The Power of Yet and Having a Growth Mindset (9-1-21)

Last week was about first grade spelling, clear expectations, and grace.  This week is about the power of yet and having a growth mindset.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I asked Alice what happened at school and she told us that she learned about the power of yet.  She was pretty excited about it.  I had no clue what she meant, so I asked her to explain.  She more or less responded like this, “Instead of saying I can’t do something, I should say that I can’t do it… yet.  Instead of saying I can’t figure out the math problem, I should say I can’t figure out the math problem… yet.  The power of yet means, I may not be able to do it now, BUT I can figure out how to do it in the future.”

How does this connect with life?  My wife and I loved that Alice learned about the power of yet during school that day.  It is a perfect example of growth mindset.  It’s about being humble enough to admit where you are currently struggling, while also being confident enough to know you can figure it out.  This type of mindset encourage us to challenge ourselves to grow.  That growth mindset is very different than the negative and fixed mindset I find myself in sometimes.It sounds like this, “I’m not good at this.  I can’t figure this out.  I can’t achieve that goal.  I can’t contribute value to the team.  I’m not competent at this.”  Do you ever find yourself thinking these things?  If so, maybe we could all benefit from the power of yet. 

The challenge: How are you embracing the power of yet?

Bonus Application 1: A few months ago I started working out more.  I couldn’t do pull-ups.  I kept telling myself, “I can’t do them…yet!”  I can now do 3 or 4 at a time.  #pumpedforprogress

Bonus Application 2: Just started a new role I’m super pumped, but all of a sudden the competence and expertise I felt in my last role is gone as I start this new adventure.  I’m trying not to let that intimidate me.  I keep telling myself, “I’m not as competent as I want to be…yet.  I’m not a wizard in this role…yet.”  (Yes, feeling like a wizard is what I aim for in roles 😉  The goal is to perform while making things look so easy and smooth that it has to be done by sorcery.  It’s an incredible feeling if you can get there. #I’mweird #You’reawizardHarry #I’maHufflepuff)

I stand in solidarity against injustice and in support of humanity.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

First Grade Spelling, Setting Expectations, and Offering Grace (8-25-21)

Last week was about school and creating the right environment.  This week is about expectations and grace.  It’s inspired by Alice’s first grade teacher from public school.

Alice hasn’t ever been the best speller.  My wife and I talked about this with her first grade teacher during a parent teacher conference.  The teacher told us that Alice was the middle of the pack, that we shouldn’t be too alarmed, and that we could keep working with her to help her sound out words.  After that, the teacher dropped this nugget.  “I always tell my students that when we are writing our stories there is no such thing as perfect spelling in first grade.  They are going to misspell words, and that’s okay.  As long as they start a sentence with a capital letter and end it with punctuation, it’s a beautiful sentence.”

You might be wondering what that has to do with expectations and grace.  With that one nugget about misspelling words and making a beautiful sentence that teacher did two things.  First, she set the expectation for what was important.  She was trying to teach the kids about sentence structure, more specifically about capital letters and punctuation at the end of the sentence.  The misspelled words didn’t matter, as long as they did the other parts right.  Second, she taught the children about grace and mistakes.  She told the kids that they were going to mess up and that was okay.  Can you imagine the burden she took off the children’s shoulders when she gave them permission to not be perfect?

Overall, what the teacher did was great leadership.  Reflect on your own leadership for a moment.  How often do you communicate a clear vision about what is important and what we need to focus on (capital letters and punctuation)?  How often do you give people grace to make mistakes along the way (it’s okay to misspell words)?  I know I could do better in these areas.

The challenge: Can you set clear expectations while also extending grace?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Being Intentional about Creating Classrooms, Environments, and Cultures (8-18-21)

Since school is starting, this week we will kick off a series inspired by lessons we can learn from school.  We will begin by reflecting on decorating a classroom, creating environments, and building cultures.

This is our second year homeschooling our girls.  After we made the decision last year, my wife turned our playroom into a classroom.  Each year, the classroom has a theme that the girls choose.  Last year, the theme was big cats.  This year the theme is space.  My wife’s goal with decorating is to create an environment that feels fun, engaging, and makes the girls feel like they have ownership in the classroom.  She takes great care in buying decorations, working with the kids to do paintings, and adding in other little touches to bring the theme to life.  She even gets themed tshirts for the entire family every year, so the girls feel part of something larger than themselves.  As a result, the girls love and are proud of their classroom, and it becomes a welcoming space for them to do school every day.

Let’s think about how this connects to work.  My wife understands that building the right environment for the girls will lead them to being more excited and curious about learning new things.  While her physical environment is a classroom, what she is really doing is using a theme to create a culture of learning.  She is intentional with every decoration, every schedule she creates, every rule in the classroom, and every system for rewards to create a place where learning is encouraged and fun.  While we may not all teach in classrooms, we are all individuals who participate in and add to the environments and culture around us.  Similar to my wife, the environment and culture we create will influence the vibes and behaviors of the people around us.  If we want to create a positive environment and culture, we need to be INTENTIONAL about what we are doing.

The challenge: What kind of environment do you want to create?  How are you being INTENTIONAL about building environment and culture?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Sharpening Your Tools to Improve Your Craft (8-11-21)

Happy Wednesday,

This is the last in the series about mastering your craft.  This week is about sharpening your tools and your skills.

One of the most important tools a chef can have is a great set of knives.  The sharp blades lead to better slicing and dicing, and the sharper the blade the more precise a chef can cut with them.  This precision leads to making a better meal.  Over time, knives will eventually become dull as they are used over and over and over again.  When this happens, a chef will take the time to sharpen them.  Doing so restores the blade and its edge, helping the tool become a better asset to the chef using it. 

What does this have to do with anything?  In our crafts we don’t necessarily use knives, but we do leverage various skills, frameworks, and tools.  How do you go about sharpening them?  I primarily rely on feedback and reflection.  First, I rely on feedback about my performance on a given task that helps me understand where I wasn’t as crisp as I wanted to be.  This helps identify those areas I need to go back and work on.  Second, I spend a lot of time reflecting.  I reflect on books I’m reading, podcasts I’ve listened to, major projects I’m working on, and the small day to day stuff that sticks out to me.  I reflect to initially capture lessons, and then I go back and revisit those lessons to continue to glean new insights.  I especially do this whenever I’m doing a task I’ve done before.  For example, when I do customer planning I’ll go back and look at my previous reflections on customer planning over the year to identify learnings to carry forward and watchouts to avoid.  Doing this keeps me sharp, and helps me slice through things like a hot knife through butter (oh snap!)

The challenge: How will you sharpen your skills, frameworks, and tools?

I stand in solidarity against injustice and in support of humanity.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Your Craft and Having the Right Tools (8-4-21)

Last week was about focusing on one thing to improve your craft.  This week we will build on that by reflecting on the tools we use in our craft.

Have you ever been over to someone’s house who really enjoys the craft of cooking?  I’m not one of those people.  I’m an okay cook, but I don’t have a desire to be great at it.  One thing I’ve always noticed about people who enjoy the craft of cooking is that they have better tools than I do.  Tools could mean pots, pans, and utensils.  Tools could mean a better grill or smoker with better fuel.  Tools could even mean higher quality of ingredients than I would normally think of purchasing.  If I would ever hope to get to their level, not only would I have to practice more, but I would need to invest in better tools.

You might be wondering where this is going.  Last week we reflected on being intentional about focusing on the right thing to improve.  One of the aspects of getting better is making sure we are investing in the right tools, because having the right tools can make a big difference.  For example, about a year ago I was doing some marketing planning for a brand and trying to figure out how to adjust approaches due to COVID and everything else going in the world.  I had no idea how to go about thinking about this until a colleague introduced me to a framework.  She has a background in futurist thinking, and since we were thinking about the future she introduced me to some tools that she learned in her training.  Now that I had better tools, I was better equipped to attack the problem.  This futurist thinking is now something I have in my toolbelt to help me with my craft of moving people.  The challenge: What tools and frameworks are you picking up to help you master your craft?

Bonus- Below is a collection of frameworks/tools/questions I’ve picked up over the years that has taken my game to the next level.

  • Playing to Win– Book about key questions to leverage to think strategically
  • Radical Candor– Book about giving feedback.
  • Six Thinking Hats– A book about how to execute PRODUCTIVE team brainstorming.
  • Atomic Habits– One of the few things about habits that have helped things stick.
  • Secret Structure of Great Talks– A TED talk about the structure of communication. Helps me shape stories.
  • Flipboard- It’s an app that curates articles based on your personal preferences.  I like to spend a few minutes on this each day seeing if I can find anything cool.
  • Karen Wurster’s Prioritization Grid- I initially used this to prioritize market research work, but have expanded and adapted it to prioritize any project. Check out this link.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Cornhole and Making 1 Change to Improve Your Craft (7-28-21)

Last week was about being focused on continually improving your craft.  This week is about playing cornhole and making 1 change to improve your craft.

Every year I go on a fishing trip with my dad, brother, uncle, and cousins, and we play a lot of cornhole aka bags.  In case you’ve never played, the goal is to throw the bags and get them into the hole (for 3 points) or onto the board (for 1 point).  The first team to score 21 without going over wins.  Historically, I’ve not been great at cornhole, because I was wildly inconsistent.  Most of the time I struggled to consistently make it onto the board.  This finally changed this year.  I started out being really off, which was obviously pretty frustrating.  I tried to solve this problem by changing a lot of things at the same time.  I tried different combinations of steps/no steps, throwing motions, changing how hard I was throwing, etc.

Making all those changes didn’t help.  Finally, I realized my issue.  I was holding the bags with my thumb on top of them and for some reason this often caused me to twist my wrist when throwing.  The wrist twisting motion made my throw unpredictable.  After diagnosing this, I realized I didn’t need to change a lot of things at the same time.  I needed to make ONE meaningful adjustment, so I changed my grip.  I started holding the bags in my palm without my thumb ever touching them.  This motion stopped me from turning my wrist over so often.  The result is I got to the point where I could at least consistently get the bags on the board.  I’m still not great at cornhole, but that one small change made me SUBSTANTIALLY better. 

What does this have to do with mastering a craft?  Often when trying to master something, I look at all the ways I am deficient and try to work on them all at once.  Do you ever do that?  This tends to lead to more and more frustration, because things often don’t get better.  Over time I’ve realized that usually if I could focus all of my effort on the right thing, then making 1 key change would have a tremendous impact.  Similar to cornhole, once I focused on fixing my grip, everything else got better.  Now that I’m consistent with my grip, I can work on doing other things.

The challenge: Take a moment to reflect on your craft.  What is one change you could make that would have a meaningful impact on improving your craft?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

The Power of a Small Act of Kindness (7-26-21)

Bonus blog.  Something happened today that brought a smile to my face, so I hope it inspires you too.  It’s all about the power of a small act of kindness.

In general, I’ve not had the best of luck lately, way more unnecessary stress than needed.  Then, this morning was the most Monday morning I could ask for.  My 9 year old was spitting teenage level sass and emotional fire.  I spent the morning addressing issues I thought I addressed last week.  A billing mess up is trying to cost me a few extra hundred dollars.  Not a great start to the week.

I’m in the midst of my crappy morning, knocking out emails, and I get a phone call from a number I don’t know.  I assume it’s the people to talk about the billing situation, so I’m mentally ready for a not so great convo.  Then the person says, “This is Kelly from Uber Eats.”  I hadn’t ordered anything from Uber Eats, so I assumed it was a scam.  Turns out, it was a surprise delivery!  I open the box of doughnuts and it has a nice little note on the inside.  I smiled, had a doughnut, and that one small act of kindness was enough to turnaround an entire day.  I’m now fully refreshed, fully carb loaded, and ready to go! 😉

What does this have to do with anything?  We all have the power to be kind.  We all have the ability to make one small gesture towards another human in our lives.  You never know.  Maybe that person is having a tough time and your small gesture will completely pick them up out of their bad mood.  Maybe that person is already doing pretty well, and your one kind gesture will give them even more feel good energy.  The challenge: Perform one small act of kindness for someone else today.

  • Write and send a thank you note.
  • Surprise a stranger by buying them a Starbucks drink or paying for their food at a restaurant.
  • Send an email with a cool meme telling someone you appreciate them.
  • Record and send a video of you telling someone how much you care about them.
  • Surprise someone with an Uber Eats delivery

Side note, you might be wondering if my girls will get any of the doughnuts.  I make no promises or guarantees…😉

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Putting in Work to Master Your Craft (7-21-21)

Last week was about identifying what your craft is.  This week is about putting in the work to master your craft.  It’s inspired by my niece, Shelby.

Shelby has always loved hair.  She had done it for herself and friends, and about a year ago she decided to pursue it as a career.  This was her craft, her calling.  I’m not sure how she would describe doing hair as a craft, but I’d say it’s all about harnessing the power of transformation.  While Shelby already had some talent and skill, she had a desire to master her craft.  About a year ago, she started cosmetology school where she  learned new haircut techniques, color combinations, and other tips and tricks.  Every single day she was working to get better.  The picture above is work my niece did for my wife.  I know I’m biased, but I think it looks AMAZING.  My niece wouldn’t have been able to do that on Day 1, but through the constant striving to be better she’s improved and is at a higher level now than when she started.  Now she’s graduated and getting ready to start in a salon, but she’s not done growing.  She’s still learning.  Still trying to get better.  She’s constantly working to master her craft.  (#soproudofher)

What does this have to do with anything?  Shelby identified her craft and then went somewhere to work on her craft to get better.  I don’t know about you, but I allow myself to get stagnant sometimes.  I get so caught up in the day to day of life that I stop trying to learn.  I also get caught up in, “Well, I’ve done this before, so I’m already great at this.”  As a result of all of this, sometimes  I stop striving to get better.  Do you ever fall into that trap?  Last week we explored how our craft is so much deeper and more powerful than our job.  I believe that in our hearts, all of our crafts somehow connect to making the world better.  If this is the case, we can’t afford to stop growing and learning.

The challenge: Are you putting in the work to master your craft?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

What is your craft? (7-14-21)

This week we will kick off a series about identifying and honing our crafts.  This first entry is about understanding your craft is more than just your job.

Recently I ordered a flight of beer from the brewpub.  When the bartender brought the flight over he explained how some of the beers were new, and then he asked if he could share some additional insight.  He went on to explain more about the new beers, and he offered perspective about the order in which I should try them.  He shared more about how the beers were made and some of the unique properties they had.  I took his suggestions, and noticed things I would have never picked up on my own.  It was delicious!

So what does this have to do with understanding what your craft it?  You could say that the bartender’s craft is making drinks.  However, this bartender understands that his craft goes beyond the physical act of making and serving beverages.  His craft is about creating experiences.  His insight and perspective changed the way I experienced the flight of beer, and I’m thankful for it.  His craft isn’t just the physical thing he does.  There’s a deeper meaning and power to what he does. 

What’s your craft?  I work in marketing, so you might say marketing is my craft.  That would be true to an extent, but I believe it’s more than that.  I believe my craft is moving people.  My unique genius and collection of skills, art, and science are all focused on connecting with people and moving them to feel something and/or take action.  This craft shows up in so many things I do whether it’s writing this blog, performing poetry, creating marketing strategies, uncovering market research insights, and the way I interact with folks on a daily basis.

The challenge: What is your craft?  How is it the same and/or different from your job?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

New Work Normal, Cold Water, and Change (7-12-21)

Hope you had a fabulous holiday. For some of us, this is our first day back in the “new normal” of work, so I wanted to commemorate this day with the last entry in our series about returning to work.  This week is about cold water and sticking it out through change.

My family went for a day trip to the Dunes at the end of May.  The beach was beautiful.  The water was COLD.  I tested out the water myself, and it was way too chilly for me to stay out there.  I lasted 3 seconds before I ran back to my chair on the beach.  However, my girls were tougher than me.  The moment my girls stepped into the water they shrieked, but instead of running away they stayed.  As they stayed, their body got more and more used to the water and the temperature.  Over time, they fully acclimated and then they were able to enjoy the water.  They ended up having an amazing time swimming and splashing around.

What does this have to do with anything?  Cold water is a lot like change.  When you step into change, it’s not exactly welcoming.  Change might feel too cold or too hot or too different.  The first instinct is to step out of change as quickly as possible, to get away from that uncomfortable sensation.  Do you ever find yourself leaning away from change instead of leaning into change?  I know I do. 

Through experience I’ve learned that if you can stay in the lake of change and allow yourself to get acclimated, then you can begin to find a way to enjoy what life is evolving into.  This isn’t easy.  It requires you to leave your place of comfort on the safe shoreline.  It requires you to be willing to be uncomfortable and to remain uncomfortable for some time.  Right now we are all trying to adjust to something different as we begin to figure out what works looks like for us moving forward, and we have to be willing to be patient and work through this change if we wish to come out better on the other side.

The challenge: Will you be brave enough to stay in the waters of change?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry