Adam Thomas
Managing Director at Approaching One
Expertise: Product management, strategy, leadership and organizational psychology
Education: University of Maryland Eastern Shore

What can we learn by following our curiosity, embracing the unknown, and creating amidst chaos? 

This is the question that propels Adam Thomas’s career as a technologist, product expert, and all-around thinker and creator. His answer so far? We can learn that our potential is limitless and we have an amazing array of options for living, working, and playing better.  

Seizing every opportunity to dive deep into these topics and more, Adam regularly holds his signature workshop on product strategy, management, and leadership, publishes his newsletter on all things tech- and product-related, and is frequently booked as a speaker on podcasts, conferences, and other forums dedicated to bright ideas and big possibilities. 

Situating the world of products within the contexts of culture and behavioral psychology, Adam breaks down technical subject matter into easy-to-grasp concepts, illuminating the insights that tech leaders, product developers, and brands can use to do more and do better when it comes to their product decisions. 

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47 Articles
A closeup of strategy documents and a laptop with a product manager working
Avoid the 5 Deadly Sins of Product Strategy
When a strategy stops working or gets ignored by most of a company, you’re likely dealing with one of five common problems — the deadly sins. Our expert explains how to conquer them.
An architect works on plans with a square and triangle with a cup of coffee
What Is Information Architecture?
Information architecture is a vital concept for UX designers to understand to ensure the products you make are both intelligible and discoverable. Our expert explains the basic principles to you here.
A product team holds a brainstorming session
Do You Actually Need to Build That Product?
Product managers face constant pressure to innovate, but research suggests the majority of ideas have no impact on a company’ s bottom line. So, how can you tell which ideas you should focus on and which are a waste of time?
A sprinter launches out of the blocks on a race track
Design Sprint: What It Means and How to Run One
Design sprints are a great tool to get a stuck team moving. Here’s how to run your own so you can start building great products.
A close-up of a designer's hands holding a pen and working on design markups
Experience Design Is Everything
Experience design is a crucial component of building a great product. Here are the basics of the discipline.
A king shines on a chessboard
Product Managers: Here’s How to Craft a Winning Strategy
What makes a product strategy work? It reduces ambiguity and focuses a team’s attention on the most important elements of its work.
Wireframes image of a piece of paper with a desk with six wireframes drawn on it
What Are Wireframes?
Wireframes are to product and design teams what blueprints are to architects. Wireframes allow us to understand critical systems and an application’s building blocks before creating the entire application.
Binary image of a person's hands working on a keyboard with an overlay of binary numbers across the image in vertical lines
What Is Binary?
Binary is a fundamental concept in computer science, programming and data storage. Understanding binary is essential for anyone interested in these fields. Here are the binary basics.
content management system (CMS) illustration of a laptop and different hands placing website components on it as if it were a bulletin board.
What Is a Content Management System (CMS)?
A CMS helps companies and individuals manage their digital content. Here’s how they work and some examples of popular content management systems.
A visual rendering of a digital database
Database Normalization vs. Denormalization
Denormalization and normalization are crucial concepts for anyone who works in database administration. Our expert explains the differences and weighs the pros and cons of each.
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Sprint Scrum Cycle in Agile Development
Sprint cycles are the units that make up a scrum process. Here, our expert explains how they work.
A close-up of hands on plans for a project
Product vs. Project Management: What’s the Difference?
Product and project management are different disciplines with different approaches. As a product manager, though, you need to know how to do both.