Quidditch, Golden Snitches, and Prioritization (3-1-17)

Last week was about Hermione Granger, self-doubt, and running out of magic.  This week we are going to turn to quidditch for a lesson in prioritization.  In case you’re a muggle, allow me to explain Quidditch.  The game consists of two teams of 7 players who fly on brooms and try to score points.  There are 4 “balls” that are in play during a match.  There is one quaffle (a ball you grab and throw through hoops to earn points), two bludgers (enchanted balls that try to knock people off their brooms), and one golden snitch. 

The golden snitch is a small flittery ball that is enchanted to make is extremely elusive.  Capturing the ball is worth a lot of points and is the only way to stop the match.  Basically, capturing the golden snitch is the most important thing you can do in the game to achieve victory.  In order to catch the golden snitch, each team has a player designated as the Seeker.  The Seeker is a skilled flyer with a fast broom and their job is to avoid the other team and the bludgers in order to capture the golden snitch.  The other players work with the Seeker to help them achieve the goal.  You can click HERE to see this in action.  So you’re probably wondering what this has to do with prioritization.  As the paragraph states above, the golden snitch is the most important thing in the game.  This means that each team prioritizes its personnel, effort, skills, and strategies in a way that boosts their ability to capture the golden snitch.  If the team doesn’t prioritize golden snitch catching activities, then they will lose.

So what does this have to do with work?  In quidditch the golden snitch is clearly identified as the most important thing to achieve.  In the real world it doesn’t work like that.  Instead, it is up to the team to look at a very complex market in order to decide what is the most important thing the team must achieve in order to be successful.  Another connection is that just like quidditch, in the real world you are flying around in a crazy environment where bludgers (external forces) try to knock you off your focus while competitors fly all around you chasing goals.  You are forced to navigate an extremely complicated landscape, and it is up to you to prioritize the people, effort, skills, time, and strategies that will enable you to capture your golden snitch.  If you asked your team right now what the golden snitch is that your team is trying to capture, could they tell you?  If you asked them how their work enabled the team to capture the golden snitch would they know?  If I asked you what your golden snitch was, would you have an answer?  If you don’t know what your golden snitch is you can’t figure out how to catch it, which just leaves you fly around fast in circles.  Sure it might look impressive, but it’s not really getting anything done.  I’m sure we all have had that experience, right?  I know that I’m currently in the stage of messy confusion where I’m spending time trying to figure out what my golden snitch is so I can best catch it, so if you’re there too then you aren’t alone.

The challenge: What is your team’s golden snitch?  How are you prioritizing your efforts to ensure that everything is aligned to catching that golden snitch?  (If only it were as easy as “accio what should be my top priority.”)

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Hermione, Self-Doubt, and Running out of Magic (2-22-17)

It’s time to go full on nerdtastic.  This week we will kick of a series inspired by Harry Potter.  Spoiler alert.  This series will divulge plots points and secrets.  You’ve been warned.  This week is about self-doubt and my fear of “running out of magic.”

In the Harry Potter universe, magic does not just stem from natural ability.  Instead, the power of your magic comes from your learning and practice.  That’s why they send people to Hogwarts to develop their skills.  I would argue that Harry Potter is one of the more naturally talented characters, but it is Hermione Granger who is the best wizard in her class.  She’s a studious bookworm who has built up quite the knowledge base and who puts a lot of effort into practicing, so whenever everybody’s back is against the wall she’s the one who knows what to do.  Obviously, her natural ability, wand, and other magical artifacts have a positive impact on her, but it is the combination of these with her work ethic that always helps her come out on top.

You’re probably wondering what this has to do with doubt.  I recently started a new role, and the team has given me a very warm reception.  Even with this, self-doubt keeps creeping in.  My current self-doubt conversation goes like this, “Andrew, what if you don’t meet their expectations.  What if you fail?  What if this is the role when you run out of magic?”  I’ve been stuck on that last phrase for a few weeks and then all of a sudden one day after I said, “What if this is the role when you run out of magic?” I replied with, “Forget that.  I’m going to be like Hermione Granger,” for all the reasons mentioned in the above paragraph. 

How does this connect to work?  I’m guessing you probably have these self-doubt fueled conversations.  If you’re anything like me, when you have these conversations you forget who you are and you conjure up these stories about how the only reason you are where you are is because of luck and because people haven’t figured out you’re an imposter yet.  Now don’t get me wrong, luck and other factors definitely play a role in success, much like how a wand plays a role in Hermione’s magic, but at the same time, it’s not all just because of luck.  You’ve put the work in.  You’ve pulled through in tough situations.  That same skill and tenacity that helped you be successful then will help you now.  These are the things I have to remind myself of when I’m filled with doubt and am afraid of running out of magic.

The challenge: How will you respond when you are afraid of running out of magic?  Remember this when you face self-doubt.  You aren’t here by accident.  You’ve put the work in.  You aren’t a muggle.  You are a powerful wizard.  Now go cast some spells starting with Accio confidence!

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Mindset and Influence (2-15-17)

This will be the last in the series about mindsets.  Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at how mindsets shape the way we view the world and how we can make an effort to change them (filmmaking) as well as mindsets with regards to where your confidence comes from.  We’ve thought about mindset and white space (box) as well as mindset and bending/breaking limits (The Matrix).  This week I want us to think about what we are going to do moving forward.  I want us to think about mindset and influence. 

I’ve been through a few leadership trainings and sooner or later we end up talking about authority vs. influence.  When we have this conversation the group usually ends up discussing two key questions.  What can you control?  What can you influence?  The facilitator is usually trying to drive people to understand that the only thing you can control is yourself, but there are things outside yourself you can influence.  I think those questions are great ones to get you thinking in the right direction, but they aren’t the end all be all.  “What can I influence?” is focused on current state.  In my current state, with my current skills, what can I influence? Instead of asking those questions, I would ask a different one.  “What are you responsible for trying to influence?”

How does this connect to work?  The way you answer, “What are you responsible for trying to influence?” shapes how you operate in life.  If you believe you are responsible for trying to influence anything or anyone that you touch then you will go out of your way to figure out how to do that even if you don’t currently have the answer and even if you are currently faced with limitations.  You will find ways to operate in white space, bend rules, and your eyes will always search for the hidden option.

I’d like to share a short story about Susie (fake name, real story).  Long story short, she was tasked with implementing a tactic in a short timeframe.  The people told her that it couldn’t be done, because the process would take too long.  Susie could have accepted this.  She could have said that she can’t influence a process, because it’s outside of her control.  Instead, she’s one of those people who believes that she is responsible for trying to influence anything and anyone she can touch.  Instead of giving up, she decided that there must be a way to fix the problem.  She started talking to people and hunting things down to figure out how to solve it.  24 hours after she was told no, she had found the right people to make it happen.  The tactic was changed and the thing that was impossible was all of a sudden accomplished.  My favorite part of this story is that when other folks heard about what she had done they were just like, “Yeah.  She’s just that awesome.  That’s who she is and what she does every day.”  Her belief that she is responsible for trying to influence everything she touches has manifested itself in her actions.  You’ve probably heard similar stories before.  The question is, how often is this story about you?

The Challenge: What are you responsible for trying to influence?  What does your mindset drive you to do?  What will you do differently moving forward?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

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