Author: Andrew Embry

If you mixed diet mountain dew, funk music, dragons, hip hop, superheroes, and lightning in a blender you’d end up with Andrew Embry. He is part wordsmith and part alchemist, able to use his Batman utility belt to turn anything and everything into a story worth telling that is equal parts insightful, memorable, inspiring, humorous, and entertaining. Andrew is comfortably creative in almost any setting, but especially when he is performing spoken word poetry. His enthusiasm for words comes from the way he loves people and the little nuances of life that make it worth living.

Mindsets, Thinking Outside the Box, and Creativity (2-8-17)

Over the past couple of weeks we have talked about mindsets, limits, and boxes.  This week I want us to think about mindsets and a skill that is typically associated with “thinking outside the box.”  I want us to challenge ourselves to see if we have the right mindset to unlock our inner creativity.  This week’s entry is partially inspired by an article I read a few years ago.  Click HERE to read the article.  It’s a quick read with some great thoughts (much better than the drivel you read on Wednesdays).

Creativity is a common business buzzword as in, “We need more creativity.  We need creative thinking to solve problems.”  The problem is that when people talk about creativity they often overly romanticize it.  They make it sound like you are either creative or you are not.  They make it sound like people who are “creative” are privy to some secret ability to summon a muse at command and unlock genius.  (This isn’t true.  I know from first-hand experience.  I have to sacrifice a goat while watching the Sound of Music on mute and listening to Justin Bieber music playing backwards).  On top of this, people often associate creativity with the arts, writing, painting, sculpture, etc. and they don’t associate creativity with other work or manners of expression. 

The thing is creativity doesn’t quite work like that.  Creativity isn’t just about a natural ability.  Instead, creativity is in large part a mindset.  In the article there is a quote about how creativity is just connecting things.  The mindset part of creativity is believing that things can be connected and that there are always more dots to find and connect.  The execution part of creativity is connecting dots.  Overall, if you believe everything can be connected and if you believe you can find more dots, then sooner or later you start connecting them.  If you do this enough, you become one of “those creative people”. 

How does this connect with our work?  Creativity is not fixed and creativity exists outside of the arts.  Creativity exists in connecting data to insights.  It exists in connecting strategy to objectives to execution.  Creativity exists in those Excel masters who connect Excel dots in the form of numbers, functions, programs, charts, mathematical formulas, and tableau style graphs (that’s for you Cam).  Creativity exists in those leaders who find ways to connect with the people they lead by connecting motivation with purpose with culture with role and so many other things.  No matter how you unleash your creativity, it requires the same two things: mindset and execution. 

The challenge: Does your mindset lead to you unleashing your creativity?  Are you recognizing the creativity of others that you normally wouldn’t deem as “creative”?  Recognize someone for their creativity today.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mindset, The Matrix, and Breaking Limitations (2-1-17)

Last week was about mindsets, the box, and white space.  This week I’d like us to take this mindset a step further by looking at those limits and challenging ourselves to consider what limits are iron clad, which ones we can bend, and which ones we can break.  This week’s lesson comes from The Matrix.  Spoiler alert.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it can be complicated, so let’s use an analogy.  Pretend for a moment that you were dreaming.  Anything is possible in a dream, if you can believe it.  Normal limitations don’t exist in dream.  This is one of the premises of the movie.  Humans are stuck living in a dream world called the matrix.  Some of these humans realize that they are essentially dreaming, so they soon discover the truth that their mindset is their only limitation.

An example, Morpheus and Neo are training against each other in a martial arts battle in this dream world.  Morpheus is kicking Neo’s butt.  Morpheus is winning because he knows that his mindset is his only true limitation.  Morpheus knows that he can be as fast and as strong as he believes he can be.  Neo has not yet embraced this truth.  Morpheus then tells Neo something along the lines of “You must understand that these rules are like those of a computer system.  Some of these rules can be bent.  Some of these can be broken.”  Neo then begins to realize that his mindset is the only thing that is limiting him. 

So what does this have to do with life?  We live in a world kind of like the Matrix.  Every day we encounter a reality filled with limits in the form of rules or cultural norms.  How many times have you heard, “We’ve always done it this way,”  “This is the process that has to be followed,” or “You need to check boxes A, B, C before you can do X”?  Often when we hear these things we accept them as concrete limitations.  I’d challenge us to consider how many of those things are truly inescapable limitations vs. limits that can be bent or broken.  As we said in our first entry in this series, our mindset shapes the world around us.  We define how we will respond to things.  If we believe we can change things, we will, which means we can bend some rules and break others.  Think of the people who change cultures, who hit ridiculous goals, who do things the norms say are impossible.  They are able to do this, because their mindset led them to believe they can.  Their mindset helps them realize they are stronger than any “limitation” in their way.

The challenge: Does your mindset lead you to challenging your limitations?  Do you see the limitations you can bend?  Do you see the limitations you can shatter? 

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mindset, the Box, and White Space (1-25-17)

Last week was about having a fixed vs. growth mindset.  This week I want us to think about mindset and limitations. 

Take a look at the image on the right.  If you’re like most people you see a person stuck in a box.  If you see the image in this way, you are choosing to focus on the walls and limitations.  You don’t have to see the image this way though.  Instead of focusing on the borders of the box, look at the blue space character can use.  The character has a lot of room to explore.  (Bonus points if you realized the box could actually be a cube, which would give you even more space to move.)

What does this have to do with anything?  I’ve generally found that when people encounter obstacles they either look for more walls to stop them from accomplishing things or they look for ways to bust through, go around, or overcome.  For example when you run into something tough you can choose to look at and blame the process or obstacles in your path.  You can choose to say their restrictions will stop you from doing what you think will make a difference in the lives of patients or you can choose to find another way.  The truth is that no matter what you do in life you live in some kind of box.  Some boxes are tighter than others.  The other truth is that you get to make a decision on how you want to view your box.  You can choose to see walls or you can choose to see white space.

Andrew Embry Mantra-> “There’s always a hidden option.”  That probably is kind of a strange phrase, but it’s something I say to myself all the time.  Whenever I encounter a problem I can’t figure out or I run into something that is supposed to stop me I always say, “There’s always a hidden option.”  It’s my way of reinforcing that I find ways and not walls.  It’s my way of remembering that I can find a way to figure it out if I only I spend a little more time, look at it from another angle, and talk to the right people.  It’s a way of reminding me that it’s up to me to find out what this hidden option is and how to leverage it to make something happen.

Leadership connection.  So even with my mantra, sometimes all I can see are limitations, and this is where I need someone to help me out.  Just yesterday a mentor was talking to me and basically said that I was boxing myself in.  I had become so focused on the limitations that I missed all the white space.  Because of our conversation I’m seeing things differently.  Everybody needs a little help, me included.  Are you helping people see white space? 

The challenge:  What is your mindset?  Do you see a box or the available space?  Do you see walls or ways?  Do you lead others to help them see space and not just restrictions?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset and Parenting (1-18-17)

Last week was about mindsets and confidence.  This week we will explore having a fixed vs. a growth mindset.  The inspiration comes the work Carol Dweck has done in this space.  Click HERE for Carol’s TED talk on the subject.

Carol’s premise is that you can either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.  If you have a fixed mindset you believe that things like talent and intelligence are pre-determined, and you will tend to avoid challenges, because failure is something you can’t do anything about since your skills are fixed.  If you have a growth mindset you realize that you have a baseline of talent and intelligence, but you know these can be enhanced.  If you have this mindset you view failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. 

Connection to parenting-> My wife and I are trying to raise kids with a growth mindset.  You’d assume that all we would need to do is praise our girls and tell them they can do anything.  This is only a small part.  The big part is celebrating the grind with them and what the grind has enabled them to do.  For example, my youngest, Violet, will turn 3 over the weekend.  She is behind with her speech.  As Violet makes progress we praise her for that, and we also say, “I’m so proud of how hard you’ve been working on your words.  Good job working on your flashcards.  You’re hard work is helping you do better.”  We don’t always do it, but we are trying to be intentional about celebrating the grind and how that leads to the result.  We believe that if we continually do this we will foster a growth mindset, a mindset in which our girls will grow up and say, “I can’t do that yet, BUT I will figure out how!”  Take that growth mindset and add in some grit and some sass, and you’ll have two strong Embry ladies ready to take on the world.

Work connection.  I see two different ways this can connect with work.  The first connection is to your personal mindset.  Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset?  Be honest.  Here is where I’m supposed to tell you that I’m some wise sage who always believes in myself and always has this sunny outlook that I can grind it out and improve.  I’d be lying if I said that.  I have times where I’m like, “Forget it.  I can’t do that garbage!” (That’s my maturity right there).  The second connection is what are you doing to create a growth mindset for others around you?  What are you saying and/or doing to get others to see their potential for growth?  Are you praising them for going through the process like you praise them for the result?  Are you helping them see how they messiness and pain they are going through now is making them better?  If you can connect those dots for people they will be more likely to embrace a growth mindset.  They will be more likely to say, “I can’t do that yet, BUT I will figure out how.” 

The challenge: What are you doing to create a growth mindset for yourself and the others around you? 

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mindsets and where does your confidence come from? (1-11-17)

Last week we started a series on mindsets.  This week I want us to think about our mindset as it relates to confidence and how where your confidence comes from impacts your behavior.  This week’s blog is inspired by a conversation I had with an external consultant who works with various leaders and leadership teams.  She once told to me that having high levels self-confidence is often one of the most intriguing traits someone can have.  She went on to explain that the source of that confidence goes on to transform the leader into someone who is arrogant or someone who is well grounded.  She argues that your source of confidence can come from 1 of 2 places. 

1-> You believe that you are MORE than human.  You feel you are bigger, smarter, and more talented than anything that comes your way.  This overinflates your ego.  You become defensive when you make mistakes, because your ego can’t handle the fact that you are human.  On the inside you are scared that people might found out that you aren’t all powerful, and this gives them leverage on you.  As you can imagine this leads to arrogance and a lot of other bad behaviors.

2->You embrace the fact that you ARE human.  You acknowledge the fact that in the grand scheme of things you are weak, vulnerable, and imperfect while still having the possibility to do amazing things.  Your ego is healthy.  When you make mistakes you roll with it, because you’ve already accepted that you are human and making mistakes is part of being human.  You understand it’s not a matter of “if” you make a mistake, but when.  On the inside, you don’t have to be afraid of being wrong, because you know it’s part of the human condition.  They don’t have leverage on you, because you’ve embraced what it means to be human.  You own your attitude.  This leads to a leader who is grounded.  This leads to being a person who can stand strongly.

Now think about work.  Do you want to spend time with people in bucket 1 or bucket 2?  Do YOU want to be in bucket 1 or bucket 2?  In my opinion, the people who fall into bucket 1 usually end up being arrogant, and they aren’t my favorite people to work with or be around.  The people who fall into bucket 2 have this magnetism and gravitas that draws me in.

How can we apply this to our own life?  One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the past few years is that embracing my humanity has given me more self-confidence than pretending to be perfect ever could.  I’ve learned that the moment I accepted the fact that in the grand scheme of things I’m weak, vulnerable, and prone to fail that this removed a lot of pressure to be perfect in the eyes of everyone else.  It’s a feeling that is freeing, exhilarating, and powerful. 

The challenge:  Where does your confidence come from?  How can you embrace your humanity to unleash your power?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mindsets and Filmmaking (1-4-17)

I’d like to kick off the year with a series focused on mindsets.  The series is partially inspired by the legendary Professor Skinner, my favorite marketing professor from Butler, who continues to teach me to this day.  Anyway, this entry will be focused on mindsets and filmmaking.

We are all filmmakers and our life is basically a documentary that we film 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  We are all editors, producers, directors, camera people, and audio engineers.    As we go through life we witness fragments of the world at a breakneck pace and then try to pull it all together into a cohesive story.  We take what we see, edit it, remix it, and structure it to tell a story.  With any movie there is a lot of footage that ends up on the cutting room floor, and there are a lot of situations that end up being changed to fit an overarching narrative.  

The question of the day, “What guides your mind as it interprets the world around you?”  The way we experience the world is made up of several different mindsets that all combine together.  For example, is the glass half empty or half full?  What does strength mean to you?  What is leadership?  What are the things in life that are worth the most?  If someone would answer these questions you could begin to get an idea of how they see the world and how they might interpret events in the future.

What does this have to do with us?  Every individual we work with is playing a different movie in their heads.  Every person we work with filters information differently to tell their own unique story.  Before you can truly understand someone else, you have to understand yourself.  How do you see the world?  What are some mindsets you have that shape the way you view and experience things?  The other thing to consider is that mindsets are malleable.  Mindsets can be changed and adapted over time.  If you want to change you first have to change your own mindset.  If you want to help others change, then you have to find ways to help them make decisions to change their mindsets.

The challenge: Do you know how your different mindsets impact the way you experience the world?

For grins and giggles, if you’ve ever wondered why I am the way I am here are some of my mindsets that shape how I view the world and respond to things.

  • I believe that every day I wake up healthy and happy I’m already better off than the majority of the population on this planet, so I’m incredibly thankful.
  • I believe that there is always a hidden option or a hidden angle to consider with every problem, so I’m always trying to look at things from different perspectives.
  • I believe that the majority of things in life can be improved with a little humor, so I don’t take myself (or most things) too seriously.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Frosty and your Magic (12-14-16)

Last week we looked at Frosty the Snowman and the choices that Karen and Frosty made to help each other.  This week I want to stick with Frosty and focus on the magic hat and how it gives him life.  This entry is partially inspired by a message that one of my favorite leaders, Steve Guthrie, shared with me a few days ago.

If you aren’t familiar with the Frosty story, then I hope you remember my recap.  A magician has a magic hat.  He leaves it.  The kids put the magic hat on a snowman they built, and the snowman comes to life and becomes Frosty.  The entire story is a result of the magic in that hat.  Magic that brought a snowman to life.

You’re probably wondering what a magic hat and Frosty has to do with anything.  It comes down to two things.  First, do you know you have magic that gives life to others?  Notice how I didn’t ask whether or not you have magic.  We all have magic.  It’s really a question of whether or not you know you have magic.  You’re probably wondering what your magic is.  Your magic is so much more than what you can do.  Your magic is who you are and how you do things.  Your magic is the love and energy you bring to people and situations.  This magic is powerful.  It gives life to people around you, and you might not realize it.  It gives them a smile when they are down.  It gives them a little light when it’s dark.  It’s gives them support when they are weak.  It gives them what they need to live a little more.  People need you.  People need YOUR magic, and you are the only one who can give that to them.  So even if you feel like an old silk hat, even if you feel like you don’t matter, just remember that you still have that magic inside of you.

Second, what are you doing with your magic?  The old silk hat is just a hat if its magic isn’t used.  In the story the kids share the magic with Frosty and bring him to life.  Are you keeping your magic for yourself or are you sharing it with others?  Are you giving your magic to other people to give them life at work and at home?

Two challenges for today

  1. Share your magic with someone and give them life.
  2. Think of someone who has shared their magic with you and given you life.  Tell them thank you.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Do you have the strength to be like Frosty or Karen? (12-7-16)

We are now into December, the final stretch.  During this month I often watch holiday specials with my family, so they will be the inspiration for this series.  This blog is dedicated to one of my favorite Christmas specials, Frosty the Snowman.  You might be familiar with Frosty the Snowman, a jolly happy soul with a corncob pip a button nose and two eyes made out of coal.  What began as a song soon evolved into the Christmas cartoon that comes on every December.  If you haven’t seen Frosty, let me warn you that spoilers are about to follow.

The short version of the television special goes like this.  There is a disgruntled magician who performs for a school and throws away his magic hat.  The kids take the hat and put it on the head of a snowman.  The magic from the hat makes Frosty come to life.  Frosty and the kids soon realize that he will melt if he stays there, so they make a plan to get him to the North Pole.  Karen, one of the kids, has a choice to make.  She can let Frosty face the journey alone or she can go with him, even though it might be risky for her.  She decides to go with Frosty to keep him safe and company.  They board a refrigerated train and start heading north.  The problem is that Karen is a little girl, so she starts getting cold.  She needs to find someplace warm.  Frosty has a choice to make.  He can let her face this journey alone or he can go with her, even though it might be risky.  Through a series of events, Frosty and Karen find a greenhouse in the middle of a cold forest.  Frosty carries her into the greenhouse and then the evil magician locks them in and Frosty melts.  Luckily, Santa comes and saves the day and brings Frosty back to life.

What does this have to do with anything?  Karen and Frosty both make a choice.  They choose to join the other on the journey even though it is risky, even though it will make them uncomfortable.  They choose to sacrifice themselves for the other.  In our day to day life we see this same choice being made every day by members of the armed forces, police, firefighters, etc.  I’d also argue that in times of stress and challenges, we have the opportunity to see and display this strength as well as we work with each other.  I had a leader I admire tell me once that during times of stress you will see some people disappear and some rise to the occasion.  Those who disappear will leave people to figure it out on their own.  Those who rise will walk with those who are trying to figure everything out, even carrying them if the need be.

The challenge: Do we have the strength to be like Frosty and Karen?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Cars and Fuel Part 4 What if there were fuel fairies? (11-30-16)

This is going to be the final entry in the current series about cars and gas stations.  Over the past few weeks we’ve talked about why we need to refuel in order to avoid driving past empty, why leaders need to be able to provide gas, and the fact that gas is not just for sports cars.  We’ll end this series by reflecting on a seemingly strange question.  What if there was a fleet of fuel fairies who magically refilled your car for you?

The reason why I wish this was true is because getting gas is an ordeal.  You have to take time out of your day to pull off the road and up next to the pump, enter your card or pre-pay, and finally you have to stand outside and pump the gas.  What if it wasn’t like this?  What if the gas station came to you?  What if there was some magical fleet of fuel fairies who came by and consistently put fuel in your tank?  Imagine being able to jump in your car and always having a tank that was near full.  You’d never run out of fuel.  You’d always be ready to go the distance.  How cool would that be?

What does this have to do with work?  I often feel that getting fuel becomes an ordeal.  We force people to go to the gas station (recognition event, pm conversation, check-in, etc.) and that’s the primary time when we give them fuel.  Those events become gas stations and if people aren’t at those events then they don’t have the opportunity to get fuel.  It doesn’t have to be that way though.  We can all be fuel fairies.  We can all consistently build each other up.  We can ALL take moments out of our day to send a quick message or say a kind word about why we appreciate and value everyone we work with from peers to supervisors.

So how do we become fuel fairies?  You have to leverage what you have to give people fuel.   I can’t give people raises, nominate them for an award, send them to some conference, etc.  What I can do is show them how much I appreciate them with my words and my actions.  I can always be there with some encouraging words to remind them that they make a difference.  I can hug people when they need to be hugged and give them a nudge when they need a little push. 

The challenge: These past few days have been rough with negative news that impacts patients and us.  I know a lot of us are running a little low right now on fuel.  The challenge is whether or not we can be there to help keep fuel in the tank for each other.  Today I challenge you to step up and give fuel to 5 different people. 

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Cars and Fuel Part 3 Driving Past Empty (11-22-16)

Receiving one of these on Tuesday might rip the fabric of reality, but I’ll risk it since I’ll be on vacation tomorrow.  Last week was about how we need to give gas to more than just sports cars.  This week is about driving past empty.  If you are a Seinfeld fan you might remember an episode where Kramer was test driving cars with a car salesman and they pushed it to the edge to see how far they could go when the gas tank said it was empty.  If you want to see a clip click HERE.  It’s a pretty funny moment, and I’m sure we’ve all been there driving with the gauge past E, hoping we’d make it to the gas station just a few miles away.

Have you ever run out of gas?  I had a car once that had a floating gas gauge, and I ran out of gas on a busy road leading to a subdivision.  No matter what I did, the car just couldn’t go any further.  I couldn’t will it to go further.  I couldn’t talk it into going further.  It just stopped.  I eventually had to ask a person in a nearby house if they had a gas can, so I could at least get a gallon in the tank to make it to a station to fill up.

How does this connect with work?  Do you know the difference between the car and people when it comes to running out of fuel?  A car has to stop.  It quits working before it can do further damage to itself.  A person doesn’t have to stop, so they can push themselves until they harm themselves.  I’m not saying that pushing your limits is bad.  At times running on fumes can be good as you give the final push to accomplish some great feat.  However, if you are always running on fumes, always running past empty, you’re damaging yourself.  You’re damaging your body, your mind, your relationships, your quality of work, etc.  In a world that is quick to applaud the person who seems to always be frazzled and running on empty, I can’t help but ask if that’s really how we should live. 

When I’m driving I usually get fuel when I’m somewhere between a half and a quarter of a tank.  I fuel up often and before the fuel can ever get too low.  How often do you fuel up your car?  More importantly, how often do you fuel up yourself?  I don’t know what your fuel is.  It might be spending time with others, working out, reading a book, spending time with family, connecting with people at work, listening to music, playing video games, tackling projects at home, etc.  I had a month a little bit ago where I ran myself too far into the ground and life was pretty crappy.  Since then, I’ve pulled myself back together and made sure I set aside time to refuel.

The challenge: Are you refueling often enough?  I hope you have a chance to unplug and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry