Quick Hits

How do you avoid them while still allowing the flexibility to innovate?

When working with teams, role ambiguity - who is responsible for what when - often causes miscommunication, missed deadlines, double work and unhappy people.

Unfortunately, many leaders and athletic coaches don't take the time to do the work to create clear roles while also leaving the door open to the evolution of responsibilities.   

I had the opportunity to ask three people with different work histories, Don Oblazney (corporate), Anthony Ferrera (government) and Domenico Ciarallo (entrepreneur), about their experience with role ambiguity and how they have handled it.

The conversation looks at everything from interviewing, job descriptions, feedback and professional development.

What problems have you seen arise from a lack of clear roles and responsibilities? 

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

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

#leaders #work  #roles #workrelationships #experience #management

Being able to expand the number of people we can learn from, grow with and share information with is critical to success and possibly even happiness. 

But until you reach a certain level of success, people likely aren't beating a path to your door just to help you grow your network.

I asked Gary Fredericks, James W Haile Jr, C.P.M. and Dr. Bob Choat, each very well connected, how they have expanded and maintained their networks.

The short but not simple answer - be brave. Ask to connect. Engage with those connections. Ask for knowledge.

Do you have a way to build your knowledge pool and reach? Share it in the comments!

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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

#networking #network #connections #coldemails #coldcalling #brave

Brett articulated what most people think when I ask this question when he explained that resilience is a GOOD thing and that being able to come back from adversity doesn't have a down side.

As we got into the conversation the idea that word "resilience" is also used to mean, "keep going when the going gets tough" and that is where there can be too much of a good thing.

Dinette Rivera, Ziz Abdur-Ra'oof, Brett McCall and I got to spend ten minutes unpicking this idea and trying to decide when resilience is in order and when throwing in the towel to pivot is the best option.

What do you think?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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

#resilience #resilienceatwork #keepgoing #keeppushing #pivot #pivotin

In hindsight it is pretty easy to know when something was a bad idea simply based on the results. Wouldn't it be nice if you could know before you get into something if it was a good idea or not?

I asked Dr. Wayne Buckhanan, Dr. Bob Choat and Jim Comer how they decided if something was a good idea or a bad idea. The life stories they shared of both outcomes are amazing.

Do you agree with us? How do you decide if something is a good idea or not?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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 

#ideas #ideasworthsharing #goodidea #badidea #decisionmaking #decisions

There are a lot of different kinds of professional invitations. Things you want to do but don't fit in your schedule. Things you don't want to do. Things that have nothing to do with you but the sender keeps pestering you. Things you want to do but shouldn't. The list goes on.

I had the opportunity to ask Greg Gurev, Brandon Mahoney and Doreen McGettigan how they handled such situations. I found it interesting that the human condition of trying to be kind, not awkward and still maintain the boundaries you need by saying no is alive and well.

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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  

#sayingno #boundaries #decline #notavailable #doesntwork #thanksforasking

You might think that because I have expensive pieces of paper hanging behind me when I do zoom calls that I am all about credentials. Not so. I got my degree from the school of hard knocks long before I started college at 32.

As Matt pointed out during our conversation - credentials will get you invited to the party but your competence is what lets you stay.

Listen in as Matthew Percia, Helena Bouchez, Stewart Wiggins and I talk about how having credentials did not make us competent (that takes time and practice) and how being extremely competent but without credentials kept us from being paid and promoted in line with the work we were doing.

How do you find the person who is highly skilled but without credentials? How do you weed out the person with tons of book smarts (credentials) but no (as Steward called it) common sense?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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

#competences #credibility #degrees #credentials #competent #hiring #vendors

Big goals come with LOTS of moving parts. Managing those bits of strategy while also making sure you are moving in the right direction  can lead to getting lost in the weeds of the process.

I asked Connie Whitman, MBA, James H. Lee and Pascal Derrien how they make sure they are doing the next right thing. 

The answers varied from having a great team to making a point to step back and check in. 

How do you know you are doing the things that are driving you forward and brushing aside the busy work?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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 

#strategyexecution #strategicplanning #lost #businessadvice #success

"Busy" is not a healthy response for "How are you?"

Checking the boxes and getting a lot done can make you feel like you're being productive.  But it is also important to step back and make sure you aren't churning through things that are draining you and not getting you any closer to living your most fulfilled life. 

I asked Jonathan Gaev MSE, PMP, Jona Ohm, APR and Domenico Ciarallo how they keep from losing themselves in the busyness of life. 

Our conversation reminded me to look at the things in my schedule with an eye for removing the noise, appreciating the joy and thriving in the productive.

How do you notice when you are losing yourself in the daily grind? What do you do about it?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their links:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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 

#busyness #busyprofessionals #busylife  #taketime #breathe

It has happened to all of us. Something sets us off and what could have been a simple discussion about a disagreement becomes a full fledged argument. Anger boils through us. Our eyes narrow. Our shoulders tighten. 

We are ready to fight.

For many of us, it's too late. There will be a fight. It will be ugly. We will likely say hurtful things with the purpose of damaging our opponent - even if we love them.

What if you could rewind and catch that first bit of anger as it boils up? Look at it. Breathe through it. Hold your emotional brain for just a moment and let your logical brain catch up.

I asked Lisa Peluso, Heather Villa and Francisco "Frank" Galindo how they manage the triggers that can send them spiraling out of control in an argument.

Listen in and then we would love to hear what works for you.

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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

#anger #angermanagement #disagreement #conflict #conflictresolution #productiveconflict #breathe

Another way to ask it - does your reputation matter?

The easy, knee-jerk reaction is, NO! But not so fast. There are some situations where the perception people have of you becomes reality and it can make or break you.

When it matters, understanding and even changing your reputation is an important skill to have.

I had the opportunity to have a thoughtful conversation on the subject with Shellie Berry, Dr Mohan Ananda and Simon Coles.

Do you believe you have any responsibility for the perception people have of you?

To connect with the panelists, please visit their LinkedIn profiles:

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on various 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

#perception #reality #whatdoyouthink #reputation #reputationmatters #reputationmanagement