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

Picky Eaters and Mindsets (10-3-18)

Last week was about cooking on instinct vs. following recipes. This week is about being a picky eater and mindsets.

My two girls are picky eaters. Alice (6) is growing out of it a bit, but Violet (4) is stuck in her stubborn picky ways (#punk). Here is how this plays out. We put something new in front of them. They come to the table knowing they aren’t going to like any food we put in front of them. They take a look at it and decide instantly that they don’t like it. We tell them that they haven’t even tried it, so they can’t judge it yet. They begin to poke the food with their forks and come up with reasons why they won’t like it before even tasting, so we make them try the food. Sometimes, they end up liking the meal. Sometimes, they don’t like it. It’s annoying that we go through this every time, when they could just try it without the hassle. Has anyone else out there experienced this with their kids?

You might be wondering what this has to do with anything. I’d say that are three connections to be made. First, the way you experience life is often dictated by your mindset going into it. My girls enter new food situations with the mindset of, “I don’t like this,” so they often don’t like new foods. On the other hand, if they approached a new meal with, “This is going to be interesting,” then they’d be more open to trying new things and would probably enjoy them more. What mindset do you have as you approach new situations? How open is your mindset?

Another connection is that I’d argue that people are often picky “eaters”. It may not be with food, but we get stuck in our routines, our habits, our thought process, our beliefs, etc. and we convince ourselves that is the only thing we should support. This happens all the time at work, with politics, and with disagreements of any sort. How often have you shared an idea with someone and it got shut down right away, just because it wasn’t what they were used to? Now be honest with yourself. How often do you shut down other ideas without really giving them a try, because they aren’t what you are used to?

The third connection comes back to what you are comfortable “eating”. My girls love mac and cheese. That is their comfort zone. It’s not bad having mac and cheese every now and then, but if it were up to them it’s all they would eat. Eating the same stuff, especially that stuff, doesn’t give their body the variety it needs. It’s not healthy. Likewise, people become engrained in their thoughts and world views, not realizing that only consuming their worldview doesn’t give them the variety it needs. In fact, it’s unhealthy. Be honest with yourself. When was the last time you had a disagreement and tried to move beyond your comfort zone to understand the other side of the issue? How much time do you spend merely reinforcing your worldview vs. exploring worldviews held by other people?

The challenge: Are you being a “picky eater” or are you giving other “dishes” a fair taste test?

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