“Working with Will”

You’re probably reading this because you’re going to be working on my team. I know what you’re thinking: it is pretty odd for a person to have a `README`-file… But then again I could probably be replaced by a couple of bash-scripts. Hopefully this document will help you understand how I work and how I can help you be a really great engineer.

E-mail: me@whn.se Phone: +46 70 263 86 33

My Job

I have three main goals:

  • Hire and retain the best engineers (you)
  • Helping define your context, where you use code to solve business problems
  • Helping you solve problems

My philosophy

I like Elon Musk’s idea of thinking of people on a team as vectors, consisting of a magnitude (how productive you are) and a direction (the direction you’re pulling in).

My main priorities are ensuring that your direction is aligned with the rest of the team and that you are as effective as possible.

Work is more of a marathon than a sprint: So my goal is always to ensure that your performance is sustainable.

Communication Skills

It’s absolutely necessary for you to communicate. If you’re having problems with something isn’t working out for you, you need to communicate it. Getting stuck on something is completely normal, and as long as you communicate it shouldn’t be a problem.

My availability

My priority is always to ensure that you are as effective as possible. Feel free to disturb me anytime, even if I have my headphones on. If I have a meeting but you need to talk with me I will reschedule the meeting.

If something is important to you, it’s important to me. If something can’t wait you can call me any time, no matter if it’s a weekend, holiday or in the middle of the night.

Working hours

I like working strange hours (and sometimes weekends), so I might write you something on Slack pretty much anytime. I only expect you to respond during working hours.

Because of the nature of what we’re doing I might sometimes need you outside working hours due to some emergency. If there is an emergency I will tell you so, if I don’t you don’t need to.

Communications

**Hierarchy of communication:** Video/Face-to-face -> Call -> Text -> Slack -> Email

Don’t email me if you want a prompt response, I have notifications turned off for email and try to check my email as seldom as possible.

Use Slack if you want to discuss something with in a semi-async manner.

If something is blocking you, or something that you feel is important, please talk to me directly disturb me IRL. Even when I have my headphones on.

In general most of our communication will be either Slack or Face-to-face.

Feedback

I appreciate feedback both positive and negative about how I’m doing and how the team is doing. I think feedback is best given through a Slack message or 1-1 chat.

Giving me feedback is the best way for me to understand what can be done better. I will never hold any feedback you give me, as long as it is presented to me privately, against you.

1on1 Meeting

Every two-weeks (unless we decide otherwise), we will have a 1on1 meeting. The 1on1 meeting is entirely for you. This meeting is for you to give feedback for me and for the company.

What we talk about on a 1on1 meeting is 100% confidential, unless you ask me to share something.