What a Haunted Space House Can Teach Us About Leadership

My daughter just wrapped up her favorite camp of the year: Kids Do It All Theater Camp.

Taken from KDIA - the summer camp

And they really do it all. In one week, they go from nothing to a full performance—an original play, complete with a script, song, choreography, sets and costumes. Everything is made from scratch, mostly with what they already have.

One of this year’s productions was about a haunted space house. Another explored how a feud between Rug Kingdom and Carpet Kingdom ended when they came across a common enemy, the Roomba. 

The plays were wildly creative and truly entertaining. But what struck me most was how naturally the kids stepped into co-creation—and how much joy and ownership they carried in the process.

That doesn’t happen by luck. It happens because the staff knows how to foster the right conditions:

• They begin with discovery. What matters to these kids? What excites them? What do they imagine?

• They establish roles and provide structure—not to control, but to support the creative process.

• They make sure the final product reflects collective input, not just individual ideas.

The counslores guide, rather than dictate. And they trust the creative potential of the group — without needing the kids to know exactly where they’re going on day one.

That’s the part I want to name.

Because whether I’m designing a retreat, facilitating a team alignment, or helping leaders navigate change across organizations, I see this same dynamic over and over again: people want a meaningful experience, but they’re rushing to script the play before they’ve figured out the setting, the characters, the plot.

Too often, we skip the discovery. We assume shared understanding. We default to high-level agreement without clarity about what success actually looks like.

And then we wonder why our collaboration feels flat, why our gatherings feel performative, why our partnerships stall out. It’s not because people don’t care—it’s because we haven’t created a space for their care to take shape together.

Whether it’s a retreat, a cross-functional initiative, or a training series, co-creation requires intention.

If you’re leading a shared project—or even just noticing the itch for something more resonant in how your team works together—here are three simple checkpoints to work from:

1. Embrace discovery.Before you plan the agenda or outline next steps, take time to get curious:What are the opportunities for growth?What does success look like to them?What do they care about, fear, hope for?Where are the words we’re using (like “impact,” “alignment,” “culture”) actually covering up different interpretations?

Remember, there are a lot of perspectives in the proverbial room to take into consideration.

Not to mention, systems, structures, cultural practices and processes that play a role in any project. 

2. Create clarity before choreography. It’s easy to jump to logistics—the timeline, the flow, the activities. But if you haven’t clarified the why and the what, the how won’t stick. 

As Rosabella Consulting, we begin with the end in mind, then shape the structure to support

it. Not the other way around.

We succinctly name the purpose, why are you hosting this retreat/training. And the objectives, what do you need accomplish to succeed, before figuring out the how.

Only once we’ve named that do we design the agenda, and plan the activities. That way, we have more than just a good idea, we have an intentional process to accomplish a deeper goal that everyone is bought into. 

3. Trust shared ownership. People support what they help create. It may feel slower to open up the process, but the engagement and energy it unlocks pays off tenfold. 

And yes, that includes strong boundaries and facilitation—it’s not about making every single minute decision by committee, but about honoring the value of diverse contributions.

Showing people their voice matters and they have a role to play in not only execution, but shaping the path everyone takes.

When we don’t do this, collaboration often defaults to consensus or performance. But when we build the conditions for true co-creation, what emerges is smarter, stickier and more meaningful than anything one person could’ve designed alone.

That’s what I saw at camp.

And that’s what I help bring to life with teams who are ready to lead collectively.