Puddletown Chess: Learning Leadership by Building Community

Puddletown Chess is where I learned leadership in real life.

Through Puddletown, I helped organize programs, support students, and grow a community centered around learning and mentorship. This wasn't theoretical leadership: it involved showing up, communicating clearly, and taking responsibility when things didn't go as planned.

Many of the leadership lessons I write and speak about were learned through this experience.

What I Learned

  • • Leadership is service
  • • Clarity matters more than authority
  • • Systems matter as much as intention
  • • Progress comes from consistency, not intensity