Impostor Syndrome and Your Unique Genius (10-23-24)

Last week was about impostor syndrome and the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves. This week is about impostor syndrome and embracing your own unique genius.

I’m working with an amazing group of individuals right now. These people are absolutely brilliant in their field. They’ve worked with all kinds of amazing companies and people. If I’m being 100% honest, I often feel self-conscious and dumb around them. It’s nothing they’ve done. Impostor Syndrome whispers, “Did you hear all their accolades? They have done work with heads of huge companies. You’re kind of chump change. You’re not smart like them. You’re not in their league.”

Over time, something interesting started happening. This group of amazing people started telling me how much they value my input. At first, I was confused by this. I’m not in their league, so how am I valuable? I then begin to appreciate that I have context, insight, and skillsets they might not have. I’m not smart in THEIR way. I’m smart in MY OWN WAY. It just so happens that my unique genius has a synergistic effect that enables them to get even more out of their strengths.

Let’s make some connection. Have you ever been in a group of brilliant people and felt dumb or out of place? Has Impostor Syndrome ever told you that you don’t belong, and that you aren’t in their league? Per my story above, you know I’ve been there. My most important learning is I didn’t need to be smart or talented like them. I just needed to be smart and talented like me. We each have our own UNIQUE genius. We each have something special about us that inherently makes us valuable and worthy. Often, it’s the ability to combine the unique geniuses of multiple people that truly creates something magical.

The challenge: Will you embrace your own unique genius to combat impostor syndrome?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Chili, Versatility, and our Talents (11-16-22)

Last week was about chili and simplicity. Our final chili related entry is about chili, versatility, and our talents.

Pretend for a minute that you’ve made a big pot of chili. What do you do with the leftovers? Do you just keep eating bowls of chili or do you use the chili in different ways to make something delicious? At first, I might eat another bowl or two of normal chili, and then I’ll start mixing it up. I might use that leftover chili to make chili cheese fries. I might pour some chili on top of nachos for an extra bit of flavor. I might even make chili dogs with the leftovers. I might mix some chili, scrambled eggs, and shredded cheese together for a nice breakfast. I might even get crazy, make some crispy tater tots in the air fryer and pour chili and queso over them (dang, I’m hungry now!) The point is that chili is great on its own AND it is versatile enough to be used in other ways to create other incredible foods.

What does this have to do with anything? The above story could be a metaphor for how we view our talents and the talents of others. We all have our own unique strengths (chili). It’s easy to only think about using those strengths in the same way in the same projects in the same roles over and over and over again (eating leftover bowls of chili). We might see a new challenge and think, “I’m not sure my strengths work with that.” Have you ever felt that way? I have. We might also look at people and say, “They are really talented at X, but I don’t think that carries over to Y.” In essence, we’ve told people that they are a bowl of chili, and they can’t be anything more than that. Before you know it, we have pigeonholed ourselves or other people into what we THINK they are versus all the different ways they could use their talents. We know that chili is great as a bowl of chili AND it has the potential to be great in so many other dishes. This is our chance to realize that all of us have talents that can be used in a variety of ways to bring more flavor to the world.

The challenge: Are you seeing the potential in your strengths and talents to be used in different ways? Are you seeing that same potential in the strengths and talents of others?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Super Mario Odyssey and Leveraging Strengths (3-9-22)

Last week was about Luigi and being brave. This week is about Super Mario Odyssey and leveraging strengths.

Super Mario Odyssey is one of the more recent Mario games. In this game you are able to throw your hat to “capture” enemies. Once you capture them, you become them and gain all of their abilities. For example, you might need to swim deep underwater. Mario can’t do that, because he has to breathe. However, if you become the fish enemy (see pic of fish in the middle) you can swim underwater indefinitely. On the other hand, maybe you need to fly. You could capture a flying goomba (see bottom middle of pic), and all of a sudden you have wings to get you where you need to go. The fish’s powers are awesome, but they won’t help you fly. Likewise, leveraging the talents of the flying goomba is cool, until you need to swim.

What does this have to do with anything? In order to be successful in this game, you have to leverage the strengths of different characters. We may not be able to throw our hats and capture the strengths of others, but we can make sure we are building teams that have people with different strengths. We can also make sure that we are putting people in situations that maximize their strengths.

Have you ever been in a role or situation at work that made the most of your strengths? What did that feel like? I love being in that situation. I find myself in flow states, where the work is hard, but it also feels effortless. My energy is limitless and my engagement is through the roof. I’m at the top of my game in those roles. Not only am I performing at a high level, but I’m doing it in a way that brings a little extra magic to the situation that has positive ripple effects across everything I touch. As a result, the organization benefits because it gets the most out of what I can uniquely provide. On the flip side, have you ever been in a role or situation at work that didn’t make the most of your strengths? What did that feel like? I’ve been there. It’s nowhere near as engaging. In fact, I’ve found those situations to be draining and frustrating. Sure, in those situations I’ve been able to do the work and perform, but there is a difference between being able to do the job and performing in a way that brings extra magic. In these situations the organization loses, because the value I provided in that role was nowhere near the value I could have provided in a role that leveraged my talents.

The challenges: Are you recognizing the strengths of yourself and others? Are you building teams filled with different people with different talents? Are you putting yourself and others in a situation where we can leverage our strengths?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry