I've said quite a few times this week that Con Con has left me EMBOLDENED ... so I loved the reminder here that those of us who initially signed up to Con Con were (are), by definition, bold.
I loved watching the process unfold, even if i wasn't as actively involved, watching and learning as you went and then seeing it unfold was part of the magic. And this debrief, thank you ... a gorgeous working-out-loud bow on top of the gift that is Con Con.
There is a delicious nuance here that i wasn't present to before now ... as consultants, even if we are 'outside the box', we're still working to meet the expectations, and constraints, of our clients. What Con Con did was let us be more fully self expressed, without those client pressures, to see who we really are.
So, so good, Cat. I have loved reading your takeaways and actions, but probably the best thing IS the sense of emboldening!! And it was really quite fun writing this post, and it probably could've been a three-part series haha.
the three-part-series is a funny thing isn’t it? I’m finding my posts here on substack are much longer than what I used to write in my newsletters …. and ‘conventional’ wisdom tells me, ‘oh, write shorter, no-one wants to read all that’ … and yet they do. Share the goodness when the goodness occurs to you …. even if it is loooong
You say you “botched” your opening activity - not my experience. About four people misunderstood your very clear brief; they moved very quickly and wrongly and half the room followed their confidence. You announced you’d been unclear and briefed again exactly the same, got us back on track.
As a facilitator anything going on is your responsibility and you stepped in, and owned it, fixed it. Barbecue sauce.
Being a car guy, my metaphor for what Con Con has done for me, is realise I don’t need a new car, or soup-up the one I’ve got. It just needs a high quality detail. Some good polish. Touch up the stone chips. That niggly, little repair, get it done. But essentially, the 10 year old 5.0 V8 that I love, feels right, sounds great and looks better when you step back for a moment and look at it in a different light.
In my three decade plus professional lifetime, there have been three impactful events that I’ve attended. One in 1995 in the Blue Mountains. The next in 2015 in Rhode Island, USA. In 2026, on the Gold Coast. Thanks, Leanne, and to all the Con Conners for the con-nection and con-munity.
Yes, stepping back and looking at your car (AKA business) in a new way actually sounds like practising gratitude, too! Speaking of gratitude, I am floored (in the best way) by how much this experience impacted you, Dean. Thank you for being a fabulous contributor and wearing the best shirts!!
Gosh, genius is a big word, not really - just having fun giving random ideas a crack. But THANK YOU for your lovely words x It makes life more interesting, and I love that you live life the same way!
I've said quite a few times this week that Con Con has left me EMBOLDENED ... so I loved the reminder here that those of us who initially signed up to Con Con were (are), by definition, bold.
I loved watching the process unfold, even if i wasn't as actively involved, watching and learning as you went and then seeing it unfold was part of the magic. And this debrief, thank you ... a gorgeous working-out-loud bow on top of the gift that is Con Con.
There is a delicious nuance here that i wasn't present to before now ... as consultants, even if we are 'outside the box', we're still working to meet the expectations, and constraints, of our clients. What Con Con did was let us be more fully self expressed, without those client pressures, to see who we really are.
Thanks again, Leanne 😍
So, so good, Cat. I have loved reading your takeaways and actions, but probably the best thing IS the sense of emboldening!! And it was really quite fun writing this post, and it probably could've been a three-part series haha.
the three-part-series is a funny thing isn’t it? I’m finding my posts here on substack are much longer than what I used to write in my newsletters …. and ‘conventional’ wisdom tells me, ‘oh, write shorter, no-one wants to read all that’ … and yet they do. Share the goodness when the goodness occurs to you …. even if it is loooong
Yes, I think so! I think it’s also okay to play with formats every week, and if a message needs shorter/longer, totally go with it.
You say you “botched” your opening activity - not my experience. About four people misunderstood your very clear brief; they moved very quickly and wrongly and half the room followed their confidence. You announced you’d been unclear and briefed again exactly the same, got us back on track.
As a facilitator anything going on is your responsibility and you stepped in, and owned it, fixed it. Barbecue sauce.
Thanks, Paul! Great to have people like you around. And yes, I think 'owning it' was the only possible step forward haha.
Being a car guy, my metaphor for what Con Con has done for me, is realise I don’t need a new car, or soup-up the one I’ve got. It just needs a high quality detail. Some good polish. Touch up the stone chips. That niggly, little repair, get it done. But essentially, the 10 year old 5.0 V8 that I love, feels right, sounds great and looks better when you step back for a moment and look at it in a different light.
In my three decade plus professional lifetime, there have been three impactful events that I’ve attended. One in 1995 in the Blue Mountains. The next in 2015 in Rhode Island, USA. In 2026, on the Gold Coast. Thanks, Leanne, and to all the Con Conners for the con-nection and con-munity.
Yes, stepping back and looking at your car (AKA business) in a new way actually sounds like practising gratitude, too! Speaking of gratitude, I am floored (in the best way) by how much this experience impacted you, Dean. Thank you for being a fabulous contributor and wearing the best shirts!!
Incredible from start to finish Leanne!! Best conference I’ve been to!! You’re a genius.
Gosh, genius is a big word, not really - just having fun giving random ideas a crack. But THANK YOU for your lovely words x It makes life more interesting, and I love that you live life the same way!
Love the sound of this so much! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Oh, thanks so much, Ken!!
Amazing behind-the-scenes recap Leanne - thank you for sharing so openly about the process of putting together this amazing event!