Showing up takes persevilience
30 Jul 2026
In this moment:
Simon Rigler
I've enjoyed my Call for Insights with Simon Rigler. Not only is he a top bloke and someone who cares deeply about supporting his team members, he's just really good at explaining things.
Simon's obsessed with how humans learn, which is also one of my passions. I'm fascinated by it all. Learning + Community are so intertwined it's hard to know where one starts and the other ends. I guess they can just exist as one.
Do check out his Call for Insights where he describes the importance of curiosity, positivity, and determination: Task management and attitude complete the art of learning.
Here's how we can apply them to showing up in a tech community like the MoTaverse:
Simon's obsessed with how humans learn, which is also one of my passions. I'm fascinated by it all. Learning + Community are so intertwined it's hard to know where one starts and the other ends. I guess they can just exist as one.
Do check out his Call for Insights where he describes the importance of curiosity, positivity, and determination: Task management and attitude complete the art of learning.
Here's how we can apply them to showing up in a tech community like the MoTaverse:
- Curiosity leads us to an open mind, a willingness to explore and try, not knowing entirely what the plan is or what the outcome will be. In the world of testing (and checking), that means being comfortable with no expected result. A sort of community non-determinism.
- Positivity helps us see the world with a lens of optimism and hope. We can interact with our fellow community members with unconditional positive regard, accepting and valuing a person as a whole, without conditions attached to their worth. This is regardless of what they say, do, or feel. Don't worry folks, we can still disagree with someone, with positivity and with respect.
- Determination is a willingness to stick at it and stay engaged with the MoTaverse community for the benefit of oneself and others. It's long term thinking in a world obsessed with quick fixes, short messaging, rapid context switching and 24 hour news cycles. It's the slow down approach.
Which reminds me of a made-up word from a famous political communications strategist: "persevilience" , a portmanteau of perseverance and resilience.
- Perseverance keeps us going when things are tough.
- Resilience helps us deal with setbacks and failures, whilst bouncing back stronger.
Put together, persevilience is the capacity to persist through difficulty and recover from knocks in a way that keeps us going over time.
Let's be honest, showing up in the MoTaverse requires persevilience. I'm just glad Team MoT and the good humans in the MoTaverse community are there to support each other.
Simon Tomes
Community Lead at MoTaverse
he/him
Hello, I'm Simon. Since 2003 I've had various roles in testing, tech leadership and coaching. I believe in the power of collaboration, creativity and community. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified.
Open To
Write
Teach
Speak
Mentor
CV Reviews
Podcasting
Meet at MoTaCon 2026
Review Conference Proposals
Sign in
to comment
Is AI failing, or is it an API? Simulate your API environment in WireMock Cloud to run better tests, earlier
Explore MoT
What I learned about influence by becoming a stakeholder
Boost your career in software testing with the MoT Software Testing Essentials Certificate. Learn essential skills, from basic testing techniques to advanced risk analysis, crafted by industry experts.
Into the MoTaverse is a podcast by Ministry of Testing, hosted by Rosie Sherry, exploring the people, insights, and systems shaping quality in modern software teams.
