Articles for category: Initiative

January 30, 2019

Greg Thomas

What Happened?

We don’t ask this question enough. It’s too open-ended. To open to interpretation. Has too many options associated to it. Invites too much feedback from those involved. Turns into a much longer discussion than we are willing to invest time in. Gets lost in translation. Or simply put – “It’s too hard to ask” and that much harder to receive feedback on. When we say “What Happened?” – we are opening ourselves up to feedback to everyone – those directly and indirectly involved – it can be overwhelmed if we don’t have a process in place to handle, consume and

December 26, 2018

Greg Thomas

Last Minute Requests

But we didn’t know? We just found out today? We thought it was fine? Who knew there was a problem? If it’s your job to know that everything is working, then it is also your job to ensure that no last-minute requests come through the door that could derail the project. Last Minute Requests that change the underlying foundation of what you have built are not Last Minute Requests – they are features for the next release.

December 19, 2018

Greg Thomas

Change is a Battle

It’s a monster standing in front of you surrounded by all your fallen allies. It’s waiting with nostrils flaring for you to come up and take a swipe. When you put everything into your first punch and swing and miss, it’s there laughing at you while holding you down. As you get up to try again, it’s kicking sand on you egging you on to try again while it waits for you to return. How it ends is up to you. Whether you get back in there and try again is your choice. But make no mistake, people are afraid

December 12, 2018

Greg Thomas

Don’t Hold Back

The only person you hurt when you hold back on giving your best effort is you. If the team is not up to your level, you bring them up, otherwise you are letting them down. If your intensity and commitment is different than everyone else’s, you share that with the team so they know where you are coming from. If you see problems that they don’t, bring them up to speed, don’t wait for them to figure them out. But don’t Hold Back. Don’t hold back on your own Drive and Delivery just because someone else is.Let loose

December 10, 2018

Greg Thomas

Asking for Validation or Asking for Feedback

We sometimes ask for Feedback, expecting validation in return. “This is perfect” “Great plan” “I like this approach” “No comments” And when we receive feedback we are disgruntled at what we get back. “It’s good but have you tried this?” “What if we incorporated this as well?” “I have some other ideas if you want to hear them?” This is feedback, these are comments that are designed to provide you with mechanism you need to improve on what you are doing and get better.  The former, are platitudes, validation and praise for what you are doing – whether warranted or

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