Articles for category: Drive

March 10, 2017

Greg Thomas

Customer Relationships as a Freelancer

Whether you’re a contractor, consultant or freelancer customer relationships are key to your survival and growth. If you’re feeling worried that you won’t be renewed… You haven’t shown your value to the customer. If you’re feeling like you don’t know if your work is not on point with what the customer is asking… You haven’t sat down with them enough to work the problem. If you are worried more about your invoice vs the work… You’ve missed the part where the customer is everything. When you freelance, consult or contract you have this incredible opportunity to focus on the quality

March 9, 2017

Greg Thomas

Some Recent Reading

If you’re looking for new books to read, here are some that I’ve either read over the years or just recently that I very much enjoyed. Leading at the Edge A great glimpse into Shackleton’s journey that did not go as planned yet came out on the other side the better for it.  (side note: so good, I permanently borrowed from a place of work many years ago when we were moving). Steal Like An Artist You’ll read it in a few hours but the lessons will stay with you forever, it is one of the most powerful books ever.

March 1, 2017

Greg Thomas

The New Career Market

When I was a kid many years ago… I had a paper route that someone gave me. I had a part-time job that someone gave me. Neighbours asked me to mow their lawns and shovel their driveways. Today… Paper routes are declining, the roles being taken on by adults with cars. The job market is crowded, many people are fighting for part-time jobs in the hope they become full-time. Companies specializing in lawn and snow maintenance. Everything is being done better thanI could ever do it. For my kids… They will need to learn to create their own jobs, find niches and

February 23, 2017

Greg Thomas

Growing Pains

You’d think it would get easier with experience. You’d think these feelings of discomfort would subside when you get going. You’d think it’d get a little easier the second time around. You’d think the same problems at different places would be resolved quicker. But you’d be wrong – these are the growing pains that stay with us as we go through the first, second, third and sometimes “n” times of trying to get better and improve itself.  They are not always easy, sometimes downright frustrating and always fraught with varying degrees of craptivity. The question is whether you are willing to

February 16, 2017

Greg Thomas

What showing your Excitement really means

It means investing wholeheartedly into a problem. It means not holding back with ideas. It means being able to bounce off the walls with enthusiasm because everyone there feels the same. It means feeling trusted and empowered to try something new and know that everyone is okay if it fails. It means everyone knowing that we will learn from our failures and become better, stronger as a result. It means laughter and camaraderie that goes beyond status reports and timelines. It means not having to worry about how hidden agendas. And it shows when our trust with each other is high,