Welcome to my user guide. I appreciate your time to learn more about me. This guide is a living document and the content will change over time as I continue to grow as a person.
- Someone with a high capacity "tank" (a store of energy/motivation -> EM)
- I believe that everyone has a tank that gets drained by exerting effort (physically, mentally, or emotionally)
- Based on empirical evidence, I believe my tank has a much greater capacity than most people
- This does not equate to me producing more output than others
- The amount of EM required for a given task is different between people (ex. if I need to do something I don't like but you do, it will require more EM for me by comparison)
- Hard working
- I always try to put forth the best effort I can in the given moment or situation
- That effort is impacted by my levels of EM, so it won't always reflect what I'm capable of
- An ambivert (extroverted introvert)
- I can appear extremely extroverted and gregarious at times, but this requires high levels of EM
- I normally recharge my tank by spending time alone or sometimes with close friends or family
- If I haven't had social interactions for long stretches, I can sometimes recharge my tank with extroverted actions
- I'm not comfortable with small talk and meeting new people
- Outspoken
- I believe that it's important that everyone contribute to a shared pool of understanding (esp when making decisions)
- I feel it's each individual's responsibility to make sure their voices are heard (in their preferred means of communication if possible)
- To this end, I'm always vocal with my perspective (esp when I'm not the decision maker)
- Since my preference is verbal communication, I tend to talk a lot
- A husband and father
- I'm fortunate enough to have 2 girls (11, 7) and 2 boys (9, 5) with a smart and supportive wife (12/31/2022)
I believe in the importance of transparency in helping to build trust. To provide transparency, I look to openly share my thoughts and opinions, often providing the rationale, perspectives, and/or evidence that support them. I also tend to default to over communication to try and reduce misunderstandings. The following is more specifics into the style and approaches I favor in communication.
In an effort to limit misunderstandings or relying on poor assumptions, I tend to use the following styles of communication:
- Succinct and organized. Blaise Pascal is quoted as saying "I would have written you a shorter letter, but I didn't have the time", to capture the sentiment that being succinct requires more effort than "stream of consiousness" styles of communication. I believe this effort is worth it.
- I try to be as clear and concise as possible, with an emphasis on using proper terms and vocabulary
- I use lots of numbered (if order is important or the information will be repeatedly referenced) or bullet point lists to structure the content
- I'll create acronyms / abbreviations for repeated reference
- I use "()" to co-locate context information that can be skimmed/skipped on re-reads
- I often provide TL;DR summations (even in conversations) so you can orient yourself to the content or quickly refresh your memory
- I view the effort I expend into being succint and organized as a sign of my respect for your time
- Direct
My preference for how to communicate can vary depending on the situation, but in general the following is a list of communication methods (in preference priority order)
- [Sync] - Face-to-face
- [Sync] - Video call (camera on)
- [Sync] - Video call (camera off)
- [Async] - Slack/Discord message
- [Async] - Text
- [Async] - Email
For very important information that could also include strong opinions/emotions (ex. giving or receiving feedback), I like to:
- Write or receive an async message - so I'm given more time to think through the content
- Also have a sync discussion - to ensure there's no misunderstandings and/or share information that shouldn't be in writing I usually prefer the async message is provided prior the the sync discussion, and in those instances I look to followup with another async message (capturing any changes or decisions)
I will use only async communication if:
- It's just sharing information (no need for back-and-forth)
- Schedule conflicts don't allow for sync
- As a time savings (by not also doing sync) for processes that are setup to be async (ex. PR reviews)
- It's your strong preference not to have synchronous discussion
- Mentally - Mindfulness and gratitude
- Physically - Consistently running 3-7 miles, 1-2 times per week and doing 10-20 min HIIT workouts 3-4 times per week
- Professionally - Learning more about the intersection of lean product design, architectural design patterns for software, and the impacts to team / company dynamics (specifically for tech startups)
- Inter-personally - Continuing to give the "benefit of doubt" but gaining clarity on intent earlier instead of letting things build up to the point where misunderstandings start impacting relationships
Below is a collection of books and podcasts that have influenced me and helped shape some of my opinions and perspectives.
- The Lean Startup - must read book that helped fuel the lean startup movement
- Crucial Conversations - toolset for conversations when the stakes are high
- Getting Naked - excellent guide for how to provide client service, with tools that are applicable to any type of industry
- Fundamental Principles of Lean Manufacturing - seminal book by Shigeo Shingo, inventor of the Lean Manufacturing who's concepts revolutionized the automotive and manufacturing industries while spawning the adoption of lean principles to revolutionize numerous other industries (including software / product development)
- Thinking Elixir - great source for Elixir knowledge share
- Hidden Brain - fascinating series about the powers of the human mind
- Mindfulness for Beginners - great resource to get started with mindfulness and meditation