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.

Cars and Fuel Part 1 A Gas Station without Gas (11-9-16)

With us sprinting as we enter Q4, I’d like to kick off a new series about cars and fuel.  Imagine for a moment that you stop at a gas station to fuel up.  You pull up to the pump, put the nozzle in your car, and then nothing happens.  You look at the pump to make sure you hit all the right buttons, but still nothing happens.  Finally, you go into the store and ask the attendant if there’s a problem.  The attendant looks at you like you are asking a weird question and says, “Sometimes gas stations have bad gas which hurts the cars.  Because of this, we don’t pump any gas.  This way we don’t hurt any of the cars.”  Ridiculous, right?  Would you go to that gas station ever again?  Would you ever suggest that gas station to other people?  No, because it doesn’t fulfill the basic function of a gas station.

The above example is so crazy that it can’t have any connection to work, right?  I remember talking to a friend once about their previous manager and I said, “How was he as a boss?”  Her response was, “He was a really great manager.”  Whenever someone describes someone as a great boss or leader I want to know more, so I asked her why he was so great.  She explained he wasn’t a micromanager.  I assumed there had to be more to it than that, so I asked her what else was special about him.  She responded with something like, “He just left our team alone, which is a lot better than some of the other managers we had who tried to control everything we did.”  I spoke to her a little more, but all I got was that the manager didn’t do harm and since he didn’t do harm that made him good.  Have you ever experienced something like this?  This is a story I’ve heard a fair amount of times.

Now think about our gas station example.  Obviously we don’t want bad gas, but would we be happy with a gas station that didn’t give us any gas?  No.  That would be unacceptable, because the gas station wouldn’t be fulfilling its primary function.  We expect gas stations to provide fuel, so we can go somewhere.  Now think of the woman in the story.  Basically she said, “My manager was great, because he wasn’t a horrible micromanager.”  Last time I checked, greatness is a lot more than just not being horrible.  We should expect ourselves and our leaders to provide fuel to help us get somewhere.  Everybody has their own style, so the fuel they provide might be different, but in every case it should be enough to make sure we (the cars) run and reach our final destination.

The challenge: As a leader are you doing harm, are you being neutral, or are you giving people the fuel they need to succeed and get to where they need to go?  Give someone fuel today!

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Video Game Lessons Part 4 Pac-Man and Reward and Recognition (11-2-16)

This will be the last in the series of lessons I’ve learned from playing video games.  We’ve learned about tenacity (Mario), the importance of celebrating wins with each other (Child of Light), and the fact that happiness and engagement are not the same thing (Bloodborne).  This week we will think about having a reward and recognition philosophy as it relates to Pac-man. 

If you haven’t played Pac-man, you play as Pac-man (the yellow character) and you race around the room eating yellow pellets while the ghosts chase you.  In order to earn points you can eat small pellets, 4 big pellets, ghosts, and fruit.  Eat all the pellets and you go to the next stage.  Let’s pretend for a moment that you and I were playing against each other for a prize.  What would you want to know before we started?  You’d probably want to know the definition of winning, right?  Let’s say that winning is whoever can clear the most stages.  If that was the case, what would you focus on?  You’d spend your energy trying to eat all the pellets on the screen.  You would NOT worry as much about eating ghosts or fruit.  Now let’s say that winning is whoever gets the most points.  How would this change the way you played?  You’d probably spend more time ensuring you ate the ghosts and you ate the fruit that showed up on screen.  The definition of winning would change your behavior.

How does this connect with work?  In Pac-man the definition of winning drives your behavior.  In a similar way, the definition of winning or excellence at work drives behavior.  Here are the questions of the day.  Do we have a clear idea of what “winning” means at work?  Do we have a clear reward and recognition philosophy to support this definition?  We might have platforms and tactics to leverage, but are we clear on what behaviors we want to reward and recognize?  Are we clear on how we will reward and recognize those behaviors?  Allow me to be overly dramatic for a minute.  For those of you who lead a team, if I interviewed the individuals on your team and asked them what behaviors you are driving and recognizing and why you are driving and recognizing those behaviors, could they tell me?  If your job depended on your team being aligned on their answers, would you make the cut or would you be out of a job?  I recognize that this is easy for me to say since I don’t have a team.  However, I also realize that creating and driving this clarity is not a simple task.  Additionally, even though I don’t have a team, I have a role in this as well.  It’s my job to try and understand the rules of the game.  It’s my job to try to figure out what the organization values, so I can deliver. 

The challenge: As a leader have you defined winning?  Have you defined what behaviors you reward and recognize and why?  As an individual contributor are you seeking clarity to understand what game you’re expected to play?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Video Game Lessons Part 3 Driving Happiness vs. Driving Engagement (10-26-16)

As we continue with this video game series, I slowly realize how much of a nerd I am…  (Wait, Andrew, you didn’t know you were a nerd before?  I guess self-awareness isn’t a skill you have…)  Anyway, last week we looked at lifting each other up with a game called Child of Light.  This week I want to challenge the assumption that engagement and happiness is the same thing by looking at a game called Bloodborne.

Bloodborne is a horror action adventure game, where you play as a character that has to defeat monsters in order to stop a plague that is affecting the town.  It has gorgeous design with an intriguing story.  Overall, it’s a scary experience with some awesome looking monsters, and it’s hard.  I consider myself a pretty decent gamer and I died a lot.  It’s one of the hardest games I’ve played in recent memory and one of my favorites.

I was playing the game one night and having a particularly tough time defeating a nasty creature.  My wife was reading a book on the couch while I kept dying.  Eventually she says, “You’re dying a lot.  That must be frustrating.  You can’t be very happy with this game.  It can’t be very fun.”  I told her, “It is hard and is frustrating at times, but not all games are supposed to be happy go lucky.  I’ve actually enjoyed this game so much more than many others, because of its difficulty.  Sure I die a lot, but then when I advance I feel like I’ve accomplished something.”  Now maybe you aren’t a video game player screaming at the screen as you try to survive attacking a horrendous monster, but have you ever experienced something like this in life?Do you have a hobby or activity that you like to do, where it is difficult AND rewarding?

What does this have to do with work?  I feel that we sometimes confuse engagement with happiness, so we try to drive happiness instead of engagement.  We try to drive happiness by being extra nice, minimizing conflict, etc.  Happiness is important, but it’s not the same thing as engagement.  Not all situations are happy go lucky.  Trying to drive alignment in impossible situations is not always fun.  It’s challenging.  Trying to change processes to better serve customers is not always fun.  It’s challenging.  Standing up and being the voice of the customer isn’t always fun.  It’s challenging.  This is okay though, because some things should be tough.  Some things should make you go back to the drawing board again and again.  We work in a complex environment, so if everything was easy it wouldn’t be worth doing.  However, once you accomplish those things, you should feel an immense amount of pride.  There is more to engagement than happiness.  There are things like the thrill of a challenge, team culture, reward and recognition, a mission that calls to us, etc.  If you just focus on happiness a person slows down when the happiness is gone.  If you drive engagement, when things get tough, the person just smiles and says, “Bring it!”

The challenge:  Are you focused on driving happiness or engagement?  How are you driving engagement?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Video Game Lessons Part 2 Child of Light and Lifting Each Other Up (10-19-16)

Last week we look at tenacity and Super Mario Brothers.  This week I want to talk about a game called Child of Light and celebrating the success of others.  Alice and I have played a lot of videos games, but her favorite to play together is Child of Light.  It’s a fairy tale like game where the hero is a young girl named Aurora who has to save the kingdom from monsters and evil.  I love the game because it has beautiful artwork, a whimsical story, and it shows that girls can kick butt just as much as boys.

When Alice was younger, we would play this game together and I’d have to carry most of the load.  Recently, she got to the point in her videogame career where she can more or less play this game on her own.  I still have to help her figure out what direction to go in sometimes, but she does everything else by herself.  Anyway, she defeats all these monsters and finally reaches the final boss.  The boss is a dragon like creature or as Alice would say, “The biggest monster I ever saw!  This is going to be tough!”  At first Alice died a few times, but eventually she beat the boss and saved the world.  Alice beamed with excitement the moment she landed the final blow.  This was the first game she’s beat on her own.  I picked her up and said, “You did it!  You beat the monster!” and then we did a celebratory dance in our living room.  (Cuteness level was turned all the way up to 11, bonus points if you got the Spinal Tap reference).  I’ve beaten a lot of games in my life, but I was just as excited about Alice’s win as I would have been if I would have beat the game myself. While Alice was excited for herself that she beat the game, I’d argue she was equally excited that I took notice. 

So what does this have to do with work?  Think about work for a moment.  Think of the last small or big thing you accomplished.  Did anyone else share your excitement?  Did your team lift you up or did they go on like nothing had ever happened?  Think of someone you work with who recently achieved something.  Did you take the time out of your day to lift them up and show them you were excited for them?  Did you even say anything to them?  Imagine how different this place would be if everyone else shared your excitement as you moved toward your goal.  Imagine how much further we could all go if we spent time lifting each other up.

The challenge:  Are you strong enough to celebrate the victories of others and lift up those around you?  We’re going to need your strength, because “Disease is the biggest monster I ever saw.  It’s going to be tough.”

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Video Game Lessons Part 1 Our Princess is in another Castle… (10-12-16)

This week I’d like to kick off a series about the lessons I’ve learned from playing video games.  This week is about tenacity and Super Mario Brothers and is partially inspired by a recent conversation I had with someone about driving to achieve lofty goals that always seem out of reach.

In case you’re not familiar with the game, you play as Mario, a plumber who somehow got transported to the Mushroom Kingdom.  The Evil King Koopa has kidnapped the Princess and it’s up to you to save her.  To save her you will have to defeat enemies across multiple stages of the Mushroom Kingdom.  You’ll have to go down pipes, eat flowers that allow you to throw fire, eat mushrooms that make you grow, and you’ll have to go toe to toe with King Koopa.  I remember being a 4 or 5 year old, defeating some levels, and beating Koopa in my first castle.  After I beat him I was taken to a room where I received the message, “Thank you Mario!  But our princess is in another castle!”  Wait.  What!?!? 

That’s right.  I’d survived the perils of the Mushroom Kingdom.  I’d defeated who I thought was King Koopa only to learn that my journey wasn’t over yet.  I celebrated the fact that I had saved Toad and had beaten the first castle.  Then, I realized I had more enemies to defeat, more castles to conquer, more difficulties ahead of me.  This was one of my earliest lessons in tenacity and perseverance, because the game doesn’t get easier.  In fact, it gets more difficult.  After hours of playing and trying, I eventually was able to defeat all the levels and save the Princess, which made me feel pretty awesome about my 4 or 5 year old self.

So what does this have to do with work?  The work we do isn’t easy and the goals we set for ourselves are rarely easily achieved.  How often do you reach the peak of a summit in your work to realize that the “princess” is in another castle?  When you see this you have two options.  The first option is to quit.  The second option is to celebrate how far you’ve come and then grab a fire flower, start throwing fireballs, and continue on until you finally achieve your goal.

The challenge: Are you willing to put in the work to reach your goals “in another castle”?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

California Redwood Trees, Growth, and Reflection (10-5-16)

This will be the final post in the series on growth and development.  We started with using doubt as a dowsing rod to show us where we need to go to grow.  Then, we talked about failure and lifting weights and how you can’t play it safe if you want to grow.  We touched on the fact that we aren’t butterflies safe in a cocoon in a the midst of a crazy world, and last week we talked about how you have to go through your own internal photosynthesis in order to develop.  We are going to end this series by moving from flowers to trees and the importance of reflecting on our progress.

California Redwood trees are known for their immense size and beauty.  Even though they are some of the largest trees in the world they all started as a small seed.  Slowly, that seed grew and sprouted into a young sapling.  The sapling then spent years going through photosynthesis, growing and developing, until it became the Redwood trees people plan trips to go see.

I sometimes wonder if a tree can feel itself growing.  At some kind of cellular level I wonder if the tree can sense where it is growing, that its limbs are getting longer, and that its roots are digging deeper into the ground.  It would be pretty cool if it could.

How does this connect with our work?  Much like the tree we have all grown a lot over the years.  Do you ever stop to reflect on how much and how you’ve grown?  Do you ever stop to celebrate how much you’ve changed?  Over the past few years I’ve picked up skills I didn’t have, sharpened strengths that already existed, and learned so much more about work and life.  At the same time as I’ve worked with people I’ve watched them grow too!  I’ve seen people begin to grow into the leaders they always thought they could be.  I’ve seen people take on new challenges and win.  I’ve watched people unleash the potential that’s been inside of them for years.

The challenge: Take a second to appreciate how far you’ve come.  Take a second to help someone else understand how much they’ve grown and how proud of them you are.  Before you do anything else today take a second and send someone a kind word telling them that you’ve noticed their growth.  It will make their week and yours too.  I’m serious.  Stop reading this email and send some kind words to somebody.  Tell them, “Hey, just want you to know that I appreciate you.  You used to be _______, but now you’re like ______.  I couldn’t be prouder of how far you’ve come.  Keep growing.”

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Growth, Development, and Photosynthesis (9-28-16)

Last week we looked at butterflies, so this week let’s look at flowers, growth, and photosynthesis.  Someone call Justin Timberlake, because I’m bringing sexy back.  Wait.  Did I say sexy?  I meant nerdy.  Definitely meant nerdy.  Get ready for some bodacious botany and funky flowers.

A flower doesn’t blossom by luck.  In order for a flower to blossom and grow it must undergo photosynthesis.  For photosynthesis to happen flowers need things like soil, water, carbon dioxide, and of course sunlight, which is the catalyst for the reaction.  During photosynthesis, the flower takes in sunlight, which starts a reaction that results in the flower producing sugar that becomes energy to feed its transformation.  Essentially, the flower absorbs the things from its surroundings in order to go through an INTERNAL process to change.  The flower can only develop and grow if it goes through this INTERNAL process.

What does photosynthesis have to do with our development?  Think about how we develop ourselves.  We can learn things from our day to day work and we can also do external things like read books, view TED talks, take courses, attend leadership conferences, etc.  If you think of the flower metaphor these developmental opportunities are like water, soil, and carbon dioxide.  They give us the potential to develop, but they do NOT guarantee growth.  In order to grow we need sunlight to go through our own photosynthesis.  I’d argue that our sunlight is time and our photosynthesis is reflection.  We need to be deliberate to set aside dedicated time to really reflect on what we have experienced, so we can go through our own INTERNAL process and transform everything we have soaked up into energy to power our growth.

Every day we are exposed to the key components that could lead to tremendous growth.  In a world that is extremely busy, it’s too easy to miss these chances.  It’s too easy to rely on something external to make us grow.  The fact is that growth comes inside from all of us. 

The challenge: Are you taking the time to go through your own version of photosynthesis so you can grow?   

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

We are NOT Butterflies (9-21-16)

Last week we looked at how being safe prevents us from growing.  This week I want us to look at growth and how we are NOT exactly like butterflies. 

When you think about growth, development, and transformation you might think about caterpillars becoming butterflies.  This is a metaphor that has been used over and over again in books, articles, and speeches about development and self-improvement.  The symbolism is straight forward.  A caterpillar enters its cocoon and then emerges, transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

It’s an interesting analogy, because it is a beautiful symbol of rebirth.  At the same time, there are a three of things that make us very different from butterflies.  First, caterpillars have to turn into butterflies as they grow.  It’s in their DNA.  Second, caterpillars have cocoons that separate and protect them from the outside world during their transformations.  Finally, caterpillars only transform once, and we never stop transforming.

What does this have to do with us?  Caterpillars don’t have a choice in what they become, but WE do.  We have the ability to choose who we become and how we grow as people.  We can choose which of our skills we want to work on sharpening and what we need to do to be the best versions of ourselves.  As we think about the future, it is up to us to figure out what skills we will need and find ways to gather and enhance those skills.  The other difference is that we don’t have cocoons.  We don’t have something to sequester us from the world as we stumble and grow.  We grow in the midst of a swirling and dynamic environment, and as we grow we expose a part of our weakness for others to see.  It takes strength to be vulnerable like this.  This is part of being human.  The final difference is that unlike caterpillars we should never stop transforming.  We are always learning new things and adapting.  If you’re not adapting, you’re not growing.

The challenges: Do you know where and how you want to grow?  Do you give others encouragement and show them understanding as they grow in the midst of a crazy world?  Are you doing the right things to make sure you are always growing?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Growing vs. Being Safe (9-14-16)

Last week we talked about lifting weights, failure, and how that leads to growth.  This week I want us to think about how being safe prevents us from growing.    As many of you know, I have two daughters Alice (4) and Violet (2).   As their dad I have an urge to keep them safe.  I have a strong desire to protect them from all harm.  However, this is NOT my job.  My job is NOT to keep them safe.  My job is to keep them from seriously injuring themselves. The picture is of the inside diving board my girls made. Not exactly safe, but it won’t kill them either 😉

You might think that keeping them safe and keeping them from seriously injuring themselves is the same thing, but it’s NOT.  Keeping them safe implies protecting them from ALL discomfort, while ensuring they don’t seriously injure themselves implies that I understand they are going to do things that result in bruises, cuts, pain, and discomfort.  Keeping them safe requires I build a bubble around them.  Sure the bubble will protect them, but it will also suffocate them.  The bubble will keep them from growing.  Keeping them from seriously injuring themselves implies that they will have room to run, and I’ll build a fence to keep them from going off the cliff.  Sure, they’ll end up getting bumps and bruises, maybe even a broken bone, but they’ll grow a lot in the process. 

What does this have to do with work?  As individuals are we trying to stay safe or are we trying to avoid severe harm?  If we play it safe we can’t ever grow, because we will always be trapped and limited by the bubbles we live in.  As leaders, are we keeping people safe or are we encouraging them to go make leaps, get messy, and get some bruises in the process?

Embry experience.  In a previous role I was trying to get people aligned on a project.  I had a meeting with the key stakeholders and I knew it was going to be rough.  My boss said she was going to attend the meeting.   The morning of the meeting my boss asked me how I felt, and I said, “I got this.”  The meeting was controlled chaos with disagreements and herding cats.  I left bumped, bruised, and cut a little bit.  Here’s the thing.  My boss never came to the meeting.  When she saw me later that day she asked how it went.  I told her that it was a little rough, but I held my own and knew it would be like that going in.  Then she winked and said, “You know, I didn’t come to that on purpose, right?  I knew you’d figure out how to handle it.”  I just chuckled and said, “Yeah, I know.”  Fast forward a few weeks.  It’s another big meeting with key stakeholders.  This time my boss is there.  Once again there is some tension and I’m getting tossed around a bit and beat up.  My boss could have jumped in to save the day, but she didn’t.  I manage to finesse everything and get us aligned on a decision.  After the meeting I’m obviously a little beat up, but I’m filled with pride at what I’d accomplished.  This was my favorite moment with that boss.  Why?  It’s because that moment forced me to prove that I could handle those tricky situations.  My boss could have jumped in and kept me safe, but instead she let me get beat up a bit.  Because of this, I grew a lot that day.

The challenge: Are you playing it safe or are you getting bumped and bruised, so you can grow?  Are you keeping others safe or you allowing them to get bumped and bruised so they can grow?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Lifting Weights, Failure, and Growth (9-7-16)

Last week we talked about how doubt can be a dowsing rod that leads us to growth.  This week I want us to think about lifting weights, failure, and development. 

If you read any fitness magazine it will tell you that if you want to gain strength you need to lift weights.  More specifically, it will tell you to lift weight heavy enough to the point where you are only able to do 8-10 reps per set.  The idea is that by the 10th rep you’ve lifted so much weight that your muscles are unable to lift more.  Your muscles essentially FAIL at lifting the weight. 

If you do this often enough your muscles basically say, “I’m tired of failing.  I need to get stronger,” and your body goes through the process of enhancing your muscles and your strength.  Over time you’ll gain strength and you will be able to lift more weight than you did before, and then the cycle begins again. (Obviously anatomy wasn’t my strong suit based on that technical explanation of developing muscles).  The bottom line is that you have to push yourself to the point of failure in order to make your muscles grow and gain strength.

What does lifting weights have to do with development and failure?  I feel that when we think of failure we think of these humongous disasters that lead to us getting down on ourselves.  We don’t have to look at failure that way.  Failure isn’t something that has to get us down.  Failure is just a sign that we are pushing ourselves.  If you aren’t failing you aren’t pushing.  If you aren’t pushing then you can’t grow.  When I work out I don’t say, “I could only do 8 reps at that weight, so I’m the worst person ever!”  Instead I’m filled with pride at the fact that I pushed myself hard and I’m filled with a desire to keep doing better.  Instead of feeling down I say, “I pushed myself as far as I could on this day.  I’m not as strong as I want to be, but I know I can be stronger next time.”  Then as I continue to work out I push myself until before I know it, I’m stronger and faster than I have been.

My current role.  I’ve now been in my role for about a month.  I’m not as clever or as smart as I’d like to be.  I can’t move as quickly as I did when I’ve been competent in other roles.  I’m not quite able to lift the weight I want to lift…YET.  Every day is another small failure.  Every day is another day to push to fall just short of the high bar I set for myself.  I don’t feel discouraged though.  I feel proud and excited, because every day I can see where I’m getting better and stronger.  I can’t wait until I feel like I’m full on beast mode. 

The challenge: Are you pushing yourself hard enough to fail?  Are your failures helping you become stronger?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry