These are tips on how best to work with me
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I think in frameworks. I try to fit everything into a simple framework or set of guidelines. If you suggest something and I can't figure out the framework, I'll try to understand that first. Instead of one off's, share your framework for thinking about something, then the specific idea. It's alright if you don't think this way. Realize that while you are describing the idea/issue, I might be staring off into the distance trying to figure out which framework to apply.
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Ideas in isolation are hard for me to evaluate. I want to know and agree on what the goal is, and then connect the idea to that
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I am goal anchored. When evaluating something I look at the delta from the goal that was set, not in the total value generated.
- This is a gift and a curse :)
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Followthrough on your commitments is very important to me. If you commit to finishing something by a certain date, I expect it to either be done by that date, or for you to have come to me (the earlier the better) to share that the commitment won't be held and that another date will need to be picked. Saying nothing and letting the date pass is the worst.
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Show me that you know what’s not going well. The worse the better. Then I know that you are aware enough to notice them. That builds confidence with me that you understand what's working and what's not working.
- Even better, show me that you have ideas on how to fix them. We can also brainstorm on this together.
- Showing me a status update with only good news makes me suspicious that you’re hiding the bad, or worse yet, don’t know know what’s going wrong.
- Seeing things that are going wrong and not hearing it from the owner can be scary for me.
- This is in part because that's how I approach problems. I tend to move things forward by finding what's not working and fixing that. Lots of people like to find what is working and double down on that. And that's okay. I'm giving you a tip about how to communicate to me, regardless of how you're actually moving things forward.
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When I ask a question, please answer it directly. There might be other info that’s relevant, but if you lead with that, I’m still wondering the answer to my question. Answer the question first, then add things.
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If you’re not sure exactly what is meant by a goal or an ask, please ask a question. Silently ignoring the ask erodes my trust very quickly. Even if you disagree, telling me that lets me know that you heard it and think otherwise. If you ignore it, I don’t know what to think (disagreement? miscommunication? intentionally missing?)
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When we disagree... I like to understand what underlying assumption we have that is different, and then discuss how we can experiment (quickly) to figure out which assumption is correct. I am certainly not always right.