Performance Under Pressure (9-30-26)

We will continue this series on reflections from our internal insights summit. Last week was about using high expectations as an invitation to strive for greatness. This week is about performance under pressure.

Our guest speaker for this segment was Dr. James Hewitt, a former racing cyclist turned PhD performance scientist. His talk was about performing under pressure without burning out. He argued that pressure is always going to be there, and performance is trainable. From there, he discussed how success isn’t just luck, but it’s inevitable for the teams who train to handle this pressure. He then talked through his 3 part framework for preparing to deal with pressure.

Capacity– Building the foundation for performing under pressure
Control– Reframing stress as an opportunity to grow
Coordination– Synchronizing your team to transform pressure into performance

The one that stuck out to me the most is capacity, because this is the one we know the most about. We all know logically that we need to ensure we are taking care of our physical, cognitive, and emotional health. We know we should exercise, take breaks, not be so hard on ourselves, etc. However, there is a difference between knowing and doing, and the difference between knowing and doing is having negative impact across the board.

How does this connect with work? It’s pretty safe to say that there is more pressure and more constant pressure than ever before. In many ways, it feels harder and harder to keep up and deal with everything. What if a large portion of this is because we haven’t built the foundational capacity to even begin to handle this pressure? Without the solid ground, we are already compromised and less able to deal with pressure from the beginning.

When I reflect on capacity this way, it changes the way I think about physical, cognitive, and emotional health. A lack of sleep isn’t just something that makes me a little less tired during the day. Being mentally drained, isn’t just something I can shake off. Being emotionally dysregulated isn’t just something I can easily overcome. These aren’t minor inconveniences. They are barriers to me performing as an employee and more importantly as a human.

The challenge- How will you build up your capacity to perform under pressure?

Bonus thought 1: The other shift I’ve made for these things is rather than spending an exuberant effort in trying to optimize everything, I’m asking what are the minimum effective doses I need. Maybe for my physical health it’s a solid lifting session 3 days per week. For my mental health, maybe it’s a commitment to stop scrolling and only read books after 9:30pm. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Small steps matter.

Bonus thought 2: Here’s a link to his book if you want a quick read filled with some helpful nudges, frameworks, and other things to think about Amazon.com: Regenerative Performance: How to Thrive in an Always-On World Without Sacrificing Your Well-Being (Audible Audio Edition): James Hewitt, Dr. James Hewitt, Amplify Publishing: Books

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

High Expectations as an Invitation (9-23-26)

Last week was about the magic of vulnerability. This week is about using high expectations as an invitation to strive for something greater.

Tori Brown is a Sr VP in CMH, and is another leader who spoke during our insights conference. Her fireside chat was moderated by Becky Sturman, CMH Market Research Leader. From the moment the conversation started, Tori was dropping knowledge like class was in session. She talked about how insights are critical to driving the business forward. The best insights professionals are consistent, factual, and trustworthy. She shouted out researchers for challenging her and keeping her honest. She kept it real and said that innovation is “over used and under done.” She continually reiterated that the insights function is the keeper of truth for our customers. I was in the audience snapping like a poetry slam.

My favorite comments came when Tori was talking about speed and the pressure to move faster than ever. She explained that no one is ever going to be able to do things at the speed of business and that’s okay. Our goal should be to strive to get better and move faster because our patients deserve that from us. This was my favorite comment, because it created a subtle shift. Instead of moving faster being a stick to punish with, moving faster became a noble goal to strive toward because people are counting on us. I’ve since had people comment that they could almost feel the weight of this be lifted off their shoulders. I know I felt that way. I was pumped and ready to suit up in armor to go slay dragons.

Let’s connect some dots. Have you ever felt beat down because of the world’s desire to move faster? I know I have. I’ve felt this like a measuring stick that was there to always tell me I was failing. Tori’s reframe gave me permission to be human AND the encouragement to strive for something better for myself and for the people counting on me. On top of reframing speed for me, Tori’s comments challenged me to reflect as a leader. As leaders, we have to be able to hold high standards. At the same time, we need to hold and express those standards in a way that invites people to ascend and not in a way that beats them down. This is the difficult thin line we must walk.

The challenge- How will you turn high expectations into an invitation to strive for something greater?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

The Magic of Vulnerability (9-16-26)

Last week we kicked off a series focused on things that inspired me during our insights summit. We focused on learning how to solve problems like a magician. This week, we will look at the magic of vulnerability. (See how smooth that transition was 😉)

Prentice Stovall is a Sr VP in Immunology, and one of the leaders who spoke during our conference. He had a fireside chat moderated by Bob Draper, Immunology Market Research leader. During the chat, Prentice shared all kinds of nuggets that filled my cup as an insights professional. He talked about how our insights organization has the ability to influence all of Lilly. He discussed the importance of integrated insights across data and teams, so we don’t send the business in the wrong direction. He shared how our judgment and ability to tell stories with data are critical to the success of the organization. I was definitely feeling the love.

He was also vulnerable in a way that made those points resonate more. Prentice talked about how his time working in market research has shaped a lot of how he operates. The questions he asks, the way he thinks about data, all of this was shaped by his time in research. He took this further and shared a story of being early in his career and he received feedback along the lines of, “Prentice, you seem to find a way to make data even more complex.” He talked about how he had to work on this skill and how he approaches things now. When he admitted this out loud, the entire audience chuckled, because we all had been there and made the exact same mistake. We also smiled, because this tale of his showcased how this storytelling skill he values so much, isn’t always easy. Having a CMO share a moment like this wasn’t on my bingo card for the day, but it made everything else he said that much more powerful and that much more human.

Let’s connect some dots. When was the last time you saw a leader be vulnerable and human about something? What impact did that have on you? When was the last time YOU were vulnerable and human about something? What impact did that have on you and the people you work with?

In a world of AI and emerging technologies, I believe we are all looking for something or someone a little more human. We are looking for the connection. We are looking for the person who can talk about a failure with a smile, because we’ve all been there. We don’t have to look for these people. We can BE these people. Whether you’re a leader on stage or with colleagues, you have the chance to show something real.

The challenge: How will you model vulnerability and authenticity?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Problem Solving like a Magician (9-8-26)

We are going to kick off a series of things that inspired me during our internal Strategic Insights Summit. We will start with what David Corsaro taught us about learning how to solve problems like a magician.

David gets on stage and starts by sharing his passion for magic and for gathering insights. He shares how he has been doing magic for years, been on Penn and Teller, and performed for countless people. After some initial framing, it’s time for the first trick. He has us all follow along and asks us to copy his movements with our hands. The audience is locked in. We are doing everything he says. Then, he does the next movement, and no one in the audience can do it. We are flabbergasted, watching him do something we physically can’t do.

He then begins to break down the trick. He has us go step by step to see what happened. I don’t want to give away his secrets. However, I will share the takeaway he left us with. That takeaway is to be careful of your assumptions, and to ensure you question everything. The entire audience had made one simple assumption, and that is what had doomed us to fail.

Let’s connect this to work. Have you ever been in a situation where something didn’t go well, and you later realized it’s because you made an incorrect assumption? I have. It’s so easy to do this, especially when life is moving so quickly. It’s also easy, because we are programmed to fall into a routine. Think about it. How many times have you heard, “Well, that’s just how we do it,” as if it were a law written in stone?

The world is moving and changing faster than ever before. If we are going to build something for a new kind of future, we need to be constantly challenging ourselves and the status quo. This all starts with recognizing and challenging the assumptions we make.

The challenge- What assumptions will you challenge today?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Just Checking In (9-2-26)

We are going on a slight detour from our normal blog stuff this week. I’m going to keep it 100% real. I feel that virtually everyone I’ve spoken with lately is going through something tough. Maybe, it’s change and uncertainty at work. Maybe, it’s being crushed by the avalanche of requests coming from everywhere. Maybe, it’s family illness and being a caretaker when your energy is all but spent. With all that said, I just wanted to pause to check in. I think this is the letter the universe wants me to write, so I hope this meets you wherever you are.

Happy Wednesday,

I know you’re going through a lot right now. It probably feels like you’re getting the crap kicked out of you from all angles with a few sucker punches thrown in for good measure.

I feel you, and because I care about you, I want to meet you where you are. If you’re in the mud, I can sit in the mud beside you and agree that this is gross, squishy, and just sticking to us in all the worst ways. If you’re in the dark, I can be beside you too and agree that it’s a bit scary when you can’t see where you’re going. If you’re in a storm, I can be there too and agree that it’s cold and the claps of thunder and lightning are startling.

Wherever you are, I’ll be there. And when you’re ready to move, I’ll walk beside you. I’ll remind you that multiple things can be true at the same time. It’s totally true that this sucks. This is hard. This is exhausting. This hurts. It’s also true that you have years under your belt of persevering. You are able to rest without giving up. You are strong enough to push forward without losing yourself. It’s also true that in spite of all of these things or maybe because of all of these things, you still have kindness in your heart. At the end of the day, you’re human and loved.

My challenges for us this week

If you can, sit beside a friend in the mud/dark/storm. Don’t fix. Just be there.
Be kind to yourself. You don’t need to beat yourself up when the world is trying to do that already 😉

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Failure and Bounce Back Plans (8-25-26)

Last week was about choosing how to use failure. This week is about failure and having bounce back plans.

I have an important presentation to give later today. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous. As good as I am and as confident as I am in my skills, I know that there is a 100% chance that I’m going to fall short somewhere. I am 100% confident that someone will make a comment or ask a question that I won’t necessarily have the best answer for. It’s inevitable.

On one hand, this is scary. On the other hand, this clarity gives me something. It gives me the ability to focus on having a bounce back plan. Bounce back plans are things I put in place to help when things go sideways. In this case, the bounce back plan will likely look something like: “Clarify the question. Share current perspective. Acknowledge the gap. Align on follow-up plan to close the gap. Pivot back to the key objectives of the presentation and move forward.” I have drilled this in my head over and over and over again, so when I do stumble, this will take over and I’ll bounce back like muscle memory.

Let’s connect some dots. We talk about embracing failure a lot. We talk about dusting ourselves off after failure a lot. We often don’t talk about HOW we get back up after failure. We don’t talk about what dusting yourself off looks like. We don’t talk about the actions we take to reorient situations when they go sideways. Since we don’t talk or think about these, it’s easy to get caught flat footed when failure occurs. By spending a little time anticipating that failure will occur and having a plan to help you bounce back, we can spend less time knocked down and more time getting up and moving again.

The challenge: What is your bounce back plan for failure?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Choosing How to Use Failure (8-19-26)

Last week was about failure, perspective, and avoiding downward spirals. We are going to build on that by reflecting on how we choose to use failure.

I lifted weights this past weekend. I had a goal number of reps I was trying to hit for each exercise. Things were going great, until they weren’t. Suddenly, I couldn’t hit my rep goals anymore, and I fell short on my last few exercises. At this point, I had failed, and I could use this failure in two different ways. I could take this failure and use it as conclusive proof that I was a weak sauce loser. The other option would be to use the failure as fuel, admit I had missed today, and come back ready to triumph. I chose the latter. As I left the workout, I was proud of everything I had accomplished AND fired up to push myself harder.

Let’s make some connections to work. No one is perfect. If you are setting a high bar for yourself then falling short is inevitable. I’ve shared before that my high bar for my role is to deliver magic, to crush all my goals and make it look effortless. There are some places where I’ve delivered this level of magic. There are others where I’ve fallen short of my goals. In those shortcomings I can see how I could have done things differently or better. I could use these failures and shortcomings in two different ways. I could use these as evidence that I’m a horrible at my job and should give up. (I’ve been down that rabbit hole. Have you? It’s not fun.) I can also use these failures and shortcomings as learnings and as motivation to do things differently and do better.

Now take a moment to think about your work. The last time you made a mistake, did you allow it to eat you alive, or did you use it as fuel? No matter who you are failure is inevitable. How we choose to use that failure is up to each of us.

The challenge: How will you choose to use failure?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Failure, Perspective, and Avoiding Downward Spirals (8-12-26)

Last week was about harvesting failure. This week is about failure, perspective, and avoiding downward spirals.

I remember that I had someone I was mentoring reach out to me about a colossal failure they had. They needed help. We sat down and they started talking about how huge of a mistake this was and how big of a deal it was. I asked them what happened. They explained the situation, beating themselves up for doing something so stupid.

When they stopped talking, I asked them what else happened. They stared at me confused. At this point I said something like, “You said it was a colossal failure. I’m waiting for the colossal part. What happened next?” Then, they told me that was all they had to share. At that point I looked at them and said, “Oh! You are really beating yourself up. You’re right, you missed on that one. You whiffed. That’s not a colossal failure though. Everyone has done that. I’ve done something like that a few times. In fact, if you don’t get your butt kicked once or twice a year you aren’t pushing hard enough.” We chuckled, and the outside perspective made them see things differently.

Let’s connect some dots. Does the situation above sound familiar? I’m guessing most of us have been in both roles. We’ve been the mentee, spiraling hard after a simple mistake. We’ve also been the outside observer, realizing that in the grand scheme of things this isn’t such a big deal. We talk a lot about embracing failure and moving on. One important part of this is putting failure into context. In the grand scheme of things, most of our mistakes and failures will be small stumbling blocks that we can later build with. Let’s treat them that way, as opposed to viewing them as colossal mistakes we will never recover from.

The challenge: How will you keep failure in perspective and avoid downward spirals?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Harvesting Failure (8-5-26)

Happy Wednesday,

Last week was about failures and premortems. This week is about harvesting failure.

Pretend for a minute that you are a farmer. Pretend that you were supposed to plant a field full of corn. The crops start growing you and notice something interesting. You have a lot of corn, but you also have potatoes. You weren’t trying to grow potatoes. They just showed up.

At this point, you’ve failed to plant a field full of corn. With that said, when it’s harvest time what will you do? Will you only harvest the corn, leaving the potatoes to rot and fall apart? Will you harvest the potatoes too and see what you can do with them? Will you spend time analyzing the soil to see what happened?

What does this have to do with failure? This week’s analogy is all about learning from and making the most of what happened. I would hope that even though you didn’t plant the potatoes, you’d still harvest them and do something with them. I hope you would spend time analyzing the soil to see what happened.

We talk all the time about being okay with failure. We say how we should fail forward and that we should celebrate failure. What we don’t spend enough time thinking about is how we should harvest failure. Rather than failing and trying to forget it, what learnings can we bring forward with us? I’m not happy that I failed in various points in my career, but I am thankful for what I’ve taken from that to make me better.

The challenge: What will you harvest from failure?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Failure and Premortems (7-29-26)

This week I want to kick off a new series focused on failure, and we will start by thinking about why we will fail and premortems.

I have a lot on my plate. (Does that sound familiar?) In order to try to manage this, I keep a Word document with all my key workstreams and anything that requires a significant part of my time. I then prioritize those workstreams and update them on a regular basis.

This week I took an additional step. I fed my priority sheet to Claude, and asked it to deliver the top 10 reasons why I would fail delivering these things based on what Claude knew about my workload and me. It pulled out some great reasons why I might fail including things like, “I will become the connection point and bottleneck for too many things simultaneously.” “The important non-urgent thinking tasks will be put in the background to deal with urgent feeling fires.” “You don’t protect enough unstructured thinking time.” From there, I asked it to give me 3 tangible things I could action on to prevent this and did those.

Let’s make some connections. Most of the time, when we analyze failure, we analyze it once it has already happened. This is useful, however, it’s too late. Instead of doing a postmortem, I did a premortem. I realized I was overwhelmed and the chances of failure were higher than usual. Instead of letting this happen, I attacked it. I asked what would cause me to fail. I defined the problem and then started acting on it. I can’t guarantee this will eliminate failure, but I can say it will increase my chances of success.

The challenge: Will you conduct premortems to identify failure points before they happen?

Bonus- This is the grid I fill out with my workstreams. It’s been pretty helpful.

Workstream	Biz Impact (H,M,L)	Deliverable Grade	Effort Needed (H, M, L)	Priority (A, B, C)	Notes
Insert project/workstream	What is the business impact?	What “grade” does this have to be?	How much effort do you need to put in?	What is the final priority	Insert any relevant notes to explain what this workstream is about and why it might be high priority or why it might take a certain amount of effort

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry