Welcome to the 9th issue of Conversation Matters, a twice-monthly newsletter by me, Kathy Drewien, with a focus on leadership, collective wisdom, and whole hearts.
Hi there, lustrous wonderer!
The microcosm I’ve been living in broadened during a trip to the beach with my family earlier this month. There was a little more life, a little more exploration and a little more…spontaneity.
I find nothing more invigorating than the joy that comes from randomly running into friends and creating impromptu gatherings. It’s the reason I miss big dinners, events and busy restaurants so much. It’s also the reason why so many of us like to bring people together – creating pockets of randomness is energizing, fun and fulfilling. I recently told my friend, “If I see the opportunity, I need to connect people.”
In The Serendipity Mindset Dr Christian Busch says something similar: “Nothing makes me happier than to see the spark when two ideas or characters unexpectedly click.” Busch explains that serendipity isn’t about luck in the sense of simple randomness. It’s about seeing links that others don’t, combining these observations in unexpected and strategic ways, and learning how to detect the moments when apparently random or unconnected ideas merge to form new opportunities.
Attendees, organizers, and sponsors of in-person events are mourning the loss of serendipitous conversations and encounters which once took place in the hallways of conferences. As one organizing team reflected: “Some of the most important conversations and future ripple effects happened, as always happens, around the edges, between kindred strangers and new friends”.
Clubhouse Conversations evolved from my need to connect people and my personal sense of loss. These online experiences offer a unique kind of space and spontaneity through inviting participants to broach conversations around the edges, between kindred strangers and new friends. Each conversation embraces Open Space gathering principles, a viewpoint I have long embraced:
- Whoever attends are the right people.
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
- When it starts is the right time.
- When it’s over, it’s over.
- Wherever it happens is the right place.
Clickables Stumbled Upon
- 8 Tips for Feeding Your Writing Genius. This infographic from the fantastic Henneke Duistermaat gives you 8 tips for clearing out the cobwebs in your brain so you can do your best work. I especially like her focus on the creative soul, not just the mechanics of Getting Stuff Done.
- Judy Gelman creates + crowdsources a bunch of spice blends that riff on a slew of book and Netflix/TV titles. She just released a bunch of new puns and spice blends, including Lord of the Fries. See the new titles/spices here.
✅ Support a small, woman-owned business…
✅ that blends food and books…
✅ with puns!
What’s not to love?
Clubhouse Conversations
As August rolls into the fall (163 days into this pandemic), most of us are still working from home, and homing from work. Conversation communities around me are exploring these questions:
- In companies, what drives scarcity culture vs abundance culture?
- What would the tech world look like if there were VPs of Community?
- What is the difference between pity and sympathy?
- How can you design for serendipity remotely?
- What business from the year is still unfinished? And what can you do this week to get closer to finishing it?
You are invited to join me in the café to broach conversations around the edges that are important to you.
I hope you are safe, cared for, robust in your faith, carrying on with gladness, holding hope high, believing the best, and finding creative ways to flourish.
Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your kindness and generosity.
Be wise. Be generous. Be kind.
Stay spontaneous.