Chocolate, Feedback, and Relativity (11-1-23)

Last week was about asking for specific feedback.  With Halloween in mind, this week is about chocolate, feedback, and relativity.

If I asked if you thought Hershey chocolate is good, what would you say?  I’d assume you’d say it is good, if you like chocolate 😉 What if I asked you to rate a Hershey kiss vs. Dove chocolate?  Would that change anything?  What if I made you compare Hershey vs. Dove vs. Lindt vs. Godiva vs. Ghiradelli vs. Belgian chocolate?  I’m assuming that once you started to compare Hershey against other brands it might shape how good Hershey really is.  This also depends on the criteria we are using.  If I asked you to choose a favorite based on taste alone, you might choose one kind of chocolate.  If I asked you to choose a cost-effective chocolate to make a lot of smores, you might choose something else.

You might be wondering what the connection is to feedback.  The above story illustrates how feedback is relative.  Is Hershey chocolate good?  Well, it depends.  Having Hershey chocolate is better than having no chocolate 😉 As you compare across different kinds and brands of chocolate, Hershey might rise or fall.  Your feedback on the quality of Hershey is relative to the criteria you are using and what you are comparing it too.  In a similar way, most people are “good”.  Most people do work that is “good”.  However, none of this happens in a vacuum.  Everything is relative to what is going on around it. 

It’s not enough just to tell someone they are good or to think you’re good.  As we give and receive feedback, we need to understand who or what it is relative to.  Understanding this is what highlights our room for growth.  For example, you might be good for someone new to your role (which is something to celebrate), but you might be near the bottom compared to more experienced people at that level (which gives you room to grow).  You might be great talent at your current level (which is awesome) but compared to people competing for a promotion you are in the middle of the pack (which identifies gaps for you to work on).  You might have been good early in your role (which is something to be proud of), but now the bar is higher (so you need to assess how you stack up to that new bar).  You might be great in X skill, but Y is the skill that is valued (and you have to decide if you want to develop Y skill or not). 

The challenge: As you give and receive feedback, who or what is that relative to?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being Specific When Asking for Feedback (10-25-23)

Last week was about cleaning rooms, setting clear expectations, and giving feedback.  This week is about asking for specific feedback in situations.

Here is a short poem.

The mysterious

one-eyed Jack gazes both at the

past and the future

If I asked you to give me feedback on the poem, what would you say?  I’d imagine that right now you’re not exactly sure where to begin or what feedback would be helpful.  What if I told you that I was trying to ensure the poem followed the haiku format (5, 7, and then 5 syllables)?  I’m sure you could assess whether or not I did that.  What if I told you that the poem was supposed to give off a mystical vibe?  I’m sure you’d be able to talk through what feelings the poem made you feel, and then we could discuss how close those were to what I was aiming for.  What if I told you my goal was to write a poem about regret and anxiety?  Could you assess if it communicated that idea?

What does this have to do with anything?  Have you ever asked for feedback at work?  How clear were you about what you were looking for?  This lack of clarity could often lead to you getting feedback that isn’t helpful and/or isn’t what you’re actually trying to understand.  In the poem example, I initially asked for broad feedback.  I’m assuming your broad feedback wouldn’t have been all that helpful.  Then, I started asking more intentional questions to gather more specific feedback.  Once I did that, you could provide direction that could be used.

When I think about work, I try to never ask for general feedback.  Instead, I try to have specific questions.  “I was trying to achieve X.  Is that the right thing to achieve?  How well did I achieve X?” or “I’m trying to develop X skills.  On a scale from 1 to 5 I believe I’m a 3.5 for A, B, C reasons.  Is this the right skill to develop?  Do you agree with my assessment of where I am?  Why or why not?” or “I’m just looking for a good idea, so I can develop it further.  What has promise for you and why?”  I’ve found over time these specific questions lead to more useful direction.

The challenge: As a receiver of feedback, can you ask the specific questions about what you want to know?  As a giver of feedback, how do you narrow down the scope of the feedback to ensure it is useful?

1000 bonus points if you counted the syllables in the poem.  I did 5, 8, 5 when it was supposed to be 5, 7, 5. 😉

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Cleaning Rooms, Clear Expectations, and Feedback (10-18-23)

Last week was about calling people up vs out.  This week we will look at cleaning rooms, clear expectations, and feedback.

Thursday is “Clean your room” day at the house.  When we first initiated this, the kids had a very different idea of what clean was vs my wife and I (#shocker).  Rather than get angry, my wife and I realized we needed to articulate the goal in a clearer and more explicit way.  “Clean your room” day means picking up all the trash, taking it out, picking up all the things that are laying about so I can run a vacuum without sucking up your stuff, putting everything in its home, putting up your clean laundry, and ensuring everything is tidy.  Those are the expectations.  After outlining all of this, we also had to be more hands on initially to model and show them what this meant.  Then, we would have them clean their room on their own, and after we inspected the work, we would give them feedback on what they did well and where they needed to improve based on the expectations we set.  Today, they know what the standard is and the deliver on that, most of the time 😉

You might be wondering what this has to do with work.  Throughout my work experiences, I’ve noticed that one of the biggest issues with feedback is a lack of clear expectations.  Similar to my kids and cleaning their rooms, we can’t ASSUME that people will automatically know what the expectation is or how to execute it.  Everyone is coming to work with their own experiences and views on things, which likely means that everyone will have a different view of what the minimum expectations are for any given situation.  With this in mind, we have to be intentional about establishing clear expectations and we have to be willing to model and coach to those expectations until we are all where we need to be.  This might include needing to be even more explicit than we think is necessary in order to deliver the feedback message.

The challenges

  • As a leader, are you clear about the minimum expectations for a role, project, and/or situation?  Are you providing feedback when people aren’t meeting those expectations?
  • As an individual contributor, do you know what the minimum expectations are from your supervisor AND teammates?  Do you know whether or not you’re meeting those expectations?

Bonus thought- It’s important to understand that expectations evolve over time.  When my kids were much younger my expectations for them cleaning up after themselves was much lower.  Now the context has changed, and my expectations are higher.  In a similar way, our world is continuing to evolve and what might have been acceptable performance a few years ago, might not even come close to meeting the new bar.  We must be willing to have those conversations with people to reset where the minimum expectation is, so they are able to know what they are shooting for.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Feedback and Calling Someone Up vs Out (10-11-23)

This week I’d like to start a series focused on giving and receiving feedback.  This entry is inspired by Shellie Miller and recent comments she’s made about calling someone up vs. calling them out.

On my current team, we are in the process of resetting the bar, defining our mission, and reshaping our culture.  One of the tenants of this new culture is Care+Accountability.  It’s this idea that because we care about our mission and because we care about each other we will expect the best from and try to bring out the best in each other.  Part of this will include sharing feedback when we miss, and we’re all going to miss sooner or later.  As we’ve been having some of these conversations, Shellie Miller shared a quote along the lines of, “When you give feedback.  You aren’t calling someone OUT.  You’re calling them UP.  You’re bringing them IN to help them see what they are capable and how they can be the best version of themselves and help us reach our goals.”

What does this have to do with anything?  I’ve been reflecting on what Shellie said, because it is vital to creating high performing teams.  Take a second and think of the best teams you’ve ever been on.  What were they like?  Two teams immediately come to mind for me.  These teams were comprised of very different sets of people and existed in different parts of the organization.  While they were each unique, both teams had a few things in common.  First, everyone on both teams were obsessed with a mission greater than themselves.  Second, everyone on both teams was willing to set a high bar for themselves and each other to help us accomplish this mission.  Third, we openly and regularly gave feedback to everyone, regardless of their title or position, to help them get better.  On both teams, feedback was merely a tool to make us sharper to help us achieve our mission.  When I received feedback on my mistakes, I didn’t feel called out.  I felt called to be better.  I understood that the only way we could achieve our mission is if we were all at our best, and feedback conversations were someone who cared enough about me to demand the best from me.  I grew more on those teams than I did in other roles.  Calling people UP vs calling them OUT made ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

The challenge: How will you create a culture of calling people UP vs out?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Omelets, Being New, and Adding Flavor to Culture (10-4-23)

This will be the last in the series of lessons I’ve learned from being new to a role.  This week we will reflect on omelets, being new, and adding your flavor to the culture.

I eat an omelet for breakfast almost every morning.  It always starts with 2 large brown eggs, and then from there I’ll mix and match different ingredients.  Each ingredient I add brings a new element to the omelet, changing its flavor profile.  Sometimes, I’ll want something with a bit of a kick, so I’ll use ghost pepper cheese and restaurant style salsa.  Sometimes, I’ll want a big hearty omelet with American cheese and sausage mixed inside.  Sometimes, I’ll want something smooth like white cheddar and turkey with a little dash of something extra in the form of sweet onion salsa.

What does this have to do with being new?  In the analogy above, I talk about how the omelet always starts with two large brown eggs.  I don’t keep adding eggs to the omelet, because if I did all I would have is more eggs.  Instead, I want a unique flavor, so I bring in different ingredients with each of them making their own special addition to the omelet.  It’s the combination of the ingredients that transforms the eggs into the omelet.  In a way, the eggs represent the base culture of a team that you’re joining.  That would make us the ingredients that can bring unique flavors.  Even if you feel you can’t start delivering “traditional value” right when you are first starting out, you can bring energy to your team.  Some people bring a jolting boost of fun, adding laughs to the team.  Some people bring a crisp focus, enabling the team to prioritize what matters.  Some people bring grit, helping the team fight through tough times.  We all have something that is uniquely us.  If you’re new to a team (or even if you’ve been there awhile) you always have the ability to share that with the team.  You always have the opportunity to bring a little bit of your own flavor to enhance the culture around you.

The challenge: What flavor will you ADD to your team?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being New: Investing in and Setting the Tone in Work Relationships (9-27-23)

Last week was about being new and balancing quick wins with long-term investments.  This week we will look deeper at investing in and setting the tone in relationships with colleagues.

Whenever I join a new team, one of the first things I focus on is building relationships with my teammates.  Work gets done through people.  The stronger your relationships are, the more effective you’ll be working together.  There are two different aspects I focus on when initially getting to know others.  The first aspect is getting to know them as people.  What’s their story?  Who are they outside of work?  What do they like to do?  What passions and hobbies do they have?  Getting to know someone on a personal level is important, because I want the people I work with to know they aren’t just cogs in a machine.  They are WHOLE people that I care for.  The second aspect of the relationship is better understanding them as workers and teammates.  What are their goals in their role?  How do the prefer to communicate?  What work related pet peeves do they have that I should try to avoid?  What work related quirks do they have?  Knowing these kinds of things helps set a great foundation for partnership.

On top of getting to know the other person, spending time talking about yourself as a worker and teammate gives you a chance to help set the tone for your relationship moving forward.  For example, here is what I usually share with people when I start working with them.  “I work to live.  I don’t live to work.  I want to do important work that has a positive impact on the world, and I want to do that with cool people.  I’m a curious dude, and I ask a lot of questions because I like to explore things.  I’m also a different cat, you’ll see pretty quickly I take my work seriously, but I don’t take myself too seriously.  I believe in having fun, sending memes, and making jokes.  I believe in working ugly.  Let’s mock up some rough ideas, figure out that some of them stink, grab the good ones, and turn them into something.  Don’t waste your time making things perfect for me.  I like being in the mud 😉 I’m big on boundaries.  I don’t work at night. That’s my time with my family.  If you want to work at night, you do you, but I won’t respond.  I will get up early when my house is quiet and crank stuff out though, so if you ever see emails from me early it’s not an emergency.  Speaking of emergencies, unless someone is dying it’s not an emergency.  We create too many fire drills, when we just need to breathe for a second.  Fire drills annoy the heck out of me.  As we work together, I hope that you’ll come to learn that I care deeply about you and the other folks I work with.  Part of me showing I care is being honest.  You’ll always know where I stand.  If I like your idea, I’ll tell you.  If I don’t like your idea, I’ll tell you that too and explain why.  If I think you’re doing well, I’ll tell you.  If I ever have feedback I’ll share it, because not giving feedback is cruel and unfair to the person.”  This sets the stage and gives the other person insight into how I’m going to operate 95% of the time.  Then it’s up to me to do the most important part and LIVE these things.

What does this have to do with anything?  We often talk about the need to build relationships at work, but we don’t discuss how to go about doing that.  There are multiple components of that relationship.  While we often will get to know each other personally, we may not always be intentional when it comes to figuring out what makes that person tick at work and how you can best partner with them.  Additionally, we don’t always do the best job of conveying what is important to us and how we operate at work.  Think of how much easier work would be, if we all had more clarity on what we were all about and how to best work with each other. 

The challenge: Are you being intentional about getting to know teammates as people AND as workers?  ( If you haven’t taken the time to have these conversations, it’s never too late.)

Bonus 1: Now that I’m in an official leadership position, I’ve added a couple of other things to my normal spiel.  Wanted to share those with you in case they spark something.

  • “I’m concerned about running people into the ground.  I’ve ran myself into the ground before and it’s not good.  As a result, prioritization is important to me.  Prioritization is not about numbering a long to-do list.  Prioritization is about choosing 3 or so things you need to nail and saying NO to the other things.  Sooner or later, we will need to have a prioritization discussion and you’re going to be like, ‘He’s kind of crazy about this.’  You’ll be right when you think that. 😉  I’m intense about this.  I am, because I don’t want to let you burn out.”
  • “I’m new to being in an official leadership role, and I’m nervous about the power dynamics that can come into play.  I’m not okay with a lot of the hierarchical bullcrap.  I share this to say that if I ever offer suggestions or say something DO NOT TAKE IT AS GOSPEL.  Some of my thoughts will be good.  Some of them will be dumb.  Everything is always up for discussion, so if an idea seems off just tell me.  Chances are I’ll agree that it was dumb.  It will be RARE, but if I ever need you to do something in a specific way, I will be VERY CLEAR about that being a non-negotiable requirement.”

Bonus 2: Sharing my quarterly self-assessment in case in sparks any thoughts.  I feel I made some great progress and hoping to continue the momentum.

9-27-23 Embry Quarterly Review

  • Protecting my Peace (Q3=A- Q2=B-)- This is my overall goal for the year.  This is about ensuring I’m making the time to take care of me and putting the right boundaries in place. I made some HUGE steps forward in protecting my peace.  I’m fully transitioned into my new role.  I’m enjoying the change of pace, being in a place that is more about long-term thinking vs. day to day execution.  I’ve been disciplined about investing the time to build the foundation, instead of jumping in and chasing everything.
  • Career (Q3=B+ Q2=A+)- The goal is to feel like I’m delivering magic.  Q2 is when I started my new role I had been working toward, so the emotional high made that an A+.  Now I actually have to do something 😉  Feeling good about how I’m settling into my new role.  I’m beginning to bring more clarity and structure to workstreams.  I wish I would have made progress on building some of that infrastructure faster, but part of that is just being new and figuring stuff out.  Now, I will have to focus on transitioning from the planning to executing.  I still need to figure out what delivering magic looks like at this level, but overall I’m feeling good about what I’m doing so far.
  • Physical Health (Q3=A- Q2=B)- The goal is to make sure I’m taking good care of myself, so I can do the things I want to be able to do.  I’m attributed a big bulk of the increase in the grade to completing my goal of finishing a marathon long obstacle course race.  Beyond that, I’m sleeping better, generally feel less stress, and am getting back into a workout routine after taking a couple of weeks off to recover.  I still need to work on flexibility and mobility.  I also want to start training to get faster, so I can better compete in my races.  Last but not least, I’m learning to do a better job of listening to my body.  I can hear my body telling me things I couldn’t hear before.  Not sure if that makes sense to anyone else.  Now that I can hear, I just have to take action on them.
  • Financial (Q3=B Q2=B)- The goal is to hit our financial savings goals.  We’ve hit our saving goals for the year, so now just need to keep an eye on the day to day budget.  I’m still spending more than I want to on fast food and frivolous things. I need to be more aware of these spending habits.
  • Family (Q3=A- Q2=B+)- The goal is to feel like an amazing husband and dad.  Having better sleep, less stress, and feeling better physically have made a big difference here.  I’ve found I have more patience, and I’m so proud of the progress my kids and wife are making on things.
  • Fun/Social (Q3=B+ Q2=B+)- The goal here is to plan out vacation days and enjoy them.  It was a solid quarter of some small trips and fun.  We’ve already started thinking about our next big thing for next year.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being New: Balancing Quick Wins and Long-term Investments (9-20-23)

Last week was about being new and engaging with self-doubt.  This week is about balancing quick wins with long-term investments.

Whenever I start a new role, I’m flooded with things that I could do.  There are fires to fight, projects to jump in on, training to take, relationships to build, priorities to establish, etc.  At this point I often become consumed with an urge to get a quick win.  It’s like a clock starts the moment I begin the role counting how long it takes me to demonstrate my value and that I’m an asset to the team.  I also have a desire to earn a quick win to build some positive momentum.  As a result, I often find myself in a situation where I am trying to balance gaining quick wins vs making more long-term investments with my time and energy.  Do you ever find yourself in this predicament?

What does this have to do with anything?  Everyone wants to have a quick win.  I know early on in this role, one of my favorite moments was when I came home and was able to tell my wife, “I actually provided value today!”  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to dive in and begin attacking the problem as soon as possible.  At the same time, it’s easy to get so focused on chasing activities that would be a quick win that you don’t appropriately invest in the things that set you up for long-term success.  For example, you don’t take the time to understand the culture and how decisions are made.  You don’t take the time to build strong relationships with your co-workers.  You don’t take the time to understand the challenges and their root causes.  You don’t the time to ensure you’re clear on what your overarching priorities are.  You don’t take the time to create create the necessary organization and structure to help you execute those priorities.  All those things are important.  NONE of them are quick wins.  They are all activities that take a significant investment of time and effort.  Throughout my career I’ve come to learn and appreciate that while the quick wins give me some momentum, it is the long-term investments in the right things in the beginning of a new role that will provide the sustainable fuel to succeed.  As I get older, I’m learning to better appreciate the need for and getting better at balancing both quick wins and long-term investments.

The challenge: Whether you’re in a new role or have been in your role for a period of time, how are you balancing quick wins with long-term investments?

Bonus thoughts: In the spirit of vulnerability, there are times where I feel like I’m moving sooooo slow in this role.  Part of it is because I reached a point in my old role where I knew things and could act with speed.  Part of it because this role is trying to navigate a lot of uncharted territory, which requires time.  While I might be moving slow now, I keep telling myself that I’m creating the necessary infrastructure that will lead to more substantial success.  Selfishly, if I am able to do this right, I think the value I’m able to generate after making these investments in building the right infrastructure will far outweigh and erase any amount of slowness I had the first few months in the role.  Only time will tell.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being New and Engaging with Self-Doubt (9-13-23)

Last week was about being new and embracing humility.  This week is about being new, engaging with self-doubt, and asking for evidence.  By the way, the idea of asking for evidence comes from The Inside Job Podcast.

Whenever I’ve started a new role, Self-Doubt has crept in whispering that I don’t belong there, telling me I’m not good enough, etc.  #impostorsyndrome  Has this happened to you?  When this happened to me the first few times in my career, the Self-Doubt was so strong it was paralyzing.  As I grew older, I’ve tried different approaches to managing Self-Doubt.  I tried to ignore it, and that would lead to it getting louder and louder.  I tried combatting with anger and a “Forget you!” attitude, and that didn’t exactly seem to work either.  Now, I engage with my Self-Doubt like I would talk to anyone else making claims.

Here is how that conversation goes.  Self-Doubt says, “You aren’t going to be good at this new job.”  I respond and say, “Show me your evidence.  Here’s what I have to support that I will be successful.  First, I was given this opportunity, and my boss wouldn’t have given it to me if they thought I would suck.  My new boss told me they hired me for X and Y reasons, and I’ve delivered those in every role I’ve been in.  I have a track record of being successful.  None of this means I’m the best person on the planet.  All these things would suggest that I have a good chance of success.  What is your evidence to the contrary?”  It’s weird how Self-Doubt quiets down after that conversation.  It’s weird how Self-Doubt starts to be more honest after that conversation.  Self-Doubt moves from “All of you is horrible” to “There are some specific tasks and challenges that you might not be ready for yet.”  This truth is helpful, because then I can use that Self-Doubt as something to learn from.  I can use it to identify potential blind spots and then create a plan to address them.

What does this have to do with anything?  Self-Doubt can be deafening.  It finds one little crack and then spreads like poisonous gas, affecting everything in its area.  While this is true, we don’t have to let it.  We don’t have to ignore Self-Doubt.  We don’t have to attack it in anger.  We can challenge that Self-Doubt, the exact same way we would challenge anyone else making a claim.  We would ask them for the evidence and rationale to back it up, and we would supply our own to support our position.  The challenge- How will you engage with Self-Doubt?

Bonus: Speaking of self-doubt, I recently achieved a major goal of mine.  I completed a marathon length obstacle course race (26.2 miles and over 100 obstacles).  Self-Doubt tried to creep in on this too.  Here is how my conversation went.  “Dude, if you’re telling me to doubt myself, because I’m not going to win. You’re right.  I’m not going to win.  That’s not the goal. I just want to finish.  Where is your evidence I won’t finish?  Here’s what I have saying I will.  I’ve completed 2 marathons (one in rain and one in cold), been training for this race for months, and finished obstacle courses in an Arizona desert, snow in Wisconsin, and 13+ miles of running up hills at a ski resort.  My legs feel strong, I have plenty of fuel, and you couldn’t ask for better weather today.  If I can do all of those things and the current circumstances are in my favor, it’s just a matter of time at this point until I cross the finish line.”  Self-Doubt stayed quiet.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being New and Embracing Humility (9-6-23)

I took a new role about 3 months ago, so for the next few weeks I want to explore things I’ve learned from that experience.  We will start with being new and embracing humility.

I was competent in my last role.  I knew what was going on.  I knew how to solve problems.  I knew who to reach out to for different things.  I felt awesome about myself.  Then, I started my new role and all of that was gone over night.  I had tasks I didn’t know how to do, surrounded by people I didn’t quite know, and had a major knowledge gap in certain areas (technology 😉).  It’s jarring to go from being competent to being incompetent overnight.  Have you ever felt this way? 

No one likes feeling incompetent, and the temptation is to try to hide that from the world.  I’ve found the best thing to do is to embrace humility and be willing to own the fact that I’m new and don’t exactly know what I’m doing.  I had conversations that went like this, “Hey boss, I’ve never done this task before and have no idea what the expectations are and what I’m supposed to do.  I’m D1 (situational leadership).  If you don’t explicitly tell me to do something I won’t know what to do.  Can you spell this out for me?”  I’d also have situations, especially when talking with the Tech@Lilly team where I’d say, “I need to stop you for a moment.  I need to summarize to make sure I’m following.  I think you’re saying X.  Is that right?”  Sometimes I was correct, and sometimes I was off in another galaxy. 

What does this have to do with anything?  While it may have felt awkward and a little intimidating to be vulnerable about my incompetence, embracing humility and having these conversations ensured I was learning what I needed to learn in order to perform at my best.  Additionally, I think my colleagues appreciated the vulnerability and clarity, so they knew how to help me.  Think about the people you work with.  Would you want them to be open about where they need help or would you rather them try to bluff their way through it?  I’m assuming you’d want them to be honest, which should give us all encouragement to be open about where we are with a given task.  Finally, if I want to be a good leader, then being open about what I don’t know and where I’m less skilled sets the stage that it’s okay to be open and vulnerable, which are two traits of a great culture.   

The challenge: Will you be brave enough to embrace humility?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Parenting- Doing the Right Thing is Exhausting (8-30-23)

This is going to be the last entry about lessons I’ve learned being a dad.  This week is about how doing the right thing is exhausting. 

The other day my wife and I collapsed on the couch.  We were mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted.  Parenting had beaten us down over the past few weeks.  Have any other parents felt like that?  Anyway, we looked at each other and started talking about how it would be so much easier things could be.  It would be easier to use our authority to control our kids vs give them freedom.  It would be easier if we just told our kids to suck it up vs helped them identify and deal with their emotions.  It would be easier to tell the kids that the things that bother them don’t matter vs helping them figure out how to work through them.  It would be so much easier stop them from ever experiencing pain and rejection vs watching them go through those things.  Those things would be easier, and we probably wouldn’t be so tired.  All of those things would be easier, but they probably wouldn’t be best for our kids.  The hard things are exhausting, and they are worth it.  My kids are so much stronger, compassionate, independent, and well-rounded than they have ever been.  They have grown so much, and I couldn’t be prouder. 

What does this have to do with anything?  Doing the right thing is exhausting.  The above examples might have been framed as parenting situations, but they likely apply to any relationship you could be in.  Think about work for a minute.  What are other scenarios we find ourselves in where doing the right thing is exhausting?  It’s easier to go along trying to do everything vs taking the time to make tough prioritization decisions.  It’s easier to not give tough feedback to someone vs holding them accountable for their performance.  It’s easier to get lost in the day to day vs carving out time to be strategic about where you are trying to go.  Doing the right thing is hard.  If you ever find yourself exhausted after doing the right thing day in and day out, just know that’s okay.  Know that’s normal.  Doing the right thing is exhausting, AND it’s necessary for growth.  When you find yourself tired, take care of yourself, rest up, and continue doing your best to fight the good fight.

The challenge: Will you keep doing the hard thing, even when it’s exhausting?

Bonus- Last week I had the honor of performing poetry at our Level Up DEI conference.  The poem is about fitting in vs belonging. Follow this link if you want to check it out. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7102454896259469312/

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry