Handling Heat and Showing Compassion (7-9-25)

Last week, our air conditioning went out and we had to replace the entire unit. This bit of bad luck will be the inspiration for this series, so I’m hoping it’s fire 😉 Our first entry will be about handling heat, what that does and doesn’t mean, and showing compassion.

Let’s set the scene. The air conditioning is out. It is hot and humid outside. The house feels gross. The heat was particularly tough on my wife and kids. At night, I would go upstairs and sleep, even though it was hotter up there. Meanwhile, they had created a fort of cool with portable mattresses and all of the fans they could muster.

The factual statement is that I was able to sleep upstairs when they couldn’t. It would be easy to think this somehow makes me tougher or stronger than them. This might be true, but there could be other explanations. Maybe, our bodies process the experience of being overheated differently. Maybe, our bodies get overheated at different rates. Maybe, since I’m usually hot to begin with, I just have more experience being hot and uncomfortable so it’s not too different for me. Maybe, they are dealing with other challenges I’m not dealing with, so I can put more energy toward temperature regulation. I could sleep upstairs, but that doesn’t necessarily make me tougher, stronger, or better.

Let’s connect some dots. Have you ever looked at someone else and thought, “They must stronger or better than me, because they handle that well?” Or have you ever thought, “Why am I so much worse and weaker than other people?” I know I have. I’ve thought about these things as it relates to physical pain, stress, and more.

When I was younger, I’d look at people and think, “Whoa! That person must be tough,” or “That person just needs to put in the effort and suck it up!” as if it were that simple and straight forward. As I get older, and hopefully a bit wiser, I realize there is more to it than that. Maybe that person has put in the effort and is that strong. Maybe that person appears strong because they have cut off all of their emotions, which isn’t exactly healthy. Maybe that person who is struggling on a task has a whole lot of other things in life kicking the crap out of them right now. Maybe I’m experiencing a person when they aren’t at their best, while they are so strong and amazing in other aspects of life. The bottom line of all of this is I’ve learned to show more understanding and a heck of a lot more compassion.

The challenge: Will you show more understanding and compassion to others? Will you show more understanding and compassion to YOURSELF?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

A Favorite Professor and Leaving a Legacy (5-14-25)

This week is a one-off entry about one of my favorite college professors and leaving a legacy.

You never know when inspiration will hit. I had to get my wallet to buy something online and when I opened it, I saw the small card that I have kept with me since I was a senior in college almost 20 years ago. When I saw it, I smiled, and thought of Professor Skinner, one of my all-time-favorites professors who also happens to be retiring. This card is from a personal mission statement she had us write in her class, and I’ve had it ever since.

When I think about my time in her class, there are so many things that come to mind. She cares. She cares deeply about her students and her goal has always been to help them become better humans. She was always willing to push and challenge to help you realize your potential. There is so much I learned from her about being curious, being strong enough to ask for help, and how to think about and develop my personal brand. Whether it was during college or afterward, she always showed love, support, and challenged to me keep growing. I am so lucky to have had her as a professor and mentor.

Now let’s make some connections to our topic this week. Professor Skinner will go down as one of my favorite and most impactful professors I ever had. I know many of her students that feel the same way. What an incredible legacy to leave. It has me thinking about the legacy that I’m building. How will others feel when they look back at memories of us working together? What will people say when I retire? What lasting impact will I have on them? If I could be a Professor Skinner for other people that would be a tremendous accomplishment in life.

The challenge: What will your legacy be?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Chasing MacGuffins (5-7-25)

Explore the mystery of the Ark of the Covenant with Indiana Jones on ...

This will be the final entry in the series inspired by storytelling tricks and mechanics. This week is about chasing MacGuffins.

A MacGuffin is a plot device that serves as a catalyst for action throughout the story. It’s something that characters are motivated to acquire. Often, the MacGuffin is an object, but it could also be a goal or an idea. For example, a popular object MacGuffin would be the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark. This was from the first Indiana Jones film. The movie follows Indiana Jones, an archaeologist, as he goes on a globetrotting adventure to find and secure the Ark before the Nazis can get it and use its powers. All the action, conflict, and movement all are driven toward acquiring this MacGuffin. Without the MacGuffin, there wouldn’t be an Indiana Jones story. There wouldn’t be anything driving him forward to achieve.

Let’s connect this to life. Sometimes, I find myself working and running around endlessly. Then, I pause for a moment, and I realize that I’m not sure what I was running toward or why I was running. Has this ever happened to you? Maybe we all need a MacGuffin to bring clarity and lead to action. Sometimes, my MacGuffin is a medal, which serves as a catalyst for me to train and prepare for a race. Sometimes, my MacGuffin is a specific deliverable, which causes me to really focus on what matters. Sometimes, my MacGuffin is the idea of being an awesome dad, which causes me to be a lot more in tune with how I’m parenting.

The challenge: What is a MacGuffin worthy of your pursuit?

Bonus fun question: If your MacGuffin is an idea, what physical thing would embody that idea? Maybe it’s embodied by a statue, a diamond, or something else.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Perspective and The Wicked Witch (4-30-25)

A person in a person garment

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

I’m excited to continue our series focused on storytelling tricks and mechanics. Last week was about world-building and culture. This week is about the Wicked Witch and perspective.

Is the Wicked Witch evil? It depends on what perspective the story is told from. The Wizard of Oz is told from Dorothy’s perspective. It’s about her finding friends, and the Wizard of Oz telling her she has to defeat the evil Wicked Witch of the West, so she can go home. Wicked is told from the Wicked Witch’s perspective. Before she was the Wicked Witch, she was Elphaba. The story follows her growing up as an outcast and being a rising hero until the Great and Powerful Oz turns on her and brands her as the Wicked Witch. (By the way, the Wicked move was amazing!)

What does this have to do with anything? I find it so fascinating how an entire story can change, just by altering your perspective. I grew up on The Wizard of Oz, always just accepting Dorothy’s perspective. Then, I saw Wicked for the first time, and suddenly I saw an entirely different side of the story.

Think of your own life. How often does something similar play out for you? Have you ever thought you understood a situation, and then had your opinion changed when presented with a different point of view? I’ve learned over time that we all have our default perspective on things, and it’s our responsibility to stay open to other ways of viewing things. I’ve also learned it takes a lot of strength to suspend your own beliefs and judgment to take the time to see the story though someone else’s eyes.

The challenge- How will you take on the perspective of others?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

World-Building and Culture (4-22-25)

Last week we kicked off a series focused on different storytelling tricks and mechanics, and we analyzed unreliable narrators. This week we are going to dive into world-building and culture.

World-building is the creation of a fictional world that is believable and consistent within the context of the story (WORLDBUILDING Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster). It is comprised of all of the details that describe the world, how it works, and how the characters operate in that world. Some fictional worlds are grounded in realism, while some are grounded in fantasy.

Pretend for a minute that you’re reading a story that takes place in England. There are dragons in the story. Does it make sense to have dragons in the story? It depends. If the book is Pride and Prejudice, and the world is built more on realism then the dragons don’t fit. If the book is Harry Potter, and the world is built on magic and mythical creature than a dragon fits right in.

You’re probably wondering how this connects to work. Pretend for a minute that someone challenges the leader in a meeting. Is this okay? It depends. If the culture is one that is built on hierarchy and fear, then this is not acceptable behavior. If this is a psychologically safe culture where people are encouraged to challenge ideas, then not only is challenging the leader acceptable, but it is also expected. I’ve been on teams in both situations, have you? How did you feel about living in each of those cultures?

With all this in mind, what if building culture is the same thing as world-building? Building culture is comprised of all of the details that describe the group’s mission, how the team works, and how the characters operate within that culture. We can influence all of those things. We can set the mission. We can set the tone for what mindsets and behaviors are acceptable and rewarded. We all have the power to influence and build the culture we want to be in.

The challenge- What kind of world, what kind of culture will you build?

Bonus deep reflection- What kind of culture/world do you think your actions create around you? How do your behaviors create that culture/world?

I’d hope that people say, “Andrew creates a culture of care, creativity, and nerdtastic fun and authenticity.” These are the things I’m intentionally trying to build. I try to invest time in understanding people and showing them I appreciate them. I build a culture of creativity by embracing messy problems, making connections, and being willing to try new things. I’m nerdtastic fun from my socks to my Team’s background, which sends a message that I’m comfortable with who I am and I want you to be who you are too. I may not always succeed at building this world, but that’s what I constantly try to do.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Self-Doubt and Being an Unreliable Narrator (4-16-25)

This week I’m going to kick off a series inspired by different storytelling mechanics. This entry is about self-doubt and being an unreliable narrator.

An unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose account of events can’t be fully trusted. They might be lying on purpose or they might unintentionally have things wrong. The Sixth Sense is a great example of having an unreliable narrator. The story is told from the perspective of Malcom, a child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis. Throughout the movie we see the world unfold through his eyes, and assume the events are true. Then the twist is revealed. Malcom had been dead the entire time and had not known it. As all the pieces start connecting you begin to realize that the events we saw from Malcom’s eyes weren’t the real ones.

You’re probably wondering how this connects to anything. What if we can be an unreliable narrator sometimes like Malcom? What if we allow our self-doubt, skepticism, or other things to infiltrate our minds and distort our perception of the reality around us? Has this ever happened to you? Sometimes, we need some perspective from the outside or another person to nudge us to ensure we have an accurate view on reality.

Let me share a recent personal story with you. My new boss started a couple of months ago. We were having a pretty good heart to heart during a 1 on 1. At the time, self-doubt was shaping my narrative, and I shared something along the lines of, “I feel like I’m just moving soooo slow right now. It’s like I’m not being effective.” My boss looks at me and says something like, “I don’t feel that way or see that being true.” This jolt was similar to the twist in the Sixth Sense, where all of the pieces started to fit together in a different and more true way. This comment made me realize that I might have been an unreliable narrator. Maybe, my perception of what was going on was not actually reality. Maybe, my perception had been distorted by self-doubt. Fast forward from two months ago to yesterday when I had my first performance check-in for the year. Now, I had a better grasp on reality due to a more balanced self-reflection and by listening to the feedback and encouragement from others. Instead of being burdened by self-doubt, I went into that conversation confident. I was able to sit down and tell a story like, “I’m so proud and so excited about everything I’ve delivered so far, AND I also know I’d like to grow in A, B, C areas.” It was a total shift from just a couple of months prior.

The challenge- How will you ensure that self-doubt doesn’t turn you into an unreliable narrator?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

AI, Metadata, and Doing the Foundational Things Well (4-9-25)

Last week was about AI and being brave enough to fail forward and fail fast. This week is about AI, metadata, and doing the foundational things well.

I started in my current role about 2 years ago. Before then, I didn’t spend much time thinking about metadata, how clean a data set was, or how a data set was structured and formatted. I never thought about those things, because they weren’t particularly shiny or exciting.

As I’ve learned more about AI and partnered to build solutions, I’ve come to appreciate how those foundational things can make or break an AI tool. For example, having the right metadata can mean the difference between the AI giving you a great answer, a bad answer, or a bad answer. I think about metadata a lot now, more than I ever thought I would. I’ve dedicated entire afternoons to creating metadata strategies and tagging approaches, because foundational things like this matter.

Let’s make a couple connections. First, if you’re working with any kind of data, understand that one day that will be fed to some AI tool. The more you can intentionally build the foundations now, the better off you’ll be. I wish you the best of luck when it comes to metadata tagging and data hygiene. Second, even if you’re not working with data or AI, take a moment and reflect on how well you are doing the non-shiny unexciting foundational things. At work when you are communicating, how much time do you invest in making a totally unsexy plan and outline for what you are about to communicate. When you are facing a challenge, how much time do you invest in the boring task of defining the problem before rushing to create solutions? If you’re trying to be a good human, how much time do you invest in boring building blocks like sleep, moving your body, nurturing relationships, and taking time to rest?

The challenge: Whether it’s AI or something else, will you invest in doing the foundational things well?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Q1 2025 Self-Reflection (3-26-25)

It’s a bonus blog! I hope you’re excited 😉 For the past few years I’ve used the last Wednesday of the first quarter to share a blog on doing quarterly check-ins for work and yourself. This will be a long email, because I’m sharing my own self-assessment.

We have our first performance management coming up in the next month. During this check-in we will talk through some of these questions. What are 2-3 highlights? What are 2-3 opportunities to do better? What are some learnings from Q1 I can apply moving forward?

What does this have to do anything? While this is great for work, we could apply this same thinking to our personal lives as well. What are some of your goals for 2025? How did you do with them in Q1? Have you stopped to CELEBRATE your progress? Stop RIGHT NOW and celebrate something you’ve achieved. After you celebrate, then you can reflect and see if there are any gaps. If you have gaps, why do you have gaps? What happened? What got in the way? How can you adjust to reach your goals for this quarter?

The challenge: Will you take the time to do a quarterly check-in? What changes will you make to set yourself up for the rest of the year?

Bonus: Here is my review based on the dimensions in my life I set goals for. Hopefully, it sparks a thought or two for you. In case no one has told you lately, “YOU GOT THIS!”

Rebuild (B+)- This is my word/theme for the year. I wanted to make repairs AND extensive changes. I’m giving myself an B+, because all of the momentum I’ve built back and am taking advantage of. I’d say the trend for all categories is that the first 6 weeks of the quarter were bumpy, and from there I’ve been on a great upward trajectory.
Mental Health (A)- The goal is to feel like I’m in a good, strong, solid mental state. I feel I’m in the best headspace that I’ve been in a hot minute. I have a lot to love and celebrate in life right now. I think I’m also doing a better job of practicing radical acceptance and recognizing “it is what it is.”
Physical Health (B-)- The goal is to build strength, aiming for increasing strength by around 15%. I couldn’t find an exercise routine or rhythm in January or February. I’ve been crushing it in March and making sure I’m prioritizing my time to hit the gym. I’m reestablishing my strength baselines, so I can track that more throughout the year. I would like to walk/run more, mainly so I can make sure I’m prepared for my obstacle course races. First one is in May!
Family (B+)-The goal is to feel like I’m being an amazing husband and dad. I’m feeling pretty good about things right now. I can feel my family start to evolve into the next phase with my son turning 11 and my daughter almost 13. It’s cool watching them grow and leading beside my wife. I will honestly say I’ve been working more hours than I’d like, but I think that will balance out in the future.
Career (B+)- The goal is to feel like I’m delivering magic. From the end of the year through Q1, I feel like I’ve been delivering some Hufflepuff magic, and that folks are valuing it. The whole feeling valued piece is huge. I’m also on the verge of rolling out a few things I’ve been working on for the better part of a year, and that’s adding even more positivity. With that said, the past few months have also been a humbling experience and a reminder that it’s impossible to juggle everything all of the time. I’ve definitely had a few balls drop in Q1. Some of them have been rubber. A couple of them have been glass. As part of the radical acceptance piece, I’m doing better at embracing it for what it is and I’m proud that despite all of the crazy I was still able to do some pretty darn amazing things. Luckily, the crazy is starting to become more manageable. In the midst of all the change and organizational evolution, I feel like I’m getting some stability, which might be a weird thing to say 😉. As we continue to fill open roles, we can better distribute the workload. Additionally, as we take confident steps toward embracing a new future, this stability will become stronger and enable the team and I to reach our potential.
Financial (B)- The goal is to ensure we are saving/investing money in the right way. I’ve already shifted money for investments. I am wasting a bit too much money on eating out right now. I want to tighten that up in Q2.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

My Kids, ChatGPT, and Not Being Limited in our Thinking (3-12-25)

This week we are going to kick off a new series focused on things I’ve learned about AI over the past almost 2 years in my role leading various AI initiatives. This one just so happens to be about my kids, ChatGPT, and not being limited in our thinking.

Shortly after ChatGPT was launched, I introduced my kids to the technology. While they may not have understood what a large language model was or how it worked, I helped them understand the role it could play. Essentially, I told them it was like an assistant for them to use to explore ideas.

A couple of weeks later, we were sitting at the dinner table and I asked everyone what they had done that day. My kids explained to me how they created a new game with ChatGPT. I was shocked by this and asked them to tell me more. They explained how they told ChatGPT that they wanted to play a game inspired by their favorite cartoon, Owl House, which included epic battle against evil villains and took about an hour to play. With this prompt, ChatGPT created the rules, plot, and setting for their game. I asked how they came up with the idea to do this, because I never would have thought of it in a million years. Their response was basically, “You said it could help brainstorm, so why wouldn’t we try that?” By the way, that’s some pretty good prompting. #prouddad

What does this have to do with anything? At the time, I would have never thought of using ChatGPT to create a game. I had been stuck in my normal day to day frame and unable to see beyond it. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I had limited AI to only certain use cases. When my kids shared their experience, it was a nudge that I need to make sure that I’m not the one limiting the potential of emerging technology. Now, instead of asking, “Where does AI fit?” I ask, “How can we use AI to enhance what’s possible?” The first question assumes there are limited places where AI can be helpful. The second question assumes that there is always a chance to leverage AI to enhance things. This second question causes me to lean in with curiosity and a willingness to explore potential.

The challenge: How will you ensure your thinking is free and unlimited?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Parenting and the Power of Being Kind and Caring (3-5-25)

Our last entry was about little signs of support. This week is about parenting and the power of being caring and kind.

Last week, Alice (almost 13) was having a tough time. I talked to her a bit about it. Later that night, I heard Alice telling my wife how I had been so helpful to her. My heart swelled when I heard her say that. If I’m entirely honest, I have no idea what I did. I can’t think of any special tactic or some magic question or phrase I used. Instead, Alice shared, “He was so caring and kind.”

What does this have to do with anything? Yesterday, was the first day of a market research supplier partner conference. I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in years. We had worked together on a few things when she first joined her company, and then I hadn’t crossed paths with her too much since. I was so excited to see her and how far she had come in her career. Then, she looked at me and said something like, “You may not even know this, but you were like an important part of my early career.” I was shocked. I had no clue I had such an impact on her. If I’m entirely honest, I have no idea what I did that could have made her feel that way. I can’t think of any special nuggets I shared with her. I don’t remember imparting any specific wisdom. I can’t think of any secret market research techniques I showed her. Instead, she went on to explain how I was caring and kind when she started out, and that made all the difference.

Think about the people who have had a positive impact on you in in your career. If I asked you to explain what specifically they did, you might struggle. However, I bet for all of them you would say that they cared about you and were kind. Those two simple things are so powerful. Those two simple things always matter.

The challenge- In a world where it is easy to be uncaring and cruel, will you have the strength to be caring and kind?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry