Boondoggle Registration - Consult to Grow

Boondoggle XII

Monday, November 6, to Wednesday, November 8, 2023

In the wild spirit of the thing, we invite you to join us.

Boondoggle XII is planned for November 6-8. Boondoggle is a small annual gathering that takes place in the woods outside of Omaha, Nebraska. For the twelfth time, it will be convened by Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt. The catalyst for this gathering was and continues to be a yearning for greater depth, in both conversation and connection.

Jason Lauritsen (he/him)

Speaker, Author, Advisor, Innovator

joe gerstandt (he/him/his)

Speaker, Inclusion Strategist

Boondoggle is a place for deeper & bolder conversations...

Participating in many conferences and professional gatherings, Jason and Joe both wished for more of the occasionally deeper and bolder conversations that usually took place outside of the formal conference agenda.

The Boondoggle idea originally surfaced as “wouldn’t it be awesome to just have a couple of days holed-up with some really smart folks to talk about big ideas?” And then it happened.

Every year the roster changes. There is always a mix of veterans and first-timers.

Every year the conversation changes.

The aspiration remains the same:

To embrace each other in a unique and loving fellowship, so that we might think boldly and creatively about the future; possibly even craft some shared ideas about the future that might inform our work in the present.

The shorter version is this: To Collaboratively Provoke the Future.

The less lyrical version is this: To Poke the Beehive with a Stick.

The Eight Boondoggle Agreements

Beginners Mind: Every year the cabin is filled with tremendously smart people and it is very easy to spend two days impressing each other with the things that we know. If we are, however, to truly explore what might be, we have to put that aside. Leave your script at home.

Dialogue: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. If you are too quick to agree or disagree with what you have heard, it is likely you are reciting your script. Listen. Really listen. Genuinely novel ideas do not come with a business case or an established R.O.I.

Curiosity: This is not a conversation about knowledge, facts, what is realistic or feasible...this is much more about what will be, what might be, what should be.

Daring: Say the thing out loud that you are afraid to say. You are already forgiven if it doesn’t come out the right way. Take some risks. Silly ideas are good. Crazy ideas are better. Batshit ridiculous, better still.

Love: These are your people. Care for them as they care for you.

Wholeness: Much of your work requires your physical presence, some of it requires your mental presence, the boondoggle also invites your spirit. The boondoggle is not just for “us,” it is also for you. Whatever it is that you carry with you can be carried also into the cabin. This work cannot be done without all of you here. Leave nothing at home. We are greedy, we want the whole thing.

Presence: Be here, prepared to be nowhere else. Put down and step away from the device. Everyone is busy and things happen. Your full, unbridled attention is expected.

Vulnerability: Move past your comfort zone to places where you lack certainty. Stretch, reach, push beyond.

Stuff You Should Know about Boondoggle XII (2023)

Dates: Boondoggle 2023 will begin Monday, November 6th, in the afternoon and end the morning of Wednesday, November 8th, in Omaha.
Arrival/Departure: Be on the ground in Omaha by 1:30pm on the 6th and fly out at 1:30pm or later on the 8^th. If you arrive early or stay late, consider saying at the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel (the unofficial hotel of early arrivers).
Travel: Fly into and out of Omaha Eppley Airfiled (OMA). We will gather your travel information a few weeks ahead of Boondoggle and arrange arrival and departure transportation.
Accommodations: Boondoggle 2023 has a new space — the Swanson Retreat Center. Each participant has their own private room. Bedding and towels are provided.
Meals: Meals, snacks, and beverages will be provided from dinner Monday to breakfast Wednesday. The retreat center can accomodate the following dietary restrictions with notice: no peanuts/tree nuts, vega, vegetarian, gluten free, lactose/dairy-free, no pork.
Cost: The cost of Boondoggle is $425 which represents that actual cost of accommodations, space rental, meals, and incidental costs. Airfare and lodging before or after Boondoggle is not included.