For years, I've been a regular player of large Euro boardgames, playing a monthly game with my brother-in-law as he slowly worked through his expanding collection. More recently though I've been rolling D20s in a series of monthly TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games) that have been both a creative outlet and unexpected leadership laboratory. From space pirates through to my current adventure as Toren, a Level 7 Ardennian Monk in a Star Wars 5e campaign, I've discovered the skills that help slay dragons (or the dodging Inquisitors) on Sunday nights are surprisingly transferable to Monday mornings in the workplace.

The Hidden Professional Benefits of Fantasy Adventures

One unexpected benefit I've experienced is how TTRPGs open doors to meaningful workplace relationships. When colleagues discover our shared interest in gaming, conversations naturally flow to personal experiences with different systems, memorable campaigns, and favourite characters. These discussions reveal dimensions of colleagues that might never surface in standard workplace interactions.

Recently, a conversation with a fellow dad from school about D&D sparked an interesting reflection. Beyond the camaraderie of regular gaming sessions with mates, I've noticed how these collaborative storytelling experiences create unique opportunities for professional growth and team development, and I've found some interesting articles that seem to mirror this experience.

A 2023 University of Melbourne article highlights that D&D helps develop crucial communication, perspective-taking, self-awareness, empathy, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These fantasy sessions create what organizational psychologists call a "failure-tolerant zone" - a space where professionals can experiment with different approaches without real-world consequences. And I'm regularly reminded about my (Toren's) in-game failures by my campaign party.

Four Leadership Lessons From The Gaming Table

This collaborative gameplay highlights for me three interesting dynamics that I think directly improve how I think and the environment of a thriving team:

1. Building Psychological Safety

The unspoken D&D rule that "no character gets left behind" establishes fundamental trust parameters. As players we learn to voice unconventional ideas without fear of ridicule. The party encourages some outlandish ideas - celebrating NAT20 successes wildly, and banding together to rescue (me) when I roll a Critical Fail. An equally unspoken rule is "never split the party", a reminder that we've got each other's back, and we're safer and stronger together.

This principle directly translates to workplace safety culture, where psychological safety creates environments where team members feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of negative consequences.

2. We're All Leaders

Unlike rigid corporate hierarchies, D&D parties naturally shift leadership based on situational demands. The cleric takes charge during healing crises, the rogue during stealth missions. This fluidity builds what MIT Sloan terms "ambidextrous leadership" - the ability to both lead and follow as circumstances dictate.

In safety leadership, this translates to recognizing that expertise exists at all levels of an organisation. Sometimes the most junior team member has the critical insight that prevents an incident, if only we create space for their voice to be heard.

3. Consequence-Based Decision Making

When our Fighter recently walked away from his family clan effectively disowning his Pyke syndicate, he's become a character with nothing left to lose, and one where our band of misfits IS his family. Every action creates a chain of events well beyond just that day's play. That same day saw Toren miss an opportunity to build his own lightsaber because he strongly holds true to "never split the party".

These in-game decisions mirror the complex risk assessments we make in safety-critical environments, where understanding potential consequences and weighing competing priorities is essential to effective decision-making.

4. The Power of Patient Leadership

My friend Julia highlighted another crucial leadership lesson from TTRPGs. She noted how gaming cultivates a particular kind of patience that translates powerfully to professional environments.

My Star Wars campaign offers a perfect example. Our Gamemaster's daughter participates as a key NPC (non-player character), and when one of our regular players can't make a session, she steps in to play their character. What's fascinating is how quickly she's absorbed the nuances of each character – their motivations and tactical preferences. Without patient leadership from both the Gamemaster and our party, her contributions might have been undervalued or dismissed, which could have closed her out of the game rather than encouraging her participation and contribution.

This is like how we can bring new employees up to speed with how we work as a team.

Julia observed that impatience can be a big barrier to psychological safety and clear decision making, distinguishing this from the normal time-pressure we encounter in our daily work. Patience ensures your decisions are deeply enough aligned with core values, allowing you to apply them consistently when challenged.

This patient leadership approach doesn't mean avoiding urgency when needed – our gaming sessions have plenty of time-critical challenges. It's about distinguishing between genuine urgency and the artificial pressure that often pervades workplace cultures, undermining both psychological safety and sound decision-making.

The Science Behind The Game

2024 research out of James Cook University revealed that study participants playing D&D showed significant decreases in depression, stress and anxiety and significant increases in self-esteem and self-efficacy over the study period. The game's structured escapism provides what positive psychologists call "cognitive detachment" - a mental reset crucial for preventing decision fatigue in safety-critical roles.

This research validates what many gamers intuitively understand - that these immersive experiences offer more than just entertainment. They provide valuable mental recovery that enhances our professional performance.

From Gaming Table To Fitness Journey

This blend of storytelling and real-world benefits extends beyond the gaming table. Years ago, I discovered Zombies, Run! - an immersive fitness app that transformed my running routine into an apocalyptic adventure.

Zombies, Run! used narrative as motivation. As "Runner 5," I collected supplies for Abel Township while evading the undead. The app's genius was making exercise feel less like a chore and more like a mission—complete with zombie chases that required sudden speed bursts (cleverly disguised interval training).

This experience has spurred me to take up Darebee's Hero's Journey challenge. This 60-day program transforms workouts into an epic saga. Imagine earning XP (exercise points) while tackling daily challenges that mirror a hero's trials—whether mastering "weapons training" (think kettlebells or jump ropes) or surviving narrative-driven circuits. It's immersive, adaptable, and designed to build physical and mental grit.

I'm sharing this fitness journey publicly for a crucial reason: accountability drives achievement. Research shows that when you share your goals with others, you're 65% closer to achieving them. By declaring my intention to complete this 60-day challenge, I've created a commitment that extends beyond my personal motivation.

As Stephen R. Covey wisely noted, "Accountability breeds response-ability". This rings especially true for fitness or health goals, which are notoriously easy to abandon when motivation wanes. When I keep my intentions private, I retain the freedom to quietly abandon them without consequence. But when I share them - particularly with people whose opinions I value - it creates a powerful external motivation system.

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that sharing goals significantly increases success rates, especially when shared with someone you respect. This accountability effect is particularly powerful when combined with regular check-ins, which can boost achievement probability from 20% to an impressive 90%.

So consider this blog post my public commitment. Feel free to ask me about my progress the next time we meet - your interest might be exactly the motivation I need on a day when the couch seems more appealing than doing some HIIT exercises!

The Leadership Connection

What fascinates me most about these gaming experiences is how they create frameworks for developing the exact skills we need in modern leadership:

Adaptability - Responding to unexpected plot twists and failed dice rolls
Collaborative problem-solving - Working together to overcome challenges
Empathy - Understanding different character motivations and perspectives
Strategic thinking - Planning several moves ahead while remaining flexible
Resilience - Recovering from setbacks and learning from failures

Whether I'm guiding the organisation through a complex safety implementation or helping Toren navigate Imperial entanglements, the core skills remain remarkably similar. Perhaps that's why these games have endured for decades and continue to attract professionals from all fields.

Rather than dismissing tabletop gaming as mere escapism, remember that those dice rolls might be building better leaders, one adventure at a time.

What unexpected sources have influenced your leadership approach? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

So, Roll for initiative! Your next leadership challenge awaits, and the skills you're developing at the gaming table might just be your secret weapon.

🎲 From Dice to Decisions: How Tabletop Gaming Builds Better Leaders 🎲