Years ago, I was looking for a new job.  After a couple of rounds of interviews for a position I was really keen on, my potential boss let me know that I was a finalist for the opportunity and asked me to complete a take-home assignment: plan a one-day agenda for a convening on a particular topic.  There were no design parameters on location or budget, so having spent the previous few years directing immersive learning trips to other regions of the U.S., I felt like this assignment was right up my alley. 

I put together a solid draft agenda that included a tour during the afternoon where people could see the work that was happening in the community and hear first-hand from the people doing that work and how they approached it.  To me, it was a no brainer, I had chosen the location because it was a rich source of learning on the topic I had been assigned.

I remember receiving feedback that the potential boss didn’t like the tour idea at all, and I was asked what else I would recommend doing at that time.  I also remember pushing back and saying that it would be a missed opportunity to convene people in a city and not get them out of hotel meeting rooms to experience and learn from that place and its residents.