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There’s always more pie
A man presents a woman with pie. She’s ecstatic! Pies fill the kitchen and cover the floor. Credit: Me.I work at Cisco. Recently, several business groups have been merged into a larger organization, fundamentally reshaping the way teams collaborate. With these kinds of large shifts, uncertainty is inevitable. Priorities may shift, roles may change, and long-standing projects could be reassessed or even abandoned.I’m beginning to feel a bit uneasy…What if the work I’ve championed gets deprioritized? What if the relationships I’ve built no longer hold the same weight? What if I have to start over?What if there’s not enough pie?It’s all about the pieHow big is the pie? How much is there to go around? Just a few slices? Can everyone have a slice? Or are there only a handful of morsels that of which a few individuals can partake?I know I discussed some of these ideas in my last article, but I think this is a mindset problem. In her book, Mindset, Carol Dweck defines two different mindsets that people can have:A fixed mindset in which a person’s inherent qualities like intelligence and talent are set in stone. In my case, I’m feeling like my skills and my team’s role are being challenged by this change. If my work no longer holds the same relevance, does that mean I don’t either? If priorities shift, will I struggle to adapt? This mindset ties my worth to the stability of my role, making any disruption feel like a personal failure rather than a natural evolution of work and opportunity.Or, a growth mindset in which a person’s qualities can change and be cultivated by effort, learning, and experiences. In this mindset, my value isn’t tied to a specific role or project but to my ability to grow, adapt, and contribute in new ways. Instead of fearing change, I can view it as an invitation to expand my skill set, build fresh relationships, and discover new ways to create impact. If my previous work is no longer as relevant, that doesn’t mean I’m obsolete — it means I have an opportunity to evolve, to find new problems worth solving, and to help shape what comes next.And, if I’m able to challenge my fixed mindset, I’m pretty sure it’s going to lead to more pie. Not just for me, but for everyone around me.BECAUSE WE CAN ALWAYS MAKE MORE PIE!This organizational change isn’t a zero-sum game. It’s not about fighting over the last few slices. It’s about realizing that with new people, new challenges, and new ideas, we’re baking an entirely new pie. Bigger. Different. Maybe even better than before.Instead of seeing change as a loss, I want to see it as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, develop new skills, and exercise new levels of influence. A chance to push myself, build relationships, and contribute in ways I hadn’t before.There are always going to be new, interesting problems that need solving. Change brings problems, problems bring opportunities, and opportunities bring us more delicious pie!I want pie. And, unless you’re a complete psychopath, I know you want pie too!Big changes are on the horizonI had an art instructor in grad school, Marshall Arisman. He was a human gatchapon, dispensing mystical stories and incredible wisdom between drags on his cigarette. One of the things that I think about on almost a daily basis was something he said about ego.“When you’re making art, you need to throw your ego away. Too much of it, and you may be so afraid of failure that you never put a mark on the canvas. Or, you may immediately fall in love with your paint strokes and never be able to put another one on the canvas.”Ego is the work killer. It forces you to focus on yourself and disrupts your ability to create art, to focus on the problems and opportunities in front of you.Some tools to get thereIn my path to make great work and eat lots and lots of pie, there are a few things from Dweck’s book that I’m trying to keep in mind.Cultivate a Growth Mindset in My Internal MonologueI’ve been paying close attention to my thoughts about these changes. Am I labeling myself or others as incapable? Am I assuming that negative outcomes are inevitable, like the pie is running out and there won’t be enough to go around?I need to challenge these fixed-mindset thoughts and reshape them into something more productive. Instead of thinking, “I’m not good at this new system,” I can tell myself, “This new system is challenging, but I can learn it with effort and practice.” Instead of seeing change as a threat, I can see it as an opportunity to bake more pie — new skills, new relationships, and new ways to contribute. Shifting my internal monologue from judgment to growth is a key part of maintaining the right mindset through this transition.Embrace Challenges as Opportunities for GrowthI want to thrive on challenges. Instead of seeing this organizational shift as a threat that might expose my limitations, I’m choosing to see it as an opportunity — to learn new skills, adapt to different situations, and expand what I’m capable of. When faced with a new role or responsibility due to this change, I want to approach it with curiosity and a belief that I can develop the necessary skills.I keep reminding myself: “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.” In other words, if I want more pie, I have to roll up my sleeves and help bake it.Value Effort as the Path to MasteryIn a fixed mindset, I might see effort as a sign that I’m not good enough — that if I were truly talented, I wouldn’t have to work so hard. But a growth mindset reframes effort as the key ingredient for mastery. With all the changes happening, I know I’ll need to put in extra effort to learn new processes, navigate shifting structures, and rebuild relationships. Instead of dreading that effort, I want to embrace it, knowing that it’s part of my own evolution.As Dweck puts it, “effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”Learn from Setbacks and FeedbackWhen navigating big organizational changes, mistakes and setbacks are inevitable. My fixed mindset wants to take these as signs that I’m not good enough — that maybe I was only succeeding because the conditions were familiar. But I know that’s not true. A growth mindset reminds me that setbacks are valuable learning experiences, not proof of inadequacy. Instead of seeing a burnt pie and assuming I’ll never bake one properly again, I need to take feedback, adjust my approach, and try again. Growth-minded people keep working at challenges, refining their craft, and ultimately making better pie. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.Focus on Learning and Improvement, Not Just Proving YourselfDuring times of change, I catch myself slipping into a fixed mindset, feeling like I have to prove my worth to hold my position. But I know that’s a trap. A growth mindset isn’t about proving — it’s about improving. Instead of scrambling to defend my past work, I need to focus on learning new skills, adapting to the new organization, and finding fresh ways to contribute. That mindset shift doesn’t just make me more effective — it also quiets the anxiety that comes from feeling constantly evaluated.Let’s bake more pie!As Dweck puts it, success isn’t about clinging to past achievements; it’s about stretching ourselves, learning something new, and continuing to grow. And if we do that, we won’t just get a single slice of pie — we’ll help bake an even bigger one.An illustration of the author waving. Credit: Me.Hey y’all! I’m Trip Carroll, a design leader at Cisco and aspiring cartoonist.I write and publish a new article on design, leadership, and software development every other Monday. You can see more of my work on my website, check out my drawings on Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter on Substack.Let’s make work great!There’s always more pie was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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