915,103,765 ways
A case for abundance
There are 915,103,765 ways to put together 6 LEGO bricks.
Six. Bricks.
Let that sit for a second. Now tell me again why you think there's only one right path for your career.
The scarcity mindset is one of the most quietly destructive forces in professional life. It tells us the opportunities are limited. That if someone else wins, we lose. That there's a single ladder and we'd better not miss a rung. But abundance thinking flips the entire framework.
The LEGO Group brick insight stopped me cold. Because it's not just a fun fact. It's a challenge to every person who has ever told themselves the door was closed, the window was shut, or the moment had passed. The possibilities aren't gone. You just haven't arranged the bricks that way yet. I believe that, and I have faith in that. And what is faith after all: “The substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen." And by it, the elders obtain a good report.
That's abundance. That's the mindset. And that's the work. This makes me wonder: what would you do differently if you truly believed the possibilities were endless? Pondering on that. I write about this in greater detail in my Fast Company column, here.
FROM THE CULTURE: Amanda and I welcomed Bing Chen on the From The Culture Podcast. Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Gold House, one of the most important cultural organizations championing Asian Pacific representation in media and business—on the pod. And Bing didn’t just talk about abundance as a philosophy. He lives it—in how he builds, how he leads, and how he sees the world. The man’s first word as an infant was “more,” for crying out loud.
Check out our full episode with Bing here on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
WHERE I’VE BEEN: It's been a super active couple of weeks on the road, preaching the gospel of organizational culture and its ability to unlock a team's full potential. From education, like the Charter School Growth Fund, to retail, like Costco Wholesale, events, like Brand Innovators, or products, like E.L.F. BEAUTY and The Clorox Company, wherever people come together to engage in the collective production of work, culture is there. It's been so invigorating to share this new work. Can't wait to share it with the world.
Seriously. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.
Until then, we'll go door-to-door. Room-by-room. Stage-by-stage. Pod-by-pod. Spreading the good word. The new book doesn't come out until February 2027, but there's a lot of work to do in the meantime.
WHERE I’LL BE: Last year, I entered into a partnership with Brand Innovators to create a series of events that explore the intersection of culture, commerce, and creativity. We call it Culture Shifters, and we’re bringing it back for a second year. Our next event will be on April 16th at the Ross School of Business here at the University of Michigan.
We’ll be joined by marketers and business leaders, far and wide, and we’d love for you to join us if you’re in the area or nearby. Here are the details and registration prompts:
https://brand-innovators.com/events/culture-shifters-summit/
