Blog

May 26, 2017

Greg Thomas

What’s In A Mentor?

I wrote an article awhile back on what I think it takes to be a Mentor to someone. What is not said in this article is that I learned all of these traits many years ago, when I was still in University, watching a telephone conversation take place that to this day I never forgotten and convey to others. The approach, skill, patience and integrity in that one interaction taught me what no book ever could hope to achieve and what I endeavour to do with others. I don’t if this person will see this today, but they have a profound impact on

May 25, 2017

Greg Thomas

I Need that Fix

I need my coding fix to keep the logical part of my brain happy. I need my writing fix to get out everything I have in my head. I need my entrepreneurial fix to engage that feeling of starting something and growing it. I need my sales fix that drives me to reach out and network with people. I need my leadership fix when coaching and working with teams. I need my exhaustion fix when I finish going for a run. I need my building fix when I try to build something with my hands, admiring the calluses I have earned at the

May 24, 2017

Greg Thomas

The Trainer’s Paradox

I attended a full-day training session with a number of colleagues awhile ago. The entire day was meant to be an interactive session – sharing stories, discussing ideas, answer questions on the material – in general more of a collaborative, engagement session vs powerpoint. In the first half of the session, everyone was offering answers and suggestions to the discussion, but over the course of the day, the questions started to drop off, the hands were no longer going up as fast as they were before, people were being called upon by name instead of offering up their own ideas. In short –

May 23, 2017

Greg Thomas

The Guilty Question

Do you feel guilty when you ask someone the hard questions?  When you really put it to them – not in a demeaning or rude way, but in a direct fashion where you need to know the answers in order to proceed? It’s odd isn’t it, how guilty we start to feel that we had the audacity to ask these questions? Maybe I was too hard? Did I come off too strong? What will they think because I was so direct? Depending on who you are asking and the context of the discussion at large I would hope those people

May 22, 2017

Greg Thomas

What Power do you have?

All of it. You can change your job, change your career, change your vocation, apply for a new designation, go back to school, learn online, learn in a classroom, learn at home or on the way to work. You can download podcasts that make your drive to work that much more interesting, attend meetups with people you have never met and sign-up for programs you know nothing of except that you all can sign-up individually. You can tie up your laces, go for a walk, a bike ride, a run, play tennis and wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.