Create, Play, Lead

There’s a version of leadership that looks great in theory.  It's collaborative, kind, inspiring. But the reality is that even the best leaders eventually reach a moment where they have to sit down with someone they respect and say something hard. Leadership isn’t all inspiration and celebration. Sometimes it’s less ‘Ted Lasso’ and more ‘awkward HR drama you didn’t sign up for." Maybe a project didn’t go the way it needed to. Maybe someone isn’t growing in the role. Maybe someone above you in the hierarchy isn't giving you the support and resources you need to be effective. It's in those moments that leadership gets real. Because being a good leader isn’t about being nice.  it’s about being clear , decisive , and deeply human . Tough Conversations Aren’t the Opposite of Empathy.  They Require It There’s a common misconception that empathy and structure are at odds. That to be kind, you have to be vague and that process means being cold or mechanical. In truth, a c...

 If you ever work for a larger company during your career, chances are that someone at the office or in your friend group will suggest forming a kickball team. “It’ll be fun!” they say.  “We’ll just hang out, get some fresh air, nothing too serious.” And they’re right. At first. There are amusing team names (our lawyer friends once formed a team named The Bad News Barristers ), Matching t-shirts, Coolers full of LaCroix and beer and, most importantly, snacks. You run (or mostly jog). You laugh. You forget how bad you are at catching fly balls. But then... The game gets close. Someone slides unnecessarily. Someone else starts yelling about “tighter infield strategy” like this is the 9th inning of Game 7 of the World Series and not a Tuesday night in July. Suddenly, your "friendly" kickball league is revealing something deeper: Some People Play for Fun. Some Play to Win. And Some… Should Maybe Sit Out a Few Innings. Let me admit something up front: I avoid most com...

Not long ago, we talked about dedication. About putting in the hours, learning your craft, and building muscle memory through repetition and discipline. That kind of deep work is essential.  it’s how we grow, refine, and master a skill over time. But not every creative act has to be a long-term investment. Sometimes, it’s just as important to dabble . To try something new, just because. To experiment without expectation. To make something that might be bad but might also surprise you. The Joy of Being a Beginner Dabbling means giving yourself permission to be a beginner again. To sketch badly, sing off-key, throw uneven pottery, or write strange little poems that never see the light of day. And in a culture that’s obsessed with productivity and expertise, that can feel oddly radical. But there’s real value in stepping into unfamiliar territory, not to excel, but to explore. You learn things when you dabble. Not just about the medium, but about yourself . You realize how ha...

  We often think of leadership as something that happens at the top: CEOs, managers, directors, heads of departments. But some of the most impactful leaders are the ones who don’t have a title at all. They’re the barista who keeps the team laughing on a busy shift. The new intern who takes initiative and solves problems without waiting to be asked. The peer who stays late to help someone else meet their deadline. Leadership isn’t about hierarchy. It’s about intention. Leading from Where You Are If you’re just starting out in your career—or even still in school—it’s easy to assume that leadership is something you’ll “grow into” later. But in reality, leadership begins the moment you start showing up for others. Are you the one who steps in to organize when things feel chaotic? Do you spot small ways to improve the process and speak up with care? Do people come to you for help, even if it’s not your job to give it? That’s leadership. And it matters. Self-starting, showing consi...

When I was a kid, I LOVED LEGOs. There was no better feeling than dumping out a big tub of mismatched LEGO bricks onto the floor and diving in headfirst. I’d start by building the sets just like the instructions told me to. The firetruck, the Royal Knight's Castle, a Space Police spaceship with tiny plastic lasers and swooshable wings. But eventually I'd tear those sets apart so I could make my own designs come to life! Robots with flamethrowers for arms. Castles with hidden trapdoors. Spaceships that could transform into submarines because… why not? And once the building was done, I’d play out stories with them, fighting alien invaders, rescuing prisoners from the pirate's hideout, escaping from collapsing volcano bases. What I didn’t know then was that I was learning the foundation of something I now value deeply: the joy and value of unstructured play . From Instruction to Imagination In an earlier post, I compared cooking to creativity.  You start with recipes to lea...

  Dedication Is the Medium There’s a moment every artist faces. You sit down with your tools (brush, pen, stylus, or lump of clay)and try to make what’s in your head real. But what ends up on the canvas looks… off. Stiff. Juvenile. Unworthy. The vision is there, but the skill isn’t . . .yet. That moment? It’s not failure. It’s the beginning of dedication . The Gap Between Taste and Talent Ira Glass once said that every creative person has good taste long before they have good ability. That the thing that drives you to create is also the thing that shows you how far you still have to go. That can be frustrating. You know what “good” looks like. You just can’t make it yet. But that gap? That’s the space where dedication lives. It’s not about natural talent. Yes, some people have a god given gift.  There are those who can just do the thing you want to do.  If you're one of those lucky few, good for you.  For the rest of us, it’s about showing up. Again. And aga...

  Leadership Is a Support Class There’s a bard in the party. They don’t hit the hardest. They don’t always shine on the battlefield. But when the chips are down, they’ve got inspiration to spare. When the fighter’s bleeding out, they’re already casting healing word. And when everyone else is arguing which path to take, the bard is listening, translating chaos into clarity. That’s servant leadership. We tend to imagine leaders as warriors charging at the front. But the truth is, the best leaders are often the ones casting buffs from the back row, making sure the team can do their best work. It’s not about being the star. It’s about creating the conditions where everyone else can shine . About a year ago, I led a workshop for college students on creating and incorporating creative process in their work.   During the Q&A at the end, one of them asked me “what’s the best advice you can give us about managing people.” My response was simple and something I often r...

 The halfling rogue is bleeding out. The warlock is one failed death save from oblivion. And the barbarian, raging, exhausted, and wielding a broken oar like a warhammer, stands alone against a sea hag twice her size. They’re standing on a rotted dock deep in the marshes north of Costa Sol. Lightning crackles across the stormy sky. Somewhere, far off, a strange machine hums to life in the fog. And around the table? Everyone is silent, holding their breath. I’m behind my screen, watching, not deciding. The dice are in the barbarian’s hand now. She rolls. The table erupts. It's a natural 20, a critical hit!  The barbarian pours every last bit of strength into the blow. I smile and utter the phrase every GM loves to say and every player loves to hear: "how do you want to do this?" The woman at the table, playing the barbarian gets the spotlight to describe in detail how she defeats the hag with just a broken oar.  I'll let your imagination fill that one in. The sess...

  “You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients.” —Julia Child There’s something deeply satisfying about following a good recipe. You gather your ingredients, follow the steps, and, if all goes well, you’re rewarded with something delicious. But what makes cooking truly creative is what happens after that. You start with the basics, but the longer you spend in the kitchen, the more you start to adjust things. You use a little more garlic than the recipe calls for (or a lot more in my case). You swap rosemary for thyme. You throw in a dash of something unexpected, because you’ve come to trust your instincts. At some point, the recipe becomes yours . That’s where the real magic begins. This is where creativity lives, not just in invention from scratch, but in interpretation, variation, and a willingness to explore. This kind of creative growth doesn’t just apply to cooking. It’s the same process that shapes artists, game designe...

  “Leadership isn't about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge.” —Simon Sinek Leadership isn’t just about strategy or authority. It’s about people. It's about creating space for others to thrive. In a world that’s changing fast, we need leaders who can think creatively, act empathetically, and evolve constantly. One of my foundational beliefs is that good leadership is a creative act,  a daily practice of making decisions, shaping culture, and designing experiences that help others grow. And like any creative process, it’s messy, imperfect, and always in progress . So how do you become a more caring and creative leader? 🎨 The Creative Leader Creativity isn’t reserved for artists. Leaders use creativity every time they: Reframe a problem in a new way Tell a compelling story to inspire change Design a better workflow or meeting structure Navigate conflict with empathy and imagination In his book Originals , Adam Grant puts it...

  Why being playful builds better teams, sharper minds, and stronger leaders. When we grow up, we’re often taught to leave play behind.  We trade it for seriousness, professionalism, and “real” goals. But what if play is exactly what we need to lead better, collaborate more meaningfully, and think more creatively? I believe that play isn’t childish; it’s essential. Let's explore why. 🧩 Play Builds Connection At its core, play is about interaction . Whether you're gathered around a board game, running drills on a field, or telling a story at the D&D table, you’re co-creating an experience with others. In that shared experience, something powerful happens: Barriers drop. Titles and roles melt away. You’re just people having fun. Trust builds. You learn how others think, communicate, and handle setbacks. Laughter bonds. Humor and shared challenges bring teams closer together. Want to build a strong team? Hand them some dice, a ball, or a weird party game...

  Why creativity isn’t optional for modern leadership and why you don’t have to be “good” at it to grow. When most people hear the word create , they think of artists. Painters, writers, musicians, people whose work lives in galleries, on stages, or inside the pages of a book. Leaders, on the other hand, are often imagined as people who execute: focused, strategic, pragmatic. But here’s the truth: 👉 Good l eadership is a creative act! You’re building culture, designing systems, and crafting narratives. You’re shaping how people feel, think, and move together. That’s art.  Yet, many leaders shy away from creative practice. Why?  Because they think they think they have to be “good” at it. 🎭 The Lie of Being “Good” at Art Here’s something the world rarely says out loud: You don’t have to be good at painting to be a painter. You don’t have to publish a novel to benefit from writing. You don’t need to “earn” creativity. We’ve been trained to associate art with perf...

  Exploring how creativity, play, and intention shape the way we live, work, and lead. We live in a world obsessed with outcomes: results, productivity, efficiency. But behind every innovative idea, every confident leader, and every meaningful moment is something more powerful: the The willingness to explore. To build worlds. To try, fail, laugh, and try again. This blog is for those of us who believe that art, games, and intentional experiences aren’t just hobbies. They’re training grounds for empathy, strategy, resilience, and leadership . Here, we’ll explore how: 🎨 Making things (whether it’s a painting, a playlist, or a tabletop campaign) strengthens our creative muscles, our imagination and our ability to solve problems. 🧩 Playing (from Dungeons & Dragons to amateur sports to theme parks) helps us connect, adapt, and grow in ways we never expect. 🧭 Leading is not about being in charge—it’s about curating experiences, guiding others,  staying cur...