Overview

This operating guide is how I function, it was developed as a way for me to better understand myself as well as people that I surround myself with, to understand me.

This document will act as a living document that I will update as I learn more about myself.

About Me

Enneagram: Type 7 – Enthusiastic Visionary

Meyers Briggs: ENTJ

Hobbies

• Writing / Thinking
• Traveling (been to over 33 countries)
• Activities; avid adventure junkie
  • Bicycling (Road or Mountain)
  • Tennis
  • Running
• Investing
• Reading / Listening to Podcasts
• Side Projects / Businesses

Who are you as a person?

What are some honest, unfiltered things about you?

• I’m an impatient optimist. There is always a faster and better way, I have and move with a sense of urgency.
• I thrive off challenging the status quo and normal ways of doing things and get energy from thinking about how we could do things differently. This can make me appear impatient.
• I can be critical. This is not due to a negative attitude but the fact that I see problems and tend to want to fix them with others.
• I most enjoy working at pace, with lots going on. Conversely, I lose energy in long-turnaround times / extended deadlines where there is no sense of urgency.
• I am open and frank, reflective of my own failings.
• I am comfortable changing direction, shifting and adapting. I also love new ideas but this can be challenging for people. It reinforces the need for constant communication and discussion and clearly defined decisions.

What drives you nuts?

• Flakiness; people who are late to meetings–I hate people who waste my time
• If I ask someone to do something and they acknowledge they are going to do it, I expect it to be done and not to have to ask about it again in the future
• Making excuses or blaming others
• Attention seeking
• Entitlement, selfishness
• Buzzwords & unknown acronyms
• Imprecise words, such as: “maybe”, “sometimes”, or “perhaps”
• Chronic use of “um” or “like”
• Misspelling my name; you’re obviously not paying close enough attention to detail
• Random meetings or super long email threads–At least ask me and/or give me context before you throw a meeting on my calendar or loop me into a long email thread.

What are your quirks?

• I speak fast because I think fast, some people adapt quickly while others get overwhelmed.
• I can be incredibly sarcastic, coupled with my dry humor tends to leave people astray at times.
• I am an optimistic pessimist, I will make outlandish goals and strive to meet them, but I plan for the worst
• Most of the time I don’t take notes, most people assume I’m not paying attention or don’t care. I do care and pay attention, I just have a good memory and remember most things.
• I can context switch incredibly quickly and pick up where we left off, but I need long, interrupted periods of time to get analytical work done.
• When I don’t exercise or eat enough I can get grumpy
• I find watching sports a waste of time, however, love to participate in them
• Loud, crowded bars are my nightmare. I need a place to have a one-on-one or small group discussion. I find small cocktail parties great for this
• I hate coffee; boba or tea work for me

How can people earn an extra gold star with you?

• Don’t make assumptions, drive everything down to first principles
• Go against the grain, question everything, do things differently
• Don’t ask me the same question twice, take notes the first time. If you didn’t, that’s your fault. If you’re missing something, that’s my fault.
• I love solving problems, so brainstorming new ideas with people is a great way to get excited, I actually get a physical adrenaline rush from coming up with something innovative, even if it is something small.
• I love it when things are well thought out. I pay attention to details and respect people who have thought out every little detail. Makes me want to understand their motivations, and learn from them.
• I love feedback. If I am missing something important, I need to know! It’s fine if it’s critical or harsh feedback. I’d much rather you tell me than just assume I know what you are thinking. You can always come up to me and ask for 10 minutes of time.

What qualities do you particularly value in people who work with you?

• Intellect
• Problem-solving skills/analytical ability
• Infectious work ethic
• Concise
• Quantitative: measure what matters
• Time Aware: Respecting other people’s time
• Hustle
• Curious
• Selfless
• Continuous learners

What are some things that people might misunderstand about you that you should clarify?

• When I challenge projects or ideas people can think I am challenging them — I don’t mean to; I am trying to provoke debate and discussion.
• I genuinely want to know what people think and I can sometimes take silence from people as a sign of a lack of interest.
• I can come off as unfriendly, especially when you first meet me, however, once you get to know me, you’ll just realize I’m a big goofball.

How do you interact with others?

How do you coach people to do their best work and develop their talents?

• Start with first principles; learn the ‘why’, not the ‘how’
• Ask lots of questions
• If you want to progress your career fast
  • (1) Take responsibility to manage your own career as nobody else will do it for you
  • (2) work very hard to put yourself in the right place at the right moment in time
  • (3) seek the help of those who have done it before
• Become a leader, anyone can be a leader.
• Fail fast, learn from those failures, prove yourself
• It doesn’t matter if you got the right answer, the thought process and how you got there is really what matters

What’s the best way to communicate with you?

• In person is best, schedule some time with me!
• Communication Methods
  • Work: Slack, Email
  • Reaching Out: Email; be brief
  • Personal: Text

What’s the best way to convince you to do something?

• Do you truly need my help, or can anyone do it?
• Does it benefit many people with or without me, or just yourself?
• Have you made an attempt at doing this yourself?
• Show me, don’t tell me. I want to see data to back it up.
• Get me excited! If you don’t get me excited it’s hard for me to want to jump in and go.
• Explain your reasoning. It’s not about being right or wrong, but thinking things through shows you’ve taken the time to consider both.

How do you like to give feedback?

• I like to give feedback in person so that it cannot be interpreted incorrectly via text

How do you like to get feedback?

• I like people to be straightforward and give me feedback directly. I’m not easily offended. Feedback is always welcome and highly appreciated
• Methods of Giving Me Feedback
  • In-Person, 1-on-1
  • Feedback Form