I want to work with people who are smarter and more effective than me.
I want to move quickly but deliberately. To be thoughtful in what we do, and extremely efficient in how we do.
I want to ensure fairness and equality. I believe that most humans are trying to to do the right thing, but unconscious bias leads them astray. I work hard to understand and address my biases because I understand their ability to create inequity.
(I am failing in a lot of these areas. I would love your feedback on how I can do better.)
Bring your whole self to work (https://www.forbes.com/sites/hennainam/2018/05/10/bring-your-whole-self-to-work/#29aa50456291).
Be super transparent. Ask for help. Admit failure. Brag about success or the problem you just solved. Talk to each other. Including people on other teams.
Give me feedback. Early, often, and as it's happening. I might get defensive at first, but I'll try not to. Please continue with your feedback (and call me out) even if I do get defensive, it is extremely valuable.
Don't work or check slack while on vacation.
My job is to...
Explain context. You should be able to explain why what you're working on is important, and the constraints that we're operating under.
Set clear expectations. You should have a clear understanding of what I'm asking of you, and the areas that I'm challenging you.
Serve and retain you. You should be happy, and have everything you need to do your job and advance your career. If you aren't, raise it with me and we'll figure out how to solve the problem. I aim to make myself available as a sounding board and resource anytime you need it. Feel free to reach out after hours.
That's pretty much it. If you're lacking any of these things, then I'm not doing a good job, and you should raise it with me.
If you ever need to talk to me, please schedule a meeting in any free time on my calendar. No need to ask first. If you can't find a time, let me know and I'll move something around for you. All my meetings are editable by default, so feel free to change or cancel as you like.
I frequently start working early in the morning, but rarely after 6 or on weekends. But feel free to slack me after hours, you are my priority and I will respond.
I believe in a process of talking through issues and solving problems in 1 on 1 conversations. Please grab me whenever you have something to discuss! And if we're discussing something 1:1 that should be discussed in a group setting, please remind me and I'll find a better forum.
I like to write docs. It helps me think about how I want to go about something. It's the way that I think, and as a result I have a hard time believing that you are able to think through a problem without writing it down. If this expectation doesn't work for you, let me know and we can come up with another solution.
I tend to operate in waves. Periods of being very focused, periods of being distracted. Periods of being obsessed with one thing, and periods of dropping it completely and getting obsessed with something else. If you notice that I'm giving too much (or not enough) attention to something, please raise it with me and I will address it.
I can get excited about things easily, and think it needs to be dealt with or fixed right now. I know it doesn't, but it sometimes takes me a while to realize it. If I seem excited by something and it's distracting you, please bring it to my attention and I will address it.
In my lesser moments, I can get grumpy and petty. I will try to tell you when this is happening so I can reign it in. If you see this happening, raise it with me and I will address it.
I get stressed if I don't understand all the pieces of a problem, or if I don't think you do. If this interferes with your work, raise it with me and I will address it.