Articles for category: Initiative

October 21, 2020

Greg Thomas

Sprint Retrospectives During the Release

You wouldn’t change your oil while on the highway. Or change the materials in a house half-built with a few days to go. Or start teaching a new lesson when the first one isn’t finished. Or turn on the dishwasher when only a few dishes are in it? Then why are you running a Sprint Retrospective while your team is working on delivering said work? They are in a different mindset, a different zone, a different area of delivery altogether. Wait until the sprint is over, give people time to collect their thoughts, then ask the questions that you want

October 16, 2020

Greg Thomas

The Meeting Gap

You don’t notice it when you’re there, in the moment, having the meeting. You notice it the next day. Or maybe in a meeting later in the week. The timing isn’t precise, but what is precise is that statement that signifies the gap. “I didn’t know we discussed that?” Followed of course by statements by everyone else who was in attendance… “Did we discuss that? What was the outcome?” “Of course we talked about.” “Weren’t you there? Was that when your mic was off?” The list goes on and on but you get the idea, confusion. Confusion at the end

October 9, 2020

Greg Thomas

Conveying Ideas

You have an idea. Seven months ago, you’d march into the room, grab the marker, cover the wall with your ingenious ideas as the team behind you consumed it all. When you were done, you’d drop the marker like a mic, sit down and bask in your glory as the team reveled in all that you created for them. Perhaps it didn’t quite happen like that, but you get the idea. Conveying an idea to your team is a much easier thing on-site than off. When you’re on-site you can see the moment your team starts to drift, where they

October 8, 2020

Greg Thomas

Hiring Remotely

On a good day, hiring people for your team is a challenge. A quick look at some articles I’ve written on interviewing further confirms how tricky this can be. Running a Technical Interview One Rule for Interviews How Not to Prep for an Interview – Part 2 Now Not to Prep for an Interview – Part I Stop the Memory Questions Getting Past the Gatekeeper Hire Someone Better Senior Years but Junior Experience Selling Yourself References Used to Mean Something And that is just what I’ve written about on this site alone and not in my book – Code Your

October 7, 2020

Greg Thomas

Owning a Problem

The easiest way to becoming a leader in whatever field you are in is a simple one. You don’t need a promotion. You don’t need a title. You don’t need to wait for someone to tell you it’s your turn. All you need is a problem and a problem that you are willing to solve and own. When you own a problem, when people see you starting to take responsibility for a problem their view on you changes. You go from being someone who works on “things” to someone who can “own” things, can push them through, can figure out

© 2025 Rambli by Greg Thomas. All rights reserved.