user manual
A guide to how to interact with me, produced for work, but maybe of use to others.
My style
I’m honest but polite with it. I try to act with thought for the other person and their feelings. All information, good and bad, can and should be given honestly but carefully.
I love solving problems, particularly with systems. Be those human, computer or other systems.
I have lots of strong opinions and 99% of them are loosely held. I’m always open to having my mind changed and expect the same from others.
As is common in business, I’ve done the Myers Brigg personality type test on more than one occasion, and each time I’m INFJ. I’m not sure that can fully encompass me as an individual, but it’s pretty on the nose in a few ways.
I hold myself and others to high standards and I feel disappointment when those standards are not met. Age and (some) wisdom is tempering this somewhat but like everyone I’m a work in progress and always will be. I get over it quickly and I’ll always try and help.
I have a horrible habit of not being able to hold a joke in, even if it’s inappropriate in the circumstance. On a call about a crashed server and an upset client? I’ll sort the problem but expect a few dad jokes along the way.
I believe that everyone should be able to seek truth in their own way. You do you as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else. Inclusivity and diversity are strengths. Any form of prejudice is absolutely unfathomable to me.
What I value
- Family - if you are in the circle that I call “family”, then you come first to the exclusion of all else. I’m fiercely loyal and will help you in any way I can.
- Calmness - it’s rare that a situation is improved by panic
- Balance/Sustainability - You need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs.
- Responsibility - both taking it and seeing others discharge it well, especially when it’s proactive in nature.
- Creativity - Solving problems and puzzles cannot be done by rote.
- Kindness - It’s free, it’s easy, it helps.
- Autonomy - I’m a finder, give me a broad remit and I’ll find the best way I can add value to a situation. Give me a problem, don’t dictate the solution.
- Growth - I’m always changing, I embrace and value this. Be it learning a new skill, changing opinions or just trying to be better at something.
- Mastery - I want to delve into the guts of something and really understand it. Surface level knowledge isn’t enough for me.
- Realism - Not everything is awesome all the time, but neither is it negative all the time. Accepting the negative exists allows you to enjoy the positive mindfully.
- Stoicism - You can control (mostly) your thoughts and actions, nothing else. Experience has taught me that trying to control the uncontrollable will lead to extreme unhappiness.
- Efficiency - Waste is bad. Be it time, energy or something more tangible. We all have finite resources.
- Bullet lists - they are awesome aren’t they?
Things I like
- Gardening - if I wasn't a software engineer, I'd probably be (trying) to do this.
- Gaming (both off and online).
- Reading. Mainly fiction, increasingly non-fiction.
- Music - if I'm not in a meeting during worktime, I'm listening to music.
- I've been known to write stories.
- I watch films at a rate that scares some people.
- Running when I can.
How I work
Meetings should be blocked together. 3 - 4 meetings in a day is more than enough.
My work often involves deep focus so I need a decent expanse of time in the day to load things into my head and get going.
On some days I’ll be doing a school run 8.20ish - 8.50ish.
How best to communicate with me
- No cold calls except in emergencies.
- Something asynchronous first like Slack/discord/whatsapp.
- If you have something that is best done verbally, take a look at my calendar (if you can) or just request a quick call with me and I’ll reach out as soon as I’m able to confirm it.
- Things that are better verbally are anything that needs explanation from or to me, or if you need me to make a decision that’s non-trivial.
I’m ruthless with notifications, I barely get any in an effort to maintain focus.
Emails are checked once or twice a day, so if it’s urgent a DM is better. I’ll see it sooner and am more likely to read and respond.
What people misunderstand about me
I tend to be vocal and engaged in meetings, which might surprise people given that I'm naturally introverted. This active participation is something I've developed over time to ensure productive discussions and avoid awkward silences, though it can be tiring for me afterward.
My highly organized approach to work can sometimes appear rigid, but it's actually a set of evolved tools that help me be as efficient as possible and focus on what really matters. This system allows me to be more present and effective when collaborating with others.
While I have a naturally serious expression, I'm typically not unhappy - it's just my default setting when I'm concentrating or thinking through problems. You'll often find I'm actually quite engaged and will likely throw in a few jokes along the way, even in tense situations.
Why I do what I do
To quote “The Mythical Man Month” by Fredrick P. Brooks Jnr:
Why is programming fun? What delights may its practitioner expect as his reward?
First is the sheer joy of making things. As the child delights in his mud pie, so the adult enjoys building things, especially things of his own design. I think this delight must be an image of God's delight in making things, a delight shown in the distinctness and newness of each leaf and each snowflake.
Second is the pleasure of making things that are useful to other people. Deep within, we want others to use our work and to find it helpful. In this respect the programming system is not essentially different from the child's first clay pencil holder "for Daddy's office."
Third is the fascination of fashioning complex puzzle-like objects of interlocking moving parts and watching them work in subtle cycles, playing out the consequences of principles built in from the beginning. The programmed computer has all the fascination of the pinball machine or the jukebox mechanism, carried to the ultimate.
Fourth is the joy of always learning, which springs from the non repeating nature of the task. In one way or another the problem is ever new, and its solver learns something: sometimes practical, sometimes theoretical, and sometimes both.
Finally, there is the delight of working in such a tractable medium. The programmer, like the poet, works only slightly removed from pure thought-stuff. He builds his castles in the air, from air, creating by exertion of the imagination. Few media of creation are so flexible, so easy to polish and rework, so readily capable of realizing grand conceptual structures.
How I like feedback
Candidly with compassion and kindness. Make it constructive. I’ll ask questions so have answers ready and be prepared to dig in. I’m always happy to change or compromise, but I’ll rarely do it with anyone who is rude.
It's helpful if you send me something beforehand so I can get things straight in my head before we talk, I don't like being caught cold and I obviously want the conversation to be valuable.
What makes me feel good at work
- Solving problems for people and getting things working well.
- Working together to build something that is as good as we can make.
- No surprises - things running smoothly without major error.
- Watching people grow and take on responsibility.
- Putting good into the world, seeing the impact we have.
- Being better today than we were yesterday.
I work best when
- Objectives are clear and we can collaborate to explore what you're trying to achieve - this helps me build exactly what you need
- People take ownership of their work and learn from mistakes rather than shifting blame or repeating the same errors
- We can have productive discussions and meetings that move things forward rather than endless cycles that drain energy
- There's mutual respect in our interactions - rudeness and "us vs them" attitudes make collaboration much harder
- Deadlines are meaningful and tied to actual business needs rather than arbitrary pressure points
- People understand that complex systems sometimes break, and we work together to improve them rather than expecting perfection
- Team members who can solve problems take initiative rather than just highlighting issues