Articles for category: Leadership

September 19, 2017

Greg Thomas

The Mercy Rule

However implemented, it’s a rule to enforce that one team does not lose by a substantial amount to another team. I’ve seen this implemented over the years in fashion. The worst way I have seen it implemented is when the team with the larger score, takes members of their team off the field. Why is this the wrong way? Invariably, the mismatch is not by numbers but by skill so there is a good chance the other team will score again. You are blatantly saying to the other team – “we can beat you with less” or rather “less of

September 12, 2017

Greg Thomas

How To Start Leading a Team

Meet with your team. Spend an hour with each person. Get to know them. Understand what makes them produce all the great work that they do. Understand what ticks them off. Rinse and Repeat with every person on your team. Once you’ve done that, come up with a plan that addresses their weaknesses and leverages their strengths. If you have yet to do this, do it now. It’s not a question of you should be doing this, it’s a question that you must.

September 6, 2017

Greg Thomas

Hope that they leap over you

When you hire a new person for your team, you always want to have that little voice inside your head saying – “I think this person can be better me”. If you do, hire them. If you don’t, don’t hire them. As a Leader, your job is to make sure that every person leaps over you, maybe switching groups, taking on new projects, leaving the organization, whatever it is. You always want people that can have the ability to surpass you. For the one reason – that no matter where they land, no matter where you land – you will

August 25, 2017

Greg Thomas

When is there a Leadership problem?

It’s not before the project starts – that would be too upsetting to the team, let’s see how things get going first, we don’t want to slow things down? It’s not during the project – well the team is already working towards the next release, wouldn’t this slow them down? It’s not near the end of the project – well things could be doing better, we are late, but if we switched now wouldn’t this slow us down even more? So if it’s none of those times when would you recognize a problem with leadership? The fear of slowing things

August 23, 2017

Greg Thomas

Obi Wan – The Greatest Coach EVER?

I should have written this on May 4th (May the Fourth be With You) but thought of it while writing a recent MEDIUM article on why we all need to have a Coach. I started thinking of the traits of great coaches and for some reason came back to the Jedi Master himself, Obi Wan Kenobi. What makes Obi Wan Kenobi the greatest Jedi ever? He never gave Luke all the answers he wanted and made him work for them. He let Luke fail in preparing to be a Jedi, making similar mistakes to his own. He knew when the

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