Quick Hits

Having someone abuse our kindness never feels good. Where kindness ends and someone taking advantage starts seems to have a lot of variables. 

In this conversation I shared a story about giving away a rare treat  as a child. I have always framed that story as someone who took advantage of my kindness. While editing I wondered if I was being kind or wanting to be liked and accepted. That is a different conversation.

Listen in as James H. Lee, Atif Agha, Stewart Wiggins and I grapple with how we approach this issue. When kindness is freely given, is it possible to be taken advantage of?

To learn about 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.

#kindness #kindnessmatters #abuseawareness #discussion #brainteasers

Is activity that is just different from work just as good?

I asked Audra Hammer Ross, Rick Alcantara, and Tiffany DuBois-Morales to share their experience. It turned into a conversation about taking time to be silent with your thoughts. Unless I am meditating or driving, that is rare for me.

What do you think? Should downtime include quiet space?

To learn about 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.

#vacationtime #downtime #mediation #takeabreak #restyourbrain

This topic came up when I read a quote by Toni Morrison: "For me, success is not a public thing. It's a private thing. It's when you have fewer and fewer regrets.”

My immediate response was, "Success has nothing to do with regret." But then I wondered if others might think differently.

I asked Sara Oblak Speicher, Brandon Mahoney and Bill Lindquist what they thought. The conversation was everything I've come to love about Quick Hits.

What do you think, does success have something to do with regret?

To learn more about 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.

#success #regrets #overcomingadversity #choices #fulfillinglife

Maybe you are like me and you want to take in information quickly and be able to recall it when you need it. Simon Coles teased me in this conversation about treating learning like a competitive sport - - he's not wrong.

I asked Simon, Kristin Bainger and Matthew Douthit their thoughts on how to make the best use of information as it comes in. Not simple facts (you can look those up) but actual information you would use in a conversation.

We talked about different learning styles and being willing to accept that you will remember what you need when you need it (I didn't love that suggestion).

Do you have any tips? We would love to hear them.

To learn about 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.

#learning #personaldevelopment #remember #growthmindsets #learningandevelopment

In a world where we are always trying to "limit" distractions, perhaps there is something to be said for allowing them to give your mind a much needed break. 

I asked Brigitte Skeene, Abigail McCloskey, and Michael Piperno what they thought about distractions and how they use them to help them be more productive. 

Listen in as we talk about the pros and cons of distractions and come to the conclusion that they are not always bad, in fact, sometimes they are a positive in an otherwise overly intense world.

To learn about 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.

That breath stealing moment when you realized someone you trusted, even loved, has manipulated or taken advantage of you. The shock can radiate through your body like physical pain.

I asked Catherine Kapferer, Brandy Lawson and Simon Coles about betrayal. The conversation was an interesting mix of self-reflection and self-protection. 

How do you move on from betrayal?

To learn about 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.

#mentalhealth #selfawareness #selflove #betrayal #toxicrelationships #toxicpeople

Failure is such an odd English word. What does it actually mean? If you change your mind or pivot the direction of your business/career did you fail?

I had an interesting conversation with Ava Diamond, Philip Tate, and Tim Hawkes about it. There were a surprising number of sports analogies. Although I should have expected it since three of the four of us have deep backgrounds in sports. 

Listen in and then let us know how you would define "failure"

To learn about 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.

#failureispartofsuccess #failure #failforward #didntwork #tryagain #successstrategies

There are whole books, websites and careers dedicated to helping people and companies build trust. But where is the line between positive trust and manipulation? We didn't mention it in our conversation but scams are, by definition a manipulation of trust.

I asked Brandon Mahoney and Jona Ohm, their thoughts and we came to the conclusion that it is all about intent. Listen in and then let us know, do you agree, disagree or have a different idea? 

To learn about 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.

#trustbuilding #trustworthy #manipulation #trustworthiness #scam

Work-life balance is thrown around A LOT, particularly at women. But what if it's not actually a thing and "balancing" is an unhealthy way to look at it.

I had this conversation with Michael Sicuranza,  Wayne Buckhanan and Andrew Baharlias (It is not lost on me that they are all men. That's just how it worked out.) They had some good insights into why "balance" isn't the best option and maybe "harmony" is a better idea.

Listen in and then let us know what you think. Is work-life balance a ridiculous objective?

To learn more about the panelist, 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.

#workbalance #worklifebalance #worklifeintegration #worklifeharmony

When I do talks and trainings on communication and conflict resolution I like to tell this joke: "What is the difference between perception and reality? Perception is what you think. Reality is what I think." 

It's funny because it's true. Is reality just an agreed upon perception?

Listen in as Brea Sorrells, Atif Agha, Rick Alcantara, and I grapple with the nebulousness that is "reality."

To learn about 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.

#thoughtexperiment #learning #realitycheck