Quick Hits

What do you do when someone doesn’t respond with what you need to do a project?

You send an email with four questions and days later you might be lucky and get an answer to one of them.

 

It is easy to assume that they are withholding information in a power move; that is a thing. I had it happen to me when I worked in corporate.

 

It could also be that they are SO overwhelmed that your email simply isn’t on the list of panic things that need to be done.

 

Today’s guests, Dr Mohan Ananda, Terri Hill and Ed Samuel all have experience dealing with this issue and were kind enough to share their strategies with me.

 

What do you do when you need information and can’t seem to get it?

 

Connect with the panelists:
Terri Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-hill-b2915a8/

Dr. Mohan Ananda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohanananda/

Ed Samuel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edsamuel/

Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

 

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

 

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com

 

#projectmanagement #ignored

Is social media life-fulfilling or life-draining?

We live in a social media world, whether we like it or not. With that comes a set of risks that require clear boundaries and a strong filter — otherwise it can suck the life out of you. 

You might have trouble sleeping because of a mean comment someone posted; you might find yourself spending hours of your day hitting refresh on a preoccupying news story; you might have a child who’s been bullied by other kids through Facebook or Instagram. 

I’ve definitely had to set boundaries in my social media usage, to the point that I just block someone who posts an inflammatory or mean-spirited comment, regardless of whether I know them or not. 

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed some great friendships that began with a message over social media, including my guests on this edition of Quick Hits: digital consultant Rick Alcantara, psychologist Dr. Bob Choat, and project manager Heather Villa. 

We had a wide-ranging and thought-provoking discussion on how best to set those boundaries so that we can enjoy the rewards of social media without getting drowned out by the risks. 

How do you manage the emotional onslaught that is social media?

Connect with the panelists:
Heather Villa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermvilla/ 
Dr. Bob Choat: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobchoat/ 
Rick Alcantara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickalcantara/   
Dr Robyn Odegaard: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com 

#SocialMedia #Cleanse

How do you prioritize and then stay focused to get the most important things done?

Myself and my guests on this edition of Quick Hits — Brand Scribed owner Jeff Glauser and executive coach Jennifer Elder — made a fun discovery during our conversation: We are all avid list makers. 

The three of us have all made that really long list of all the things we need to do and experienced the freeze effect that immediately follows it: This is too much. I can’t do it all.

How do we get through it? By making better organized lists.

I write mine in a kind of outline on the back of an old envelope, starting with the most important task for the day and indenting under it the smaller things that go into that big task. 

Jennifer also has her one big task for the day as well as two other lists: One with “three medium tasks” and another with “five little things” for those moments when your brain needs to pause but there is still space to be productive. 

Jeff arranges his thematically, so that those things that require a particular kind of thinking are all grouped together, limiting the stress of transitioning from one to another. 

What’s great about list-making is that even if you don’t accomplish everything you intended to do that day, you still have the feeling that you’re making process. 

Whether you’re also a list maker or not, I hope this conversation provides helpful insight and advice on how to prioritize and stay well-organized. 

Connect with the panelists:
Jeff Glauser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffglauser/ 
Jennifer Elder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferhelder/
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#quickhits  are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com

 #lists   #StayOrganized

Is gossip always bad and to be avoided or is it sometimes useful?

First we have to decide how to definition gossip.

Does gossip involve simply relaying information that you heard from someone else? Is it only gossip when it involves repeating a rumor that you heard about another person?

And if so, is that always harmful? Can gossip be helpful with the right intention?

When I talk about confidentiality with my clients, I always tell them, “I will keep everything you say to myself unless you threaten to harm yourself or someone else.”

But in the case when I have to share that someone is at risk of hurting themselves, when the purpose is to protect them — is it still gossip?

What is certain about gossip is that it’s compelling. It sucks us in. It speaks to that part of us that loves the train wreck of other people’s lives. And if that’s what fundamentally motivates us to spread gossip, is it really ever good?

I discussed these questions in a fascinating conversation with my guests on this edition of Quick Hits: Induna Advisers founder Stewart Wiggins; life coach and remote operations specialist Sara Oblak Speicher; and wellness consultant Matthew Percia.

How do you define gossip and can it ever be used for good?

Connect with the panelists:
Sara Oblak Speicher, MBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraospeicher/  
Stewart Wiggins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewart-wiggins/ 
Matthew Percia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpercia/ 
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com
 #Gossip #RightIntention

What is the difference between a difficult conversation and a fight?

The answer isn’t clear logically, but we can tell emotionally. There can be a physical shift when a tough conversation becomes a fight. 

Your body might start to get tense, as if it has become aware that there is now a battle and the focus becomes winning rather than understanding.

That’s when it is time to call time out. At that point, nothing productive will come out of the conversation because it’s no longer about the issue at hand. It’s about protecting the ego. 

How can we recognize this shift when a difficult conversation becomes a fight and how can we prevent it from happening? 

I put this question to my guests on this edition of Quick Hits — Jim Tam of Keystone Partners, performance consultant Dr. Jenna Ross and Amorpha CEO Simon Coles. 

We also talked about the best way to respond to someone who no longer wants to talk and is just interested in cutting us down. 

Our conversation was not difficult, but it was certainly interesting. 

How do you know when a conversation as become a fight?

Connect with the panelists:
Jim Tam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimtam/ 
Dr. Jenna Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennaross712/
Simon Coles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjcoles/ 
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com 

#BetterConversations #DifficultConversations

Is the saying ‘The Truth Hurts’ true or an excuse to be thoughtless?

Sometimes I wonder if it is hard to be thoughtful; to consider how words may affect someone. 

How can you phrase an opinion in a kind way that doesn’t lose the point of your message while not causing emotional harm? 

Are there times when expressing an opinion directly, regardless of impact, is the best approach? 

How does it vary based on the audience — whether at work or at home?

In public or private?

I put these questions to my guests Ian Hendry of Elevated Elements; Terri Hill, the co-creator of the Emerging Entrepreneurs Academy; and Stewart Wiggins Induna Advisers. 

Do you think some people internalize the belief that the truth hurts and use it to be thoughtless? 

What do you do when someone behaves that way?

Connect with the panelists:
Ian Hendry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-robert-hendry/ 
Teresa (Terri) Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-hill-b2915a8/ 
Stewart Wiggins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewart-wiggins/ 
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#quickhits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com 

#truthhurts  #Communication

How do you handle it when someone screams or yells at work?

It can depend on who’s doing the yelling. 

If the boss does the screaming, it can be very hard, especially with others present. Then the screamer might feel shame and you’ve got to deal with the discomfort it creates. 

As author and entrepreneur Coach MJ, one of my panelists on this edition of Quick Hits, says, “We all understand how demeaning that makes everyone feel when they hear that kind of public reprimand.”

If a peer does the screaming, it’s easier to take a pause and talk about it. 

Author and empowerment coach Suki Jeffreys offers sage advice on how to handle this situation: “I usually say, ‘Let’s talk about it later.’ Then when later comes, I am very purposeful and say, ‘Let’s talk about what the business problem is…if we can solve that, it’s going to help with your frustration level.”

In some organizations, yelling might be part of the company culture. Billy Ryan, a former MLB executive, told us that yelling was often encourage, especially during draft season, because it indicated passion for a particular player. “As long as that screaming and yelling is done with an eye towards getting the right decision for the team, not for yourself, and it’s done with respect…I think that’s OK.”

Have you ever had to deal with someone screaming at work? What did you do?

Connect with the panelists:
Billy Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-ryan/
Coach M J Tolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/motivationalspeakertolan/ 
Suki Jeffreys: https://www.linkedin.com/in/couragerises/
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com #ScreamAtWork #Respect

What makes someone good at problem solving?

I grew up poor and rural and learned from an early age how to fix things around the house. I knew, for example, that if water is going out of the wrong side of the pump, the first thing to do is take a breath and think about why it might be doing that.

Problem solving in the real-world functions in exactly the same way. 

We have to ask (1) what is causing the problem and (2) how do we change it?

Many people are quick to let a problem overwhelm them. They panic when something doesn’t go exactly as expected instead of first breaking it down and asking how it came to be that way.

How can we stop ourselves from doing that? 

Can anyone learn how to be a problem solver or is it an innate quality that you just can’t teach?

My guests on this edition of Quick Hits had a variety of fascinating thoughts on these and other questions.

Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman, a professor and health and wellness consultant, says that problem solving is about utilizing “that creative mindset that we lose as we become adults, the childlike thinking without putting any barriers on what the solutions could be.”

Jim Tam, the head of the Dallas office of Keystone Partners, says that it’s about “being patient. Don’t be so fast to react without knowing all the facts.”

And Pascal Derrien, the CEO of Migraine Ireland, believes that “we are all problem solvers in our own way…everybody is good at it.”

Do you think problem solving is a learnable skill or something you are innately good at or not?

Connect with the panelists:
Pascal Derrien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascalderrien/ 
Jim Tam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimtam/ 
Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rhonda-bompensa-zimmerman-138aa3b/
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com

 #problemsolving  #Creativity

What is the difference between fitting in and belonging?

We all want to feel like we are part of a community. Sometimes we naturally click with a group of people; sometimes we find that need for acceptance leads us to diminish our sense of self in order to gain the approval of the group. 

The latter case is especially common in the corporate world, as my panelists — sales expert Kevin Wash, Zen Freight Solutions Founder Racquelle Pakutz and Better Conversations founder Simon Cole — clearly describe in this edition of Quick Hits. 

Bosses and managers can pressure employees to suppress their individuality in order to fit the company culture, like gardeners in a poppy field who cut down the tallest flowers to make the field look even. 

The pressure to conform is especially strong when a paycheck is at stake. But are there times when it’s worthwhile to speak up even if it goes against the position of management? 

Can belonging only happen when people are empowered to fully express their individuality?

Listen in as we discuss these and other questions. Do you agree with us? 

Connect with the panelists:
Kevin Wash: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-wash-23b90915/ 
Racquelle Pakutz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/racquelle-pakutz/ 
Simon Coles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjcoles/ 
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com 
#FittingIn #Belonging

When someone doesn’t trust you to make decisions in your own life.

What do you do ?

There have been times in my life when I followed what other people told me to do, even though I knew that it wasn’t necessarily right for me. I didn’t trust myself enough, so I trusted them instead. And that was a mistake. 

At the same time, it’s not wise to outright disregard someone who gives you helpful feedback, especially if they’re more experienced. 

How do you know when someone is offering useful advice or just trying to control the decisions you make about your own life? 

And how do you best communicate that you’re done receiving feedback and have made up your mind?

I put this question to my Quick Hits panel: On Point Partners CEO Gary Fredericks; dementia prevention coach Alexi Bracey; and Jacque Zoccoli of Network Builders of Arizona. 

How have you managed people trying to run your life?

Connect with the panelists:
Jaclyn Zoccoli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclyn-zoccoli-0207b07/ 
Alexi Bracey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexi-bracey-34935a7/ 
Gary Fredericks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyfredericks/ 
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com #Decisions #MyWay