Jann’s Jottings - September 2026

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Sep 7

“The most practical pages for perusal on the web”

Jotting (defn): short details of significant events, behaviours and conversations about wellbeing, growth and education/career.

Wellbeing Jot: Getting a Grip

At our gym I’ve noticed a lot of people hanging around, literally, on an overhead bar. Turns out they are testing a bit more than grip strength, but the idea is the same. Researchers are increasingly using grip strength as a musculoskeletal marker for longevity.

In a seminal study of over 140,000 participants, published in The Lancet, results indicated that grip strength is a better predictor for premature death than blood pressure. Lower grip strength participants showed signs of accelerated aging and all cause cardiovascular mortality. Conversely, those with a grip strength in the top third were 2.5 times more likely to become centenarians and enjoy increased disease resilience. So, for your own wellbeing, get a grip! More here

Growth Jot: Purposeful Conversations*

Difficult conversations often become more difficult because we begin speaking before we know what we hope the conversation will achieve. Sometimes we want to feel understood. Sometimes we need to express hurt. Sometimes we are asking for a practical change, clarifying an expectation, setting a boundary, or deciding whether the relationship can move forward.

When we are unclear about our purpose, conversations easily become collections of old grievances rather than attempts to address the issue in front of us.

Before raising something important, it can help to ask:

What do I most want the other person to understand?
What am I hoping will be different after this conversation?
Am I prepared to hear their experience as well as share my own?

Purpose also influences timing. Even the most important conversation is unlikely to go well when someone is rushing, exhausted, or emotionally overwhelmed. Waiting for a better moment is not the same as avoiding the conversation, provided there is a clear commitment to return to it. Sometimes it is enough to say, “This matters to me, and I don’t want us to rush it. Can we talk later?” Or, “I need a little time to settle so I can respond thoughtfully. Can we come back to this in twenty minutes?”

A pause protects the relationship only when a return follows it.

When the conversation begins:

keep it grounded in the present
describe the specific situation
explain how it affected you
make space to understand the other person’s experience before deciding how to move forward together.

The goal is not to win. It is to leave the conversation with greater understanding, clearer expectations, and a shared sense of what happens next.

Coaching can help with that.

*Excerpt from forthcoming book: Johanna H Lundgren and Jann Carroll: Relationship Debt: Restoring connections in love, work and life. No, it’s not about the money.

Career Jot: Counting the Cost

We all the know the phrase “divide and conquer” and for completing tasks this strategy is most effective. However, Philip 11 of Macedon, subsequent Caesars and colonisers implemented the divide and conquer strategy ruthlessly to fracture and weaken their enemies.

Division and disunity in a team is corrosive. Like acid on metal, it leaves scars and takes the shine out of team accomplishments.

Division disempowers mission.
Gossip derails goals.
Resentment corrodes results.

We may not agree with every decision our team makes or even the reasoning behind it. Yet we can disagree and question with humility and respect then get in behind the decision.

Next time you are faced with having to implement a decision you don’t fully agree with, choose unity with your team knowing your voice has been heard. And go a step further – affirmation is a leadership superpower. So, find the good or 2% truth in the decision and encourage others. Watch what happens to your own mood and the enthusiasm of others. You will find it a win-win.

Coaching can help with that.