Articles for category: Team

I Know more than You

No I don’t. Not even close. I know things you don’t know and vice-versa. That’s the beauty of working with a team, you don’t have to be the expert at everything, you don’t have to know it all. The best advice I ever got for leading a developer that outclassed me in every area – “I won’t be able to help you with coding, but I am going to help you with all that other stuff” – and from there we worked incredibly well together. There are no Gurus, Ninjas or Rockstars – there is you and your team.

December 16, 2024

Greg Thomas

Building the Team’s Trust

You don’t just start trusting each other. It’s not something that happens on the first, second, thirtieth, or seven thousandth day. It just happens. It happens when the team has put in the daily bits to make it happen. It happens when the team has put in the effort to get there. It happens when the team has committed to the result, irrespective of the costs. Don’t force it, guide it, support it, then it will happen.

December 15, 2024

Greg Thomas

Losing a Team Member

You will lose a team member. You can’t always plan for it, but it will happen. It will not be of your own choosing. But it will happen. And when it does… I wish them well, success, the best of luck, and support, for they will need it.  Starting over, at a new place, a new job, a new team is never easy. It wasn’t meant to be, but they are taking a step forward in their development, their career, their growth. Be there for them, just as you would want someone there for you.

November 29, 2024

Greg Thomas

What you Bring to your Team?

Everyone brings the same thing to their teams. Skills, Attitude, and Effort. Skills – whatever your job is. Attitude – how you treat people and act when things go wrong. Effort – how much you put into the team. The best teams I have worked with excelled in attitude, energy, and skill.  It doesn’t mean there is a great disparity between all three, what it does mean is that the group knows where their focus needs to be – how they treat and work with each other, how they operate (always complaining vs trying to work through problems) and what

November 27, 2024

Greg Thomas

Establishing Support Systems

Support Systems are what keep us going. They can be a network of friends or former work colleagues that we have previously worked with. Your Support System doesn’t need to be large, in fact, it shouldn’t be, otherwise, they will never be there to support you. Keep it small, keep it tight – you only need a handful of people to remind you that you’re on the right path or be honest with you that you’re missing the mark. Support Systems tell you the truth because they are based on trust – you value their words, because you trust them.