Here are some tidbits on working with me. Before getting started I would like to acknowledge Isaac Hepworth for the idea of creating a working with me page.
- Life is too short not to enjoy it. I like to get things done and have some laughs at the same time. If you have several meetings with me you will notice this quickly. If the meetings are tense just wait until we resolve the problems and the laughter will return. :)
- I have young kids so it is common for me to spend evenings with them and then do a late email cleanup. There should be no expectation that I am waiting for a late night reply unless we are working on an urgent issue.
- If you are a member of my team I will often want to know the "why" behind decisions. You should not assume this is a negative. Understanding the why both informs me of what is going on and helps me figure out if there is additional context that is needed.
- If you have feedback for me please share it. No one including myself is perfect and feedback is a great way to get better. I am a huge track and field fan and part of what I like in my training is when I act on feedback and see the results in my times.
- Important decisions should be documented. In fast paced environments it is easy to get fuzzy on decisions made and the reasons why. This becomes a major problem at scale when others have to make decisions based on what the assumed plan is. Remote teams make this even more important since we can't always just huddle at a desk for clarity.
- Assume best intent until proven otherwise. People are complicated and it is easy to view everything through our own life experiences. Often a quick conversation solves the problem and becomes a great learning experience for everyone.
Orville