In the early stages of a company’s growth, the Founder (assuming they are of a technical acumen) and/or if not CTO (Chief Technology Officer) needs to be focused on Product Delivery (we’ll call them the CTO/F for short). To accomplish this goal, it’s important for the CTO/F to recognize and understand not only what theyContinue reading “Where CTO/F needs to be in Early Stage Development”
Author Archives: Greg Thomas
Identifying and Overcoming Stagnation in your Team’s Growth
“We used to deliver more when we were smaller” No matter who you are or where you are in the team, this hurts. It hits you hard in the gut and triggers the introspection that forces you to look at the why in how you got to where you are today. In working with softwareContinue reading “Identifying and Overcoming Stagnation in your Team’s Growth”
Automating Team Growth and Development
If you’re leading a team, the growth and development of each member of your team are going to be at the top of that big TODO list you have that lists out everything you want to accomplish with your team. But this doesn’t mean you need to run with all of it. Although it mightContinue reading “Automating Team Growth and Development”
Big. Bad. Meetings.
Meetings get a bad rap for the singular reason that we don’t always get what we want out of them. That’s a big reason and a strong justification for what is wrong with them. I’ve attended meetings in person, via bridge, conference calls, airports, taxis, backywards, McDonalds, restaurants, and on and on (as I’m sureContinue reading “Big. Bad. Meetings.”
The Organizational Chart You Need
Companies invest an insurmountable time in their Organizational Charts. They are a badge of honour showing who reports to who and how the order of things come to be. As soon as we start our careers, the goal becomes a game of trying to get from the bottom to the top. Or so we’re told.Continue reading “The Organizational Chart You Need”
The Leadership Wake
Everything is going well until it’s not. But all the signs were there from the beginning… Jack and Sara were always butting heads over syntax and format but everyone thought it was harmless banter until they started yelling at each other in a meeting. Jeff never complained about having to write test cases when theContinue reading “The Leadership Wake”
Shipping with Bugs
There are a few things wrong with our new site. You might not be able to pick them out, but we can, some are more obvious than others. But all of them stick out like a thorn in my side that I can’t get past even though our new site is vastly better than ourContinue reading “Shipping with Bugs”
Your First Team Meeting
Your first Team Meeting is your most important meeting you will ever hold. It’s the meeting that will set the direction of your team for the coming days, weeks and months as you embark on your path as a new leader. It’s not an easy meeting. It’s not a “what’s everyone working on” meeting. YouContinue reading “Your First Team Meeting”
Finding Your Team’s Purpose
When was the last time you asked your Team Lead, Manager, Director what the purpose of your team is? What your end goal is? What’s your raison d’etre? It’s a hard question to ask (because it assumes someone doesn’t know) but it should be a simple question to answer. “We are building X for ourContinue reading “Finding Your Team’s Purpose”
Making Remote Meetings Work
When you have a dispersed team separated by geographic boundaries and time zones it can get a little complicated to ensure that the right messages are being received at the right time by everyone on the team. This problem is further compounded if you are a fast growing team and don’t have the necessary timeContinue reading “Making Remote Meetings Work”
