Episodes

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the concept of outsourcing, explaining that every business engages in outsourcing to some extent, emphasizing the importance of leveraging outsourcing to enable businesses to focus on their core competencies: what they do best. The key to outsourcing is being intentional about what stays in-house and what gets handed off. She shares relatable examples from areas like logistics and PR, and walks the listeners through how to decide...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses the common question of why so many startups fail. She explores the assumptions about founders, the importance of vision and mission, market fit, business management, and effective leadership in startup success. She discusses how founders are often driven by a deep belief in the vision for their business and mission of their product(s) rather than a tolerance for risk. Christa emphasizes that while startups face numerous challeng...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo discusses the various funding models available for startups, understanding which model aligns best with a founder's objectives and business goals. She reviews the misconceptions surrounding funding, the significance of ownership and leverage, and the complexity of products in determining funding needs. She also highlights the common misconception that venture capital is the only funding option and encourages entrepreneurs to explore a mix...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's dilemma about whether to prioritize product development or seek funding for a prototype. She emphasizes the importance of understanding market research, protecting intellectual property, and building value before approaching investors. That puts you in a position of strength. The conversation explores various funding strategies, including seed funding and the significance of prototypes in demonstrating product viabi...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, host Christa Dhimo introduces a new series focused on business basics, addressing common questions about how to learn about business. The episode itself explores the fundamentals of learning about business. She emphasizes the importance of understanding personal learning objectives and how they shape the learning process. She emphasizes the importance of understanding personal learning objectives and suggests various resources and methods for acquiring...

Summary In the Season 3 opener of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses the common intimidation felt by individuals entering the business world and engaging in business concepts, particularly those from non-business backgrounds. She emphasizes that business is fundamentally about understanding people and processes, and that anyone can learn the necessary skills to succeed while navigating the business world without formal training. Christa debunks myths surrounding business expertise, encoura...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, host Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's question about the decision to leave a job to pursue career growth. She explores the dynamics of personal engagement and fulfillment in the workplace, the difference between jobs that are merely transactional and those that provide deeper meaning, and the importance of recognizing when to move on. Christa emphasizes the need for individuals to assess their career ambitions and the compatibility of their current...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the essential skills of effective managers, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and the ability to apply learned skills in real-world scenarios. She discusses the challenges of management, particularly in matrix organizations, and highlights the need for personal growth and understanding individual team members. Christa also provides valuable resources for aspiring and current managers, while acknowledging that managemen...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses the common workplace challenge of being asked to do more with less. She critiques the phrase 'doing more with less' as a misguided approach for austerity that often leads to employee burnout and a scarcity mindset. Christa discusses the historical context of austerity measures, their impact on innovation and organizational culture, and the importance of strategic investment in resources and technology. She offers practical strat...

Summary In this episode, Christa Dhimo explores the complexities of time management, emphasizing that time is a human construct and that managing time is not the same as controlling it. She discusses the importance of understanding personal perceptions of time without the pressure of control, encourages listeners to make friends with time, and offers practical tips for effective time management with a focus on what truly matters in their lives. As always, Christa also offers additional resour...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the complexities of workplace culture, emphasizing the importance of employee engagement over mere satisfaction. She discusses how a healthy work culture is characterized by trust and respect, with a mindset that organizational performance is sustained by getting the best out of your employees each day, not the most out of your employees (which often leads to burn out and disengagement). She provides insights on how to identify o...

Summary In this episode, Christa Dhimo discusses the strategic role of organizational structures in business success. She explores various organizational structures, explains how they directly impact employee and organizational performance, and how org structures impact decision-making and employee empowerment. The conversation highlights the importance of aligning organizational structures with business goals to enhance innovation and overall performance. Key Takeaways · ...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo discusses the critical importance of management training in today's workplace. She emphasizes that effective management is essential for organizational performance, team success, and employee retention, especially in matrix organizational structures. Christa outlines necessary skills that managers need to develop, such as active listening, diplomacy, and emotional regulation, and the significant impact that well-trained managers have on t...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's concern about dealing with a disrespectful coworker whose style is to put others down. She emphasizes the importance of respect and dignity, and the impact respect and dignity has on organizational performance. She discusses how to understand and utilize harassment policies, encourages listeners to seek support and resources to address their challenges, and provides actionable advice on communicating with mana...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa, Christa Dhimo addresses the challenge of being interrupted by a manager during your team meetings—in front of your team. She explores the concept of an interrupting culture, the reasons behind interruptions, including excitement, poor listening skills, and power dynamics. Christa provides practical strategies for managing such behavior, including setting ground rules for meetings and using a feedback model called BIC (Behavior, Impact, Change) to addres...

Summary In this episode, Christa Dhimo addresses the challenges of giving feedback to defensive coworkers. She explores the reasons behind defensive behavior (including low self-esteem and past criticism), the importance of understanding it, and offers strategies for effectively providing feedback. Christa emphasizes the need for self-care, resetting conversations, and seeking support when dealing with defensiveness in the workplace. She also provides resources for further understanding and m...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's question about introducing new ideas in a resistant team environment. She explores the underlying reasons for resistance, particularly focusing on learned helplessness, and offers strategies for effectively pitching new ideas. Christa emphasizes the importance of learning about team members' past experiences, understanding team dynamics, and creating dedicated spaces for discussing new concepts. She also provides re...

Summary In this episode, Christa Dhimo wraps up the first season of her podcast by emphasizing the importance of self-awareness in navigating business challenges and workplace issues. She discusses how understanding our own needs and concerns can enhance our ability to influence, negotiate effectively, and handle conflict management more productively. The conversation reviews the basics of negotiation and conflict management skills while reinforcing that it starts with each of us indivi...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the concept of failure in the workplace, emphasizing that it is crucial to focus on learning and achieving goals rather than being weighed down by the fear of failure, and the importance of reframing our understanding of failure and success. She discusses how perceptions of success and failure can impact performance, and how by changing our perspective on failure, we can foster a more positive workplace environment that encourage...

Summary In this episode, Christa Dhimo addresses a listener's concern about yelling at work due to stress. She discusses the impact of workplace stress on performance, behavior, and emotional responses, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing stress levels by diffusing stress to get back to a “Green” zone. She offers practical strategies for managing stress, including how the Stress Continuum model, which enables self-awareness through categorizations of stress, can lead to b...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses the common challenge of creating goals aligned with a company's strategy, particularly when that strategy is, or corporate goals are, unclear. She discusses the importance of understanding corporate goals, the process of crafting and drafting individual goals, and practical steps to align individual objectives with broader organizational aims.. Christa emphasizes the need for clarity in goal-setting and provides resources for ef...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo addresses the common concern of employees feeling that there is no clear strategy within their organizations. She discusses the importance of understanding what constitutes a strategy, how to identify existing strategies, and the steps employees can take to engage with leadership about strategic goals. She also reviews the importance of understanding and communicating strategy, especially in smaller businesses, and provides insights on ho...

Summary In this episode of Ask Christa!, Christa Dhimo explores the concept of strategy in organizations, emphasizing its importance in achieving goals and navigating uncertainties. She discusses the common misconceptions of strategy as well as how many small and mid-sized companies lack clear strategies and the implications of this on their operations. Christa provides insights on how to think about strategy in a less complex way, focusing on the necessary alignment between strategy and exec...

Summary In this conversation, Christa Dhimo addresses the challenges freelancers face when considering raising their rates. She emphasizes the importance of viewing oneself as a business, mindset, preparation, and effective communication strategies to navigate these discussions with clients. Christa provides practical advice on how to overcome fears and anxieties about “money talk,” options for approaching rate adjustments, the significance of knowing one's worth, and navigating client reacti...