diff --git a/amazon-kinesis-client/src/main/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/Scheduler.java b/amazon-kinesis-client/src/main/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/Scheduler.java
index dc730441..85234f7f 100644
--- a/amazon-kinesis-client/src/main/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/Scheduler.java
+++ b/amazon-kinesis-client/src/main/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/Scheduler.java
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ public class Scheduler implements Runnable {
 
     private static final int PERIODIC_SHARD_SYNC_MAX_WORKERS_DEFAULT = 1;
     private static final long LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_FREQUENCY_MILLIS = 3 * 1000L;
-    private static final long MIN_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS = 5 * 1000L;
+    private static final long MIN_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS = 1 * 1000L;
     private static final long MAX_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS = 30 * 1000L;
     private static final long HASH_RANGE_COVERAGE_CHECK_FREQUENCY_MILLIS = 5000L;
     private SchedulerLog slog = new SchedulerLog();
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@ public class Scheduler implements Runnable {
     private final boolean skipShardSyncAtWorkerInitializationIfLeasesExist;
     private final GracefulShutdownCoordinator gracefulShutdownCoordinator;
     private final WorkerStateChangeListener workerStateChangeListener;
-    private final InitialPositionInStreamExtended initialPosition;
     private final MetricsFactory metricsFactory;
     private final long failoverTimeMillis;
     private final long taskBackoffTimeMillis;
@@ -249,7 +248,6 @@ public class Scheduler implements Runnable {
         }
         this.leaderDecider = new DeterministicShuffleShardSyncLeaderDecider(leaseRefresher,
                 Executors.newSingleThreadScheduledExecutor(), PERIODIC_SHARD_SYNC_MAX_WORKERS_DEFAULT);
-        this.initialPosition = retrievalConfig.initialPositionInStreamExtended();
         this.failoverTimeMillis = this.leaseManagementConfig.failoverTimeMillis();
         this.taskBackoffTimeMillis = this.lifecycleConfig.taskBackoffTimeMillis();
 //        this.retryGetRecordsInSeconds = this.retrievalConfig.retryGetRecordsInSeconds();
@@ -308,7 +306,8 @@ public class Scheduler implements Runnable {
                     if (!skipShardSyncAtWorkerInitializationIfLeasesExist || leaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty()) {
                         // TODO: Resume the shard sync from failed stream in the next attempt, to avoid syncing
                         // TODO: for already synced streams
-                        if (!waitAndCheckIfLeaseTableIsReady()) {
+                        if (shouldInitiateLeaseSync()) {
+                            log.info("Worker {} is initiating the lease sync.", leaseManagementConfig.workerIdentifier());
                             for (Map.Entry<StreamIdentifier, StreamConfig> streamConfigEntry : currentStreamConfigMap.entrySet()) {
                                 final StreamIdentifier streamIdentifier = streamConfigEntry.getKey();
                                 createOrGetShardSyncTaskManager(streamIdentifier);
@@ -359,18 +358,19 @@ public class Scheduler implements Runnable {
     }
 
     @VisibleForTesting
-    boolean waitAndCheckIfLeaseTableIsReady() throws InterruptedException,
+    boolean shouldInitiateLeaseSync() throws InterruptedException,
             DependencyException, ProvisionedThroughputException, InvalidStateException {
         long waitTime = ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextLong(MIN_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS, MAX_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS);
         long waitUntil = System.currentTimeMillis() + waitTime;
 
-        while (System.currentTimeMillis() < waitUntil && leaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty()) {
+        boolean isLeaseTableEmpty = true;
+        while (System.currentTimeMillis() < waitUntil && (isLeaseTableEmpty = leaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty())) {
             // check every 3 seconds if lease table is still empty,
             // to minimize contention between all workers bootstrapping at the same time
             log.info("Lease table is still empty. Checking again in {} ms", LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_FREQUENCY_MILLIS);
             Thread.sleep(LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_FREQUENCY_MILLIS);
         }
-        return !leaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty();
+        return isLeaseTableEmpty;
     }
 
     private void waitUntilHashRangeCovered() throws InterruptedException {
diff --git a/amazon-kinesis-client/src/test/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/SchedulerTest.java b/amazon-kinesis-client/src/test/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/SchedulerTest.java
index b14f3303..812b05df 100644
--- a/amazon-kinesis-client/src/test/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/SchedulerTest.java
+++ b/amazon-kinesis-client/src/test/java/software/amazon/kinesis/coordinator/SchedulerTest.java
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ public class SchedulerTest {
         when(dynamoDBLeaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty()).thenReturn(true);
 
         long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
-        scheduler.waitAndCheckIfLeaseTableIsReady();
+        scheduler.shouldInitiateLeaseSync();
         long endTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
 
         assertTrue(endTime - startTime > MIN_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS);
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ public class SchedulerTest {
         when(dynamoDBLeaseRefresher.isLeaseTableEmpty()).thenReturn(false);
 
         long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
-        scheduler.waitAndCheckIfLeaseTableIsReady();
+        scheduler.shouldInitiateLeaseSync();
         long endTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
 
         assertTrue(endTime - startTime < MIN_WAIT_TIME_FOR_LEASE_TABLE_CHECK_MILLIS);