It's dangerous to go alone.
Oddball Leaders thrive in community.
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.”)
LIKE KEVIN BACON IN FOOTLOOSE
Where I am now, I vacillate between “valued leader” and “awkward outsider.”
On my best days, I’m a confident asset.
On others, an unwelcome interloper. An overcaffeinated pest with too many ideas and not enough chill.
Because here’s the thing:
Oddball Leadership doesn’t always look like leadership — at least not the kind we were taught to revere.
It’s too curious.
Too joyful.
Too unfiltered.
To some, it looks unprofessional. Others, irreverent.
But to me? It looks alive.
Oddball Leadership looks like dancing to rock and roll in Bomont, Utah.
WHAT GETS ME THROUGH
People sometimes ask why I keep doing it.
Why I keep showing up with my weird mix of empathy, stubbornness, and LEGOs.
Why I insist on leading this way — with humor, curiosity, and love — even when it costs me comfort.
Well. Because it’s right. And because I’m not doing it alone.
If you saw the crew that keeps me upright — the friends who text mid-meltdown, the colleagues who see the magic when I forget it’s there — you’d understand.
Because, while Oddball Leadership may look like a solo act, it’s actually a jam band. We’re talking a full-on Earth, Wind, and Fire 25-piece ensemble, ok!!
THRIVING IN COMMUNITY
Yes, I’m an extrovert. I refuel in the company of humans who believe in weird, joyful work. WE KNOW THIS!
But community isn’t just for the extroverts.
Even the introverts — the quiet geniuses, the lone wolves, the ones who slip out early from happy hour — need belonging.
Because belonging isn’t about noise. It’s about being seen.
Community is what makes Oddball Leadership work. It’s what makes it safe to lead differently.
And when I forget who I am — when the world tries to sand down the weird edges — my people remind me:
You’re an Oddball Leader. Don’t you dare stop dancing!
