp edges. It’s the kind of leadership that gets misunderstood. Because **it threatens the overcompensating**. It **unsettles the self-important**. It **scares the ones who confuse control for competence**. **It’s the kind of leadership that gets you *fired*** — which is precisely what happened to me about this time a year ago. ## LET ME TELL YOU WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR It was early 2025\. I’d been running the fundraising shop at St. Patrick Center — part of Catholic Charities of St. Louis — for about 18 months. [We had just come out of a record-breaking, year-end fundraising season, even though the deck was especially stacked against us](https://www.oddballleadership.com/playing-the-part/), and we were switching gears to focus our energies on planning the annual gala and golf tournament, and selling tax credits (a popular way for some donors to make charitable gifts in Missouri) before their April and June sell-by dates. Until I sent an email that would unexpectedly change everything. Here’s the abridged version of How It All Went Down™️: I’d been pushing for about a year to restructure my team so we could sell tax credits to donors more quickly and efficiently. The plan included promoting a teammate — a hardworking volunteer coordinator — to a manager role, with a salary increase to match the responsibility. But the ROI would be impeccable! After months of back-and-forth, I finally got the green light. Except for one detail: **No raise. Not a *cent*.** The Chief of Staff had approved the promotion but explicitly denied any pay adjustment. Of course, that didn’t sit right with me — and it shouldn’t have. I wasn’t about to promote someone without fair compensation. In fact, during a prior discussion with my boss — the VP of Philanthropy at Catholic Charities — **I had even offered to *personally* take a pay cut to help make this promotion happen**. So I emailed my boss — respectfully, confidentially (or so I thought) — to say I couldn’t in good conscience move forward with an inequitable promotion. I expressed my disappointment, and concern of preferential treatment over the agency’s procedural inconsistencies in regard to promoting staff. Ultimately, I suggested we revisit the elevated position next fiscal year, while confirming I could not guarantee we would sell off the year’s tax credits given our current structure (though it wouldn’t be for lack of trying). Two days later, I was sitting in an executive boardroom being told, according to the email I’d sent earlier in the week, I “clearly wasn’t happy.” No other explanation. No severance. No chance to re-align and find common ground. Just a final decision, delivered swiftly and sloppily — and my team would not find out about that decision until hours later. So that’s how my career with Catholic Charities of St. Louis ended — not with a conversation, but with a cold goodbye. ## WHAT I THINK (PROBABLY) HAPPENED Look, Oddball Leaders aren’t for everyone. **We ask questions we’re not *supposed* to ask.** **We advocate for fairness even when it’s *inconvenient*.** **We take the servant part of “servant leadership” *literally*.** And some people in power simply don’t love that. I’ll never know exactly what happened behind closed doors that led to my termination. Maybe my boss broke my confidence and passed my email around. Maybe the Chief of Staff took it personally. Maybe it was just my turn to be the most expendable reminder of a moral inconsistency. But here’s what I do know: > When empathy challenges hierarchy, hierarchy bites back.And when it does, the bite hurts — but it also tells you you’re onto something true. ## WHY IT MATTERS Yes, I still grieve it. I still get angry sometimes. I still pray for a new heart and an upright spirit. But I have zero regrets. If I knew standing up for my teammate would get me fired, I’d still go down swinging. Because that’s what Oddball Leaders do. > We lead with curiosity in a world that demands certainty.We lead with joy when work feels joyless.We lead with love and humility in the face of ego and power. > > And sometimes, we pay for it with our titles, our jobs, and our comfort zones. It’s hard! It’s not for everyone. And it’s not always safe. But we don’t lead for safety. **We lead for something *better*.** **And sometimes the bravest, oddest, most sacred thing an Oddball Leader can do is get fired for doing what’s right.** ## A CALL TO THE ODDBALLS If you’ve ever been punished for being too kind, too transparent, too human — this one’s for you: Keep leading with love. Keep asking the uncomfortable questions. Keep choosing integrity over approval. > Because the world doesn’t need more compliant leaders.It needs more *Oddballs*. [Thank you for supporting my work! 💖](#/portal/support) ### If you think you "deserve" to lead, then you probably don't. 😬 URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/if-you-think-you-deserve-to-lead/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:39:10.000Z 😬😬😬 _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Workplace grace URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/workplace-grace/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:40:28.000Z “**Does it ever get easier to have difficult conversations with your staff?**” One of my teammates lobbed this question at me recently. We’d just finished talking about *trusting the process* — how we handle conflict, miscommunication, and general human messiness at work. And for some reason, the question hit me sideways. Maybe because, yes. Those conversations **have** gotten easier for me over the years. And I’m just now admitting it to myself. (Sometimes I still feel like a kid cosplaying as a boss, so any moment of clarity is gratefully received. 😆😆😆) > But here’s what I’ve learned: the only way difficult conversations become even remotely manageable is if you anchor them in *dignity*. Yours. Theirs. Everyone’s. Everything else is just logistics. Here’s what “workplace grace” looks like: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Professionalism: The Silent Killer of Team Culture URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/professionalism-the-silent-killer/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:11:34.000Z ## 👋🏻 HI, I’M BRI, AND I’M A MAXIMALIST. 👋🏻 Shocking, I know. And if this does shock you, we need to hang out more. ✨🌈 Maximalism is in my DNA, y’all. She’s coursing through my veins (there’s probably more glitter than plasma in there). **My closet?** A riot of prints, colors, and sequins. **My apartment?** Imagine a team of five-year-olds were given full creative control. Woe is my husband. **My office?** Same energy — tchotchkes! Doodads! Neon explosions galore! And here’s the kicker: > I’ve broken almost every unwritten rule of “professionalism” and still been a high-performer and a kick-ass leader. Which is why, with all the love in my heart, I roll my eyes (so hard they nearly leave orbit) when I see yet another LinkedIn think-piece about workplace manners, or overhear a coworker tattling to HR about a dress code “incident,” or someone clutching their pearls over emojis in emails. Friends, we are regulating ourselves into oblivion. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ## MOST WORKPLACE RULES AREN’T THE PROBLEM Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a (complete) rebel. I’ve read a lot of employee handbooks, and most rules are fine. Reasonable, even. Mostly. 😈 (Though dress codes? Yikes. Don’t get me started. That rant deserves its own post, and one day I will unleash it like Godzilla in sequins and a rainbow wig.) The real problem? The ***unofficial*** rules — the ones enforced not by policy, but by personal preference masquerading as propriety. You know the ones: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Stop Worshipping at the Altar of The Grind URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/stop-worshipping-at-the-altar-of/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:42:28.000Z I used to be one of those people who — even from a beach chair, in the hot summer sun, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean — *never* took a vacation. Even though my “out of office” auto-responder and voicemail message were toggled on, I was still very much in the office — my time, my energy, my brain power. Checking emails. Responding to Teams messages. Returning donor phone calls. Wringing my hands over deadlines. Lamenting conflict between team members and furiously ruminating over a solution. Strategizing. (Ulcerating.) (Burning out.) (Ignoring the here and now.) > **I need not tell you how all kinds of wrong that posturing is in the workplace.** [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) When Oddball Leaders center values like [joy](https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/) and playfulness, they must be able to mindfully and intentionally hang it up. Unplug. **Escape to the forest and live with a kindly, old bog witch for a few months!!!** But that wasn’t me for a long time in my career — and I’m pretty sure I came by it honestly: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### A 2025 Year in R—SYKE!!!!! URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/a-2025-year-in-rsyke/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:27:28.000Z Dear Oddballers, 2025 was generally fricking terrible. I don’t need to rehash it. You don’t need an #OddballWrapped any more than I needed Canva to tell me I was in their **Top 1% of Magic Eraser users in 2025**. (Which, in their defense, does track.) So let’s not review 2025, ok? Instead, let’s preview 2026. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Oddball Leadership Update URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-leadership-update/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:26:53.000Z I’ll be all up in your inboxes again on January 5 at 8:03 a.m. :) [Subscribe to Oddball Leadership](#/portal/signup) ### Dream big; do constructive delusion URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/dreaming-big-as-virtue/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:44:26.000Z In a job gone by, I had a boss who was very rigid. Like really, really, ***very*** rigid. We chased after mediocrity and maintained the status quo like our jobs depended on it — though, in retrospect, these were the very actions that stifled our success. Saying “no” was like a badge of honor. We rested in the false sense of comfort that comes with sticking to the “tried and true.” And, honestly? It sucked. Progress eluded us. Nah, jk it was worse — and we learned this the hard way — ***regress found us***. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Courage of Being an Oddball URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/the-courage-of-being-too-much/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:10:38.000Z I sometimes wonder if I was just **built** for [Oddball Leadership](https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-leadership/). Like, naturally. I’ve always been frigg’n weird. It’s part of my mass appeal (don’t lie to yourself — I am a ✨delight✨), and it has also attracted a few bullies and detractors. But hey, that’s show business, baby. Marching to the beat of my own off-tempo drum for nearly 40 years has forged me into the unapologetically authentic leader I am today. And the weirdness pays off, people. [My team shows up as their full, glorious selves.](https://www.oddballleadership.com/seen-heard-valued/) [We express our emotions without shame.](https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-the-sleeve/) [We meet hardship with humor.](https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/) We treat one another with sweetness and grace — because that’s how Oddball Leaders roll. **But here’s the thing:** sometimes the oddness **is** a bit much for others in your workplace — and unfortunately, from a swath of personal experiences, I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of leadership resonates with you, I write about Oddball Leadership like this every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ## THE STING OF UNRECIPROCATED REGARD Experience has taught me that I am not everyone’s cup of tea — whether it’s on the playground or in the cubicle farm. I’ve accepted this reality: the price of leading with authenticity is sometimes being the target of someone’s unearned disdain. So what do you do when the pettiness of grown-ass adults — their insecurity sparked by your mere existence — derails progress and poisons the air? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Do You See What I See? URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/do-you-see-what-i-see/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:24:44.000Z I am a Christmas Schmuck™️. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### A Little Thanksgiving Love from Your Resident Oddball 🦃✨ URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/a-little-thanksgiving-love-from-your/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:23:56.000Z Hi friends — Thanksgiving can be a wonderfully weird day — a little tender, a little tangled, a little complicated. But one thing is certain: **my gratitude for you is *immense*.** Whether you read along, share posts, quietly lurk, or cheer on the Oddball Leadership experiment from the sidelines, your support means the world. Thank you for showing up with curiosity, humor, and heart. Thank you for letting me explore these strange, joyful corners of leadership with you. And thank you for being part of a community that celebrates belonging, appreciation, curiosity, and joy — the very core of Oddball Leadership. On this day of reflection, please know: **I’m truly thankful for *you***. With so much love, Bri ### Important reflections from a recovering know-it-all URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/important-reflections-of-a-recovering/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:23:15.000Z I get a rush from knowing things. When I was a student — grade school, grad school, take your pick — I had a real knack for being an *insufferable know-it-all.* Well-intentioned, of course. I wasn’t flexing to make others feel bad; I was flexing to make *myself* feel better. (*Somewhere, a therapist is taking notes on that sentence.* 😆😆😆) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### It's dangerous to go alone. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/its-dangerous-to-go-alone/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:22:39.000Z It’s been a weird, weird year. For the last eight months, I’ve had what most people would call the dream “rebound” after getting unexpectedly terminated — almost immediately snagging a secure job, a brilliant team, a paycheck that lands on time. By all accounts, I should be *coasting.* And yet. Some mornings, I still wake up with that ache — the one that whispers, *What happened?* The one that replays the moment I was suddenly removed from a job I loved. That wonders if I could’ve done something, anything, to stay. Full disclosure, I’m kind of feeling that way right now. *(Grief has a funny way of showing up at the office with you, even when your badge says “Director.”)* _This post is for subscribers only._ ### But what about me? URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/but-what-about-me/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:22:08.000Z Last month, [I presented at my first quasi-international conference](https://afplead.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com), and it was also the first time I have spoken publicly on the topic of [Oddball Leadership](https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-leadership/)! [Leading with Love: How Joy, Belonging, Gratitude, Appreciation, and Curiosity Make...](https://afplead.org/2025/sessions?ref=oddballleadership.com#201) (I don’t yet have the gall to entitle the presentation “Oddball Leadership: How Joy, Belonging…” But maybe someday!) One of the things about Oddball Leadership that I wrestled with as I was putting my presentation together (and even now!) is reconciling this notion of **being a fully accommodating servant leader** and **creating an optimal work environment** in which I can be that fully accommodating servant leader. - I have to own that sometimes compromise is a must for ***my*** sake. - That sometimes I have to prioritize ***myself***. - And that ***sometimes being a leader requires pulling rank for the sake of the entire team***. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### An Oddball Leader’s Recommitment URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/an-oddball-leaders-recommitment/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:48:18.000Z Two weeks ago I was in Atlanta presenting at the [Association of Fundraising Professionals’ LEAD Conference](https://afplead.org/?ref=oddballleadership.com), about the kind of leadership that doesn’t look normal but is still effective and impactful — and sees ✨results✨. Here are some highlights!! _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Clear as crystal URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/clear-as-crystal/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:20:55.000Z I read [an article](https://www.vox.com/first-person/2020/5/15/21258855/coronavirus-covid-19-conspiracy-theories-cancer?ref=oddballleadership.com) once about how people can more easily acquiesce or dream up conspiracy theories in their heads during times of ambiguity and uncertainty. That sounds dangerous, doesn’t it? It also sounds totally understandable, especially when — in addition to the ambiguity — natural forces beyond human control strip people of their agency. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of leadership resonates with you, I write about Oddball Leadership like this every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ## PROBLEMS WITH AUTHORITY In business, when building strategies and making tough decisions, I like to have the full picture. I think that’s a good thing? I sometimes can’t help but wonder if it’s just because I’m a control freak who won’t budge unless they know everything. As I grow older, more experienced, and more self-assured, it’s something I accept as a condition of making the best possible choices. Do I need to work on doing my best when I don’t or can’t get the full picture? 100% yes. (I think that’s where the fear of being a control freak fits in.) Am I going to insert conspiracy theories where those information gaps are? No way. There’s way too much in the way of misinformation and disinformation in the world; I’m not about to contribute to the churn. ***And*** I am confident I can make better decisions as a leader when information is unnecessarily limited. Knowing that of myself, and knowing that every garbage boss I ever had also kept everything close to the chest — because sometimes the best leadership training one can get is working for a garbage boss — my oddball leadership style places a high value on transparency. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### On the sleeve URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/on-the-sleeve/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T22:19:06.000Z *(*Content warning:* this post addresses the dangers of emotional suppression, and links to a 2016 study published by the National Institutes of Health that links youth mental illness and suicidal ideation with emotional suppression.)* I have always been an emotional — and emotive — person. Unfortunately, showing emotion was not something I was necessarily encouraged to do growing up — and certainly it was not something you did in public! I guarantee I am not alone in this — it certainly feels like, in a traditional American context, **emoting is actually *shameful***. We bristle at the idea of showing emotion, especially in the workplace — crying means weakness and mental instability, and happiness and enthusiasm are perceived as annoying. If nothing else, being privy to someone else’s emotions can be downright uncomfortable. I have learned over the years that bottling up emotions instead of acknowledging and leaning into them causes far more harm than crying in front of a co-worker could ***ever*** be. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### “I’m sorry.” URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/im-sorry/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T15:59:24.000Z We live in the Era of the Non-apology™️. You’ve heard these before: “I’m sorry if…” “I’m sorry, but…” Non-apologies are conditional. They are apologies without accountability. They prioritize intent over impact. They disregard and minimize harm. They shift the onus from victim to victimizer. The world has lost its sense of what a true apology is, and we have high-profile [politicians](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/politics/andrew-cuomo-harassment-press-conference/?ref=oddballleadership.com), [celebrities](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/lea-michele-glee-samantha-ware-apology?ref=oddballleadership.com), and [social media influencers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceKMnyMYIMo&ref=oddballleadership.com) to thank for that. These are masters of the non-apology, and the lack of genuine regret is somehow applauded as “good enough” in our society. So society, in its rabid desire to emulate those with power, now also embraces the non-apology as “good enough” — the approach adopted by bad bosses, misguided parents, and abusers alike. **It’s time to reclaim genuine apology, and Oddball Leaders are the ones best suited to get society back on track. Let’s do this:** _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Playing the part URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/playing-the-part/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T16:01:35.000Z One of the most amusing comments someone has made about my “office aesthetic” was made late last year. I was meeting with someone in my office, who all of a sudden started sniffing. “Why does it smell like Play-doh in here?” she asked. I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t have Play-doh in my office in that moment, but I had Legos. And a wide array of fidgets and puzzles. And coloring books. Truth is, my office typically looked more like a kindergarten classroom than a place for a grown-ass adult to work. But it’s by design. I am the Queen of Office Playtime! (…I did add Play-doh to my arsenal later that week.) But there’s a point to all this! I don’t house Legos and coloring books in my office for no reason: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Seen. Heard. Valued. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/seen-heard-valued/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T16:10:29.000Z As an Oddball Leader — especially as one whose management experience was forged in the flames of the COVID pandemic — maintaining an environment of **psychological safety** for any team I lead is absolutely essential. Understanding what makes people feel safe, and the circumstances that foster peoples’ sense of belonging is one of the first things I try to grasp when I bring someone new onto my team, or I become the leader of a new team. I find that when people feel safe and when team members have a genuine sense of welcome in the workplace — they are motivated to bring their best selves as often as they’ll allow. Because they feel seen, heard, and valued — and they ***want*** to be there. It’s more, though, than just laying a welcome mat down and letting people act however they’d like. It takes intention, and understanding: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Try a little tenderness URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/try-a-little-tenderness/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T16:04:05.000Z *Full disclosure: I had another Oddball Leadership post already teed up to share today, but in light of* [*the recent, absolutely abhorrent display by Trunchbull and Vance towards President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine*](https://youtu.be/7pxbGjvcdyY?si=dCLHjzCn7XbBwIh7&ref=oddballleadership.com)*, a post about the leadership trait of kindness couldn’t wait. We will talk about belonging next week.* As I write this post, I am not sure I have the ability to be cute, or quippy. Shame on the President of the United States of America. The man running our country is not a leader at all, [much less an Oddball one](https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-leadership/). In fact, his televised interaction with J.D. Vance against Ukrainian President Zelenskyy last week was a master class in **How to NOT Lead**: _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Call me George URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/call-me-george/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T16:05:05.000Z Oddball Leaders are curious. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Scattering a Hundred Griefs URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/scattering-a-hundred-griefs/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T16:05:45.000Z Oddball Leaders choose joy. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### There is strength in sweetness URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/there-is-strength-in-sweetness/ Last updated: 2026-03-20T20:56:52.000Z I am dang near 40, and last year I really, ***really*** got into Dungeons & Dragons (don’t tell my mom). I’m in the middle of my first-ever campaign with my husband and co-workers from a job gone by. I am a Level 4 Rock Gnome Bard from the College of Lore. For the uninitiated, basically it’s Bri Gerzevske had she been born into the D&D Universe. You don’t even have to Google it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/02/3cbaeced-211f-4949-ad01-cf11f16b479d_1948x1948-jpeg.jpg) I even have a custom mini. My schmuckiness knows no bounds. I actually got into D&D specifically after subscribing to [Dropout TV](https://signup.dropout.tv/?ref=oddballleadership.com)\* , initially for the improv shows. The streaming service also has a show called [Dimension 20](https://www.dropout.tv/dimension-20?ref=oddballleadership.com), which is season after season of Dropout comedians playing — you guessed it — Dungeons & Dragons. (Yes, I binge two-hour episodes of strangers playing tabletop role-playing games. And honestly if that doesn’t check out to you, that makes me sad. And we should go get coffee sometime.) _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Welcome to Oddball Leadership. URL: https://www.oddballleadership.com/oddball-leadership/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T16:11:54.000Z This is a brand-new thought experiment, which could absolutely derail in three weeks, and that’s okay — but bear with me for a second. Take, like, 60 seconds of your life to come up with 4-5 properties of a leader. You might say a leader has ***presence*** — when a leader walks into a room, everyone notices and the tenor of the environment shifts. You might say a leader has ***power*** — the influence and the network to pursue and complete a particular objective. Similarly, you might say a leader has ***authority*** — a person that peers and colleagues look to for direction and expertise. Leaders are ***pragmatic*** and ***analytical***. Detail-oriented. Decisive. Reserved. Mysterious. Effortless problem solvers. Are those the only kind of characteristics you could come up with in 60 seconds? Cool. Great job. And sorry you’ve ever only known boring and stuffy leaders. \*cue [The Price is Right losing horn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FasNhzXq72w&ref=oddballleadership.com)\* A great leader can be all of those things. AND! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/02/8087a814-3690-4a2d-b191-d2f2fa1fa023_599x361-1-1.png) "What if I told you great leaders can also be sweet, loving, vulnerable, transparent, curious, playful, wrong, fun, empathetic, grateful, humble, and other not-boring things?" — Morpheus, probably I’m a millennial, I communicate in memes. Just shut up. **There is no frickin’ way I am dropping this truth bomb for the first time.** There **has** to be some VHS from the 1980s in a dusty, old cabinet somewhere in a Human Resources office talking about the softer (???) ways to lead. But is it as funny as me tho? Probably not. So hop in, and buckle the hell in and I’m going to tell you all about Oddball Leadership™. [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/73/0473c510-bc21-4827-9ea0-759d7a56cffa/content/images/2026/03/Oddball-Leadership-Monogram.jpg)](#/portal/signup) **If this kind of content resonates with you, I write all about Oddball Leadership every week!* **No spam, no corporate jargon. Just real leadership, observed in slightly (or very!) strange ways.* 😎😎😎 [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup)