Articles for category: Initiative

February 24, 2017

Greg Thomas

Ease Up on the Self-Critique

When we are so focussed on a problem, looking in, staring at, trying to solve it, trying to make it better, adding, deleting, writing, erasing, training, stopping, we sometimes forget to stop being so critical of ourselves and take a step back to look at what we’ve really accomplished. We shouldn’t be driven by external factors, but sometimes they are a great way to slap us upside the head and remind us. “You are doing good work, you are getting there, don’t stop now.” So next time you feel frustrated, step away, look at things from a distance and take

February 23, 2017

Greg Thomas

Not my Job, What about your Career?

When we say that something is not our job what we are really saying is that this has no place in my career. Perhaps it’s not our skill set, maybe it’s not something we are used to doing, maybe it’s something we feel is less than what we normally do. Dangerous assumptions all around. Because maybe, just maybe it might not be our job, but it might be the offroad adventure that our career yearning for.

February 15, 2017

Greg Thomas

What’s in a Vertical?

When starting something new, the immediate desire is sustenance – make enough money to then be able to focus on what you REALLY want or need to do. In short, start off being everything to everyone, in order to stabilize and grow, in essence – go horizontal across all markets. This is fine, as long as you are honest with yourself about the timeline and investment to operate that way. Is it 6 months, 2 years, 5 years? Or, you can focus on the vertical now, the niche, the market, the where you really want to be working. It might be

February 8, 2017

Greg Thomas

The Not So Perfect Ship

So you tried something and it blew up in your face. But you did it when no one else would. And now you stand at a crossroads – whether to go forward or hold back – making 100% sure that your next ship is perfect. If you stop, you’ll never know what you could have accomplished but also never have to worry about the not so perfect ship. If you start, you might never get there, you might never reach perfection, but each day you’ll keep getting closer. The question than becomes – Can you live with a constant stream of Not So Perfect Ships?

February 2, 2017

Greg Thomas

Receiving Feedback

There are some great posts here on how to give feedback to people; How to Give Feedback I don’t care enough to give Constructive Feedback And as much as it probably pains you to sometimes do, the Giving is the easy part. The hard part – receiving it, processing it, moving forward with it – that is where we all struggle. If you really, really, really want to take feedback then you need to be able to receive it. Receiving feedback takes three parts; Being Thankful – yes, thankful.  Someone(s) just took time out of their schedule to sit down