Legos, Change Management, and Making Next Steps Clear and Easy to Take (4-29-26)

Last week was about Legos, change management, and breaking builds down into achievable milestones. This week is about Lego instruction manuals and making it easy to take the next step.

This is going to sound weird. One of my favorite things about Lego sets are their instructions. Lego does a fabulous job of making the next steps clear and easy to execute. This enables me to spend more time on building vs being confused by what is going on (which is how I feel about non-Lego brands).

Lego does a few specific things to make it easy to take the next step. First, they break the build down into sections, which we discussed last week. Second, each step is small and manageable. They don’t ask you to do too much in one step. You just put together a few pieces and then move to the next step. Third, each step clearly outlines what you need, so you can make sure you’re ready. Last, they will do special callouts if something is particularly tricky or might be missed.

How does this all stack together? Think about work for a moment. Have you ever been part of an initiative and said something like, “I understand why we are trying to go there. I just don’t know HOW.” This is something I hear a lot, and something I’ve experienced quite a few times throughout my career. When this happens, it is because the immediate next step is unclear. Imagine if we had Lego directions to guide us. Imagine if we had plans in place that helped make it easier to take the next step. No matter where you were in the process you’d be able to say, “Here is the action I’m supposed to take.” That would enable us to spend less time lost in swirl and more time executing. As leaders, it’s on us to help drive this level of clarity.

The challenge: How will you make the next steps clear and easier to execute?

Bonus: I recognize that things are always evolving, so the directions may not be as simple and straight forward as Lego instructions. However, we can all make sure we are clear about what is moving in the right direction. We can all make sure that we make it easy to take the next step. For example, it’s really easy to say, “Just use AI to go faster,” but that’s not helpful to anyone, because it lacks so much clarity that it becomes overwhelming and paralyzing. Even if people would randomly use AI, it doesn’t mean it would be good. A better approach would be, “We can use AI to make this specific part of this process better. To get started, use X AI tool to solve Y problem. Here is the first step to take to get you going…”

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Legos, Change Management, and Clear Milestones (4-22-26)

Last week we kicked off our series about Legos and change management by focusing on knowing what you’re building. This week is about breaking Lego builds down into sections and having clear milestones.

My parents bought me this Spider-man set a few years ago for Christmas and it’s one of my all-time favorites. It is comprised of 2099 pieces. Imagine how difficult that would have been if all of the pieces would have just been mixed in together. That would have been horrible! Luckily, Lego doesn’t do that. They break the build down into digestible sections. Each section has a bag with the pieces you need for that section. You then work through the instruction book section by section until you’re done.

Let’s connect this to work. How often have you been involved in an organization wide initiative and been utterly confused on how to execute it? That’s happened to me a lot throughout the years. It’s almost like they dump a bunch of info (Lego bricks 😉) on you and hope you just figure it out.

Now, think about the time when you’ve been involved in something complicated, but they did a nice job of breaking it down into digestible sections. You could see how all of the milestones would add up to get you to where you need to go. You also were clear on what you needed to accomplish for each milestone. What impact did this have on you? I’ve found in these situations I was less confused and could put my effort toward executing vs figuring out what the heck was going on.

The challenge- How can we break complicated initiatives down into easier to execute milestones?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Seismic Chess and Preparing for a Shifting Board (3-4-26)

Last week was about chess, glorps, and dealing with obstacles. This week we will talk about seismic chess and preparing for shifts.

Cam has an older chess board that has been ripped in half. Instead of throwing it away, we now use this board to create new versions of the game. One of the iterations is seismic chess. In this game all of the normal rules apply, but there is a 5 minute timer. When the timer goes off, we shift one half of the board down and one half of the board up, so they are no longer a square but create a brand new shape. This timer keeps repeating until the game is over.

Anyway, I was playing the game with Cameron. I knew the rules. I knew the board would shift. Still, I hadn’t factored that into how I was playing the game. Everything was going fine until the timer went off. When it did the board shifted and all of a sudden I was at a major disadvantage. Cameron beat me in the next move. Now, I could complain and say he was lucky, but the truth is that he anticipated the shifting board better than I did.

How does this connect to work? Right now we are all playing the game the best way we know how. At the same time, AI, political environment, changing consumer demands, and so many other factors are combining and it’s only a matter of time before the entire board massively shifts. It’s hard to evolve. At the same time, if we aren’t making the right moves NOW then we will find ourselves in a place of disadvantage when the board moves. Here are a few things to think about. How might the game board change in the future? What are you doing now and how will that be impacted when the board moves? What could you do to put yourself in a better position?

The challenge: How will you prepare for the shifting board?

Bonus 1: I know I mainly used this metaphor to connect to work, but it can connect to life too. Think about the different ways your board could shift. Maybe you are getting older. Maybe you are retiring. Maybe you are starting a new family. Spending time to get ourselves right puts us in the best position to move with these shifts.

Bonus 2: I recently had a convo like this with my boss. I shared that I can feel the board shifting and that changes my job. Year 1 was all about casting a dream for where we are going with AI and building infrastructure. Year 2 was about making that dream tangible by leading product strategy. In year 3, the river is coming and it’s my job to help us navigate it so we ride the wave instead of being swept away. I’m trying to think through how I can continue to pivot.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Change and the Arrival of Fall (10-20-20)

The change in the seasons brings a wide mix of emotions. On one hand, I love fall. I love the bright colors of the leaves. I love the crisp air. I love being outside by a fire and being cozy in a warm hoodie. On the other hand, fall bums me out a bit too. Fall represents the beginning of the end for the year. Fall is a signal that the days are getting shorter. It’s a signal that things are going to get darker and colder. It’s a sign that winter and harsh weather is just around the corner. I have had 36 years of fall, and every single time I find myself with mixed emotions about the season.

What does this have to do with anything? It’s not just that I have mixed emotions about fall. It’s that I have mixed emotions about change. Some individuals embrace change more easily. Some individuals are more hesitant to accept change. No matter which camp you fall into, I’d imagine that if we were being honest with ourselves most of us would admit that we have some level of conflicting emotions when it comes to change.

In the world of business we often say that the only thing that is constant is change, and then under our breath we kind of mutter, “so you better just suck it up and get used to it.” I’m not sure this is the healthiest attitude to have. Too often I think we are expected to plow forward in the midst of change without being given the opportunity and/or sometimes the permission to feel those conflicting feelings. Like I said, I’ve had 36 years of fall and I have conflicting feelings every time. The change we face in business and in life are usually much larger than the change of the seasons, so it’s okay if you feel and sit with some of those conflicting feelings whenever you’re going through some kind of change.

The challenge: How do you respond to change? Do you allow yourselves and others to feel their feelings?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry