Blog

June 17, 2016

Greg Thomas

This is how we did it at my last place

Every new job you take something with you from the past one – something that might not have been your idea – but a great idea.  You take it and you bring it to the new one – “here let’s try this, it worked at my last place and could help us here.” Are you stealing?  Unless it’s Intellectual Property or something under an NDA – No.  You’re taking an idea, putting a twist on it and expanding on that original idea. This is how cultures are born and adapt, we take a piece of what we are and start

June 16, 2016

Greg Thomas

Suggestions for Developer Presentations

At some point in your career, if you want to move from Developer to Architect or Team Lead or Manager or something you are going to need to stand-up in front of people and deliver a worthwhile presentation. It might be a presentation for a new idea or initiative or perhaps a status update on a project you are on or a simple roadmap update. Whichever one it is, you’ll want to, no need to deliver a compelling presentation in order to get your message across.  As developers, we typically lean to the verbose, with lots of information on the slides

June 15, 2016

Greg Thomas

You have to Give to Get

It would be great if everything you needed came to you with no strings attached. Even better, what if every agreement or technical discussion went your way. If you want to manage, don’t give to get, demand it… eventually you’ll get it. If you want to lead, you’re going to have to give, something, maybe not today or tomorrow but at some point you are going to have to give something to your team, some other team, the person struggling beside you.  And it won’t be labelled – “here this is the right thing to do now” – but when

June 14, 2016

Greg Thomas

Microsoft and LinkedIn and SlideShare – Oh My!

I don’t typically write about industry related news, although I have a couple in my Trello that are waiting to be written so there could be a few coming. However, yesterday’s announcement of Microsoft buying LinkedIn was something that I had to drop a line on as I heavily use LinkedIn on a daily basis and I practically live on Microsoft software. LinkedIn was the first social media network I ever joined and have never looked back at the usefulness that it provides.  Money aside, there is an incredible amount of reach and power between both companies where they can now

June 13, 2016

Greg Thomas

How long to wait for a Promotion?

Who said you had to wait? Take on something else. Volunteer for assignments. Branch out into something you haven’t done before in your spare time and then apply it to work. Watch a course. The daily grind of grunt work holding you back?  Than starting grinding daily on how to get rid of the old grunt work and create new work – automate it, break it out, eliminate it, combine it – you’re the expert – so go expertize it. The days of having the thoughts of someone having to die for you to be promoted or long gone (dead?) –