Magnets, a Compass, and True North (4-3-19)

This is going to be the last in our series inspired by science. We began with thermodynamics and inclusion. From there we moved to ionic bonds and vulnerability, and then we reflected on the power of catalysts. We spent a couple of weeks in physics thinking about Bernoulli’s principle and pressure, and Newton’s laws of motion. Last week was about centrifugal force and slowing life down. This week we will think about magnets, compasses, and north.

Let’s pretend for a moment that I dropped you off in the middle of the woods. Let’s pretend it was so foggy that you couldn’t see very well. From here, it was your job to get back to the cabin, and the only thing you know is that the cabin is due north. I’m assuming at this point, you’d be pretty concerned, because you’d be out in the middle of the forest and can’t really see anything. How would this change if you had a compass? I bet if you had a compass, you’d feel better. While you might not be able to see too far ahead of you, the compass would be able to guide you. Even with the fog, the compass would still work, because the compass doesn’t rely on visual cues. Instead, the compass relies on magnetism and its connection to the north pole.

You might be wondering what this has to do with work. How many times have you been in the middle of a conversation (or project) that swirled and swirled and swirled until everyone was lost, confused, or misaligned? How many times have you been the one leading those conversations? I’ve been there before…a lot… more times than I care to admit.

Why does this happen? Often we blame it on the complexity or ambiguity of the situation. There is some truth to this. However, complexity and ambiguity are like the forest and fog in the situation. They make it more difficult to get to north, but they don’t make it impossible. Many times, the reason why the conversations go sideways and end up with everyone lost, is because we lost focus on what north is. Essentially, we enter those conversations without a compass or never look at the compass during the conversation. Often, what these conversations require is someone connecting the group back to objective/end game aka true north to help guide people. For example, someone might say something like, “I appreciate all of the thoughts. The real problem we need to fix is X, so let’s make sure we focus on X.” Then that person can moderate the conversation to ensure it stays focused on solving X, because that is the true north in this situation.

The challenge: Are you establishing “north” aka the key objectives before beginning complicated conversations (or projects)? Are you brave enough to get people to pause and consult their compasses when they start to get lost?

Bonus Thought 1: Take the meeting example above and replace it with “life”. Until you find your true north, you will swirl and get lost.

Bonus thought 2: It’s okay if you don’t always know your true north right away in life and/or at work. At work I’m doing a lot of things for the first time in a new role, and I’m not always clear on what the objectives are. I’ve found that I need to pause when I’m in these situations to gain clarity on my objectives before rushing forward and getting lost in swirl.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Centrifugal Force, Merry-Go-Rounds, and Slowing Life Down (3-27-19)

Last week was about Newton’s laws of motion and moving people. This week we will stick with motion and reflect on centrifugal force, merry-go-rounds, and slowing life down.

I’m assuming that at one-point in all of our lives we have ridden on a merry-go-round or some kind of ride that spins you around in circles. Before the ride begins, we are stationary. As the ride starts to spin slowly, we initially don’t move too much from the center of the ride. However, as the ride picks up more speed, a force acts on us pushing us away from the center of the merry-go-round/ride and to the edges of the ride. The force that acts on us is centrifugal force. The bottom line is that the faster the thing is spinning the more the force works to push you to the outside, away from the center. If you want to get to the center, you need to find a way to slow things down.

You might be wondering where this is going. In many ways we spend our lives on an invisible merry-go-round balancing work, life, and everything that comes our way. Much like a merry-go-round, we have a center, where we are balanced, focused, and plugged into the things that matter most. The tricky thing is that unlike a merry-go-round, life never stops spinning (while we are living). This means that we always have some force pushing us away from our center. As life spins faster, we get further away from our center and lose focus.

What we often fail to realize is that we have the power to speed life up or slow life down. Have you ever been around a person who took something small and turned it into a huge deal spinning everything out of control? Have you ever been that person? I have. This is an example of taking something and speeding it up, further pushing us away from our center and making life difficult. On the opposite end, there are times when life has been going really fast and I’ve been able to say, “Does all of this actually matter? Is all of this really important?” (The answer is that 95% of things aren’t important.) Pausing to breathe and ask those questions has a powerful impact on slowing life down enough to where you can get closer to your center.

The challenge: On the merry-go-round of life, will you take the time to slow things down to get back to center?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Newton’s 1st Law and Moving People (3-20-19)

Last week was about Bernoulli’s principle and pressure with an added bonus note about giving Newton a high five. What many of you might not know is that Bernoulli’s principle connects well with Newton’s laws, so this week we are going to reflect on Isaac Newton’s first law of motion. (Look at that connection. #droppingEastereggslikethebunny)

The first law of motion is, “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” What this means is that objects tend to do what they are already doing. If a ball is on the ground completely still, it’s not going to move unless acted on by an external force like the wind or a kick from someone. If a ball is rolling down a hill, it is going to keep rolling unless it’s acted on by an external force like friction or a brick wall.

You might be wondering what this has to do with anything. I think you could rewrite the first law to include people. “A person will tend to stay stuck in one place unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Likewise, “A person will move in the same routine unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Have you ever felt stuck? Maybe you are in a tough relationship/job/project/spot in life. I’ve been there, and still find myself there from time to time. It always takes some kind of force to help me move. Usually it’s an external force, like a person who cares for me to say something or does something to help me move forward. On the flip side, have you ever found yourself locked in a way of thinking? You are the object in motion going in motion, going through the same actions, attacking problems in the exact same way, because that’s what you’ve always done. I’ve been there. Then, all of a sudden some outside force, maybe a coach, a mentor, or a friend gives you some insight that makes you pivot how you were operating, change direction, and get somewhere new.

The bottom line is that whether you are stuck or in motion down a path, often it takes a force to help us snap out of it and get moving or a force to help us readjust the way we are doing things. The thing is, we all have the power to be this force for each other. We all have the power to be the one to say a few kind words, offer some insights, extend a hand or a hug, and do a million other things to either get people moving or help them change direction.

The challenge: We can all be a force. Are you being a force for good that helps people move in the right direction?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Bernoulli’s Principle and Applying Pressure (3-13-19)

Last week was about catalysts and chemical reactions. This week we are going to reflect on Bernoulli’s principle and pressure. Let’s start with the principle. “In fluid dynamics, Bernoulli’s principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure (Wikipedia). It’s easy to get lost in that. The essence of this is that Bernoulli’s principle gives you the ability to understand how to manipulate pressure.

One of the most useful applications of Bernoulli’s principle is in aircraft flight. “If the air flowing past the top surface of an aircraft wing is moving faster than the air flowing past the bottom surface, then Bernoulli’s principle implies that the pressure on the surfaces of the wing will be lower above than below. This pressure difference results in an upwards lifting force.” (Wikipedia). A person designing wings for planes needs to understand Bernoulli’s principle, so they can appropriately manipulate and harness the power of pressure. If you don’t harness pressure correctly then a few bad things could happen. For example, the plane never takes off, it comes down too hard, and/or it spirals in the air out of control.

Besides being lost in a nerdtastic rabbit hole, you might be wondering what this has to do with anything. Last time I checked, we don’t design wings for airplanes. At the same time, I’d argue that we are all leaders, and leaders are people who need to understand and harness the power of pressure to lift us to new heights. As leaders, we direct pressure with the expectations we set, how big we dream, and how much we are willing to push each other. Much like an airplane, if we don’t harness the power of pressure correctly bad things can happen. If we don’t do things to create enough positive pressure, then we never create the upward lift that helps people reach their full potential. If we create too much downward pressure, we crush people and keep them from every flying. If we apply uneven pressure throughout the journey we send people spiraling. I know because I’ve had leaders do all of these things, and more importantly I’ve made all those mistakes.

The challenge: How can we harness pressure for positive change?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Catalysts and Chemical Reactions (3-6-19)

Last week was about ionic bonds and vulnerability. This week is about catalysts and chemical reactions. Thanks to Bethany Thomson for the suggestion. A chemical reaction occurs when molecules unleash their kinetic energy while colliding into each other. If their kinetic energy is high enough to make it through the transition state then the reaction occurs and the materials are transformed into a new product. A catalyst is something that speeds up the chemical reaction, but is not consumed by it. Essentially, a catalyst is an energy efficient boost that helps get molecules moving so they can make it past the activation barrier to hit the reaction and create a new output. (https://www.chemicool.com/definition/catalyst.html)

So what does this have to do with anything? I’d argue that we are all different chemicals bouncing around trying to create some kind of reaction that leads to better relationships, better products for our customers, higher engagement, better quality of life, etc. Doing these things are difficult and require a lot of energy, and it requires people having the right amount of kinetic energy to make it through the transition state to get to the amazing output on the other side.

This is why it’s important to have people who can be a catalyst. Have you ever been around a person who just makes things easier and makes things move faster? I can think of certain people that I love to brainstorm with, because they help the group propel through the nasty mud. There are certain people I have clicked with where we are able to go from a surface level relationship to a meaningful relationship incredibly quickly. Have you ever been around a person who is an inhibitor (the opposite of a catalyst), and seems to make everything harder than it needs to be? What is the difference between someone who is a catalyst and someone who is an inhibitor? The people I think of as catalysts are the ones who do the “soft little things” correctly and consistently. They are the ones who show people how much they appreciate and care about them, who listen before speaking, who seek to understand, who find ways to say, “Yes…and” instead of “Yes… BUT”, and constantly offer encouragement. What other behaviors would make someone a catalyst?

The challenge: We all have a chance to be a catalyst. What are you doing to help propel people/relationships/work forward? Are you exhibiting catalyst behaviors?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Ionic Bonds and Vulnerability (2-27-19)

Last week was about thermodynamics and inclusion. At the core of inclusion is building relationships, so this week is about ionic bonds, vulnerability, and building relationships.

Essentially, an ionic bond is when a positively charged ion forms a bond with a negatively charged ion. In order to do this, one atom transfers electrons from itself to another atom (www.yourdictionary.com). Said in an entirely different way, in order for an ionic bond to work, one of the atoms has to transfer one of its electrons to the other element. Once this occurs, a bond is formed. The image to the right depicts Sodium and Chloride. They start as separate atoms, then Sodium gives an electron to Chloride and a bond is formed. Once this bond is formed, Sodium Chloride becomes table salt.

You’re probably wondering where this is going. The thing that interests me about ionic bonds is the fact that an atom has to be willing to give up part of itself (an electron) to make the bond happen. If the atom doesn’t give part of itself away, then the bond can never form. This reminds me of the way that vulnerability and relationships work. In order to form a connection with someone else, you have to be brave enough and willing enough to be vulnerable. You have to be willing to share a part of yourself with them. As you share parts of yourself with each other, you give yourselves an opportunity to have powerful bonds form.

Being willing to share part of yourself doesn’t mean you have to share your deepest and darkest secrets right away. What it does mean is that you have to share something about who you are. Maybe you share things about your family. Maybe you share things about your favorite hobbies and passions. Maybe you talk about some of your favorite memories. Whatever it is, you need to share, and as you share electrons, you open up the chance for a strong bond to form.

The challenge: Are you brave enough to be vulnerable? Are you sharing parts of yourself with others to form a bond?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Hot vs. Cold- Thermodynamics and Inclusion (2-20-19)

This week I’d like to start a series inspired by lessons we can learn from science. We are going to start with a loose adaptation of thermal dynamics, hot vs. cold, and inclusion. Buckle up. We’re about to get nerdy.

This is a bit of an oversimplification, but according to thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one thing to another. As you transfer more energy to something it becomes hotter. As you stop transferring energy to something it becomes colder. The key takeaway is that cold is not a force. Cold is an absence of heat, which is really a lack of transferred energy.

Imagine baking a pizza. In order to bake it, you put it into a warm oven and it sits there in that heat for 15-20 minutes until it cooks. During this time, the oven is consistently applying energy, so the pizza gets warm. Now, let’s pretend you are baking another pizza. This time you throw the pizza in and after 1 minute you turn off the oven. You let the pizza sit there for a few minutes. Then, you turn the oven on again for 1 minute. Then, you let the pizza sit there. You keep doing this over and over again. The pizza is never going to get hot, because you are NOT consistently supplying energy, which means you can’t make it warm.

You’re probably thinking that this is a weird rabbit hole to go down, and you might be wondering what this has to do with inclusion. I believe that inclusion is a function of building relationships and culture with folks, and this makes me think of warmth. When we talk about people who show that they care for other people, we say they create a “warm” feeling. When we talk about people who don’t show they care for other people, we say they create a “cold” feeling. If we stay with our thermal dynamics theme, warm people are the ones who are consistently transferring energy to people while cold people are not consistently transferring energy to others. Warm people are an oven that stays at a steady temperature until the pizza is done cooking. Cold people are either an oven that never turns on or an oven that only turns for a few moments, so the pizza never is able to get warm.

Here’s the thing I think we often underestimate. Inclusion isn’t just about team off sites, corporate initiatives, or get to know you actives. Inclusion is about CONSISTENTLY creating warmth. Inclusion is about CONSISTENTLY pouring energy into caring for each other every single day. If you consistently put forth effort to show you care for other people then you’ll create that warm feeling, build relationships, build cultures, and eventually become more inclusive. If you don’t consistently put in the energy, then you are creating something that is relatively cold.

The challenge: Are you putting in the energy EVERY DAY to create warmth?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry