What Motivates Me

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• I hate standing still, I have to be accomplishing something or building something awesome​.

• I want to grow as a person, as a leader, as a designer.

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The Way I Work

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1. Be helpful: I aim to help others be successful.

2. Be proactive: I will always bias towards action. I will take initiative. Let’s do it now!

3. Be curious: I will never blindly accept the status quo, but reasonably question everything.

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Being Late

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Punctuality is something that’s important to me. People’s time is valuable, my time is valuable. I don’t like to waste it. I learned, “If you’re not early, you’re late.” But we’re all human, I’ve been late (or missed a meeting 😳) before, it will likely happen again, but I strive for punctuality.

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Embrace the Pain

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True growth comes from embracing discomfort. Whether it's the struggle of learning something new, the sting of embarrassment, the disappointment of missing a target, the friction of disagreement, or the pain of failure; these experiences are all signs of growth.

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I Don’t Take Myself Too Seriously

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I’m always looking for an opportunity for some deadpan sarcasm or funny observations. I’d like to think I can laugh at myself.

 

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Give it to Me Straight

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• Too much communication is better than too little.

  • Written: this is the best way for me to communicate accurately. Sometimes I need time to refine my words to be most effective.

  • Spoken: I love talking face-to-face, although it gets harder when the topic is serious, I am getting better though.

• Async vs live

  • Live is most efficient for me. It’s inefficient to wait till “next week” or have to put something on the calendar. If you need me, ping me. Let’s hop on a call. Let’s keep progressing. I strive to never be a blocker. 

• Disagreements/misunderstandings

  • I believe there isn’t a problem that can’t be solved through good communication. Please let me know if something is going wrong.

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Change

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If I see something that can be improved or optimized, I will want to do it. Now! If it’s broken, let’s fix it. If it’s not needed anymore, let’s drop it.

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Feedback

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• Giving

  • It’s not my default to offer feedback (I am naturally an introvert.) When I do offer feedback, know that I am stepping out of my comfort zone because of my strong belief in how it can help teams and individuals grow.

  • I give negative feedback privately and often keep positive feedback private as well unless you prefer it to be public, just let me know.

• Receiving

  • Who doesn’t like positive feedback? I’ll take it anytime you have it, but it doesn’t have to be public. I don’t crave the spotlight, but I do need to know how I’m doing.

  • If it’s constructive (negative) feedback, I’d honestly rather hear it sooner than later. I’ve given up on being perfect and have just accepted that there will be some things I need to change. Please let me know.

 

 

Collaboration

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• I see the value in divergent thinking. If I suggest something that seems off the wall, it’s often to just get the team thinking from a different angle. I may not even believe that it is a good idea. I love and invite dissent. Diversity of thought will lead to better solutions.

• I try to separate the idea from the person, both for myself and others. The best ideas win.

• Fail fast, fail cheap.

• Sharing sooner is always better than sharing later.

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Personality

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• Sometimes I’m misunderstood. I tend to come off as grumpy, terse, or withdrawn. You may even feel I don’t like you. That is never my intent!

  • Part of the reason is that I am fairly reserved unless I know you well. The more I get to know you personally, and the more we work together, the more you’ll see the real me: I’m pretty chill tbh

  • The other part is that I tend to be very short in my language, but I’ve gotten better at adapting to other people’s communication styles.

• I’ve been aware of this for years and have taken steps to fix it. I’d like to think I’ve improved. Maybe you won’t notice at all. (I’m really a softie.)

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Personal Development

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• I am naturally curious. I do most of my learning by reading books and just trying stuff. I also love learning from others. Don’t be surprised if I ask a lot of questions, even about things outside my field.

• I’m more of a generalist than a specialist. That includes stuff inside and outside of work:

  • I dabble in just about everything; food and drink (cooking and consuming, fine chocolate, obscure root beers), music (playing violin), mechanics (auto repair, tools, anything that breaks), music (listening / high-end audio equipment), DIY stuff (woodworking, plumbing, electric work, carpentry), bikes (riding/fixing), sports (playing/watching), etymology (history of words), outdoors (camping/hiking/hunting/fishing), sewing (if I need to), computers (building/fixing/gaming), art (carving/painting/drawing/sculpting/appreciating), gadgets (phones/smart home stuff), finances (budgeting/investing), and more.​

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Leadership

I want to see people grow, contribute, and perform at a high level. I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen. I’ve had poor managers, I’ve had great managers. I try to apply the lessons I’ve learned through both experiences. As a leader, I will make mistakes. Most likely I won't even know I have done anything, therefore, I'll want to know about it. Please default to open and honest communication. I'll try to do the same.

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My Role

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I’ve never limited myself to my title. I just try to do what needs to be done. It’s always served me well in the past, but if I step on toes, let me know. I’m probably not trying to cause problems, I just want to see the team win.

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On Design

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I think product design is the coolest job on earth and I'll do it as long as they let me.