Neither guilty, nor secret
I am a Star Trek fan. Not only that, but I used to belong to the Guelph Star Trek Club. Not only that, I was Captain of the USS Welfen for about five years. This is not a guilty secret. Far from it. I learned a lot from Star Trek and Star Trek fans.
Like many Star Trek clubs, we were into role-playing. At parties, parades and fund-raising events, we'd dress-up and act in character. This is how I learned my first lesson.
Clothes DO make the Klingon.
Mild-mannered, soft-spoken people can become rude and boisterous with the simple application of a bumpy forehead and a uniform. If they've taken the time to learn some Klingon words, the transformation is nearly complete. Similarly, a rowdy preteen can put on a pair of pointy ears and pencil his eyebrows and become a calm Vulcan. (Maybe I'll buy my son some ears.)
Power-suits are given that name for a reason. Wear red and/or black and you will appear - and likely act - more confident. Dark blue makes us seem more trustworthy. Soft colours make us look and feel more approachable. Uniforms define form as well as function. We dress to blend in or stand out but always we make a statement about who we are and how we expect people to take us at that moment -- even when the message is "I don't care."
Whatever else you do, you can improve the world around you.Star Trek clubs are primarily run for the entertainment of their members - or should be. If you're not having fun dressing up in costume and acting like someone you're not (or not quite) why bother? That doesn't mean we weren't a credit to the uniform.
The Guelph Star Trek Club collected food for the Food Bank and the Welcome Drop-In Centre in an annual drive we called "Guinan's Goodies". For the "Spock's Socks" drive, we collected clothing and bedding for disaster relief. (It started off with just socks because the doctor delivering the goods couldn't take bulky items.)
When I managed a comic book store, I ran the annual charity auction with the store owner. When I left, I kept the auction going with Star Trek collectibles for the club. Proceeds went to Action Read Family Literacy Centre plus either St Joseph's Hospital or the University of Guelph Arboretum.
You need a healthy ego to be a leader. That means being willing to share the power and kudos.
I was chatting with a new friend and discovered a mutual interest in Star Trek. She mentioned that her daughter had been photographed on the bridge of the Enterprise at a convention. A couple of questions later, I revealed with pride, "We built that!"
As I quickly assured her, when I said "we" I didn't mean "me". Our captain at the time, Frank Orlando, spearheaded that project for Stone Road Mall, and was the artist that created the trompe l'oile effects. He and his crew put in long hours in construction and painting. Meanwhile, as first officer, I kept the administration end of the club going and led the team doing the club's display for the event.
When I took over as captain, I had my own invaluable first officer in Frances Peate (now Nunn) literally my right-hand woman in the above photo. Amanda Bloss (now Maloney) took the role of Ship's Counsellor (that's her on the left). Neil Arnold (who is also the Klingon above) and Janet were two more of many stalwart officers that kept the club going. (The officers in the background are just standing in.)
As it is in a Star Trek club, so it is in the board room or task group. I couldn't have, and wouldn't have wanted to do it alone.
(Still role-playing after all these years.)