First of all, I'm excited to work with you!

This is a guide to working with me. It's a way for you to understand how I think and work, and hopefully it will help us work better together.

<aside> 💡 This doesn't mean my way is the right way. But it's the way that works best for me.

</aside>

Operating approach

• I have weekly or bi-weekly 1:1s with all of my reports. Same day and time each week (happy to reschedule if we need to).
  • I consider this your meeting, and expect you to come prepared
  • Please share an agenda before the meeting, I review these during my morning focus time
  • Let me know the day before if there's something you want me to prepare (something I should read/review, a topic you'd like to discuss, etc)
  • If there are weeks where you don't think we need the 1:1, I'm happy to skip it. Please cc Zoe on any slacks.
• I am a morning person. I start early, and rarely work late in the evenings. Sometimes I make exceptions to this :)
• I like working with people who are organised, but I am not necessarily the most organised person myself. I am trying to be better here.
• I respect other people's time a lot. I expect them to respect mine too.

Communication and meetings

• I try to be fast and clear in my communication. If I fail to be so, please let me know and I will try to do better.
• I prefer to keep communication async and in writing. There's nothing I dislike more than wasting time in meetings that could have been an email/Slack/document.
• That said, I'm happy to take out time to talk about something. All I'm asking is that there is a clear agenda and/or output in mind, and that you share this with me before the meeting.
• You can send me messages/emails at all hours - I will make sure to read and reply to them when it makes sense for me. If something is urgent, make sure I know, and if it's super-urgent you should call/text me on my phone and I will do my best to come back ASAP.
• I expect you to be proactive in your communication, and you can expect the same from me. I don't want to be chasing you for updates on something we're working on together. I get that things sometimes slip though.
• If you have a quick question for me, feel free to Slack me (sometimes useful to have Zoe on cc if there is a likely follow up) and I will try to come back as soon as I can. If this is going to be a longer conversation, reach out to Zoe to find time in the calendar.

Management style

• I am very hands-off and will not micro-manage you, unless I believe you're off track.
• I will challenge you, ask difficult questions, and give you direct feedback. I always do this to help, to better understand, and to make sure we have thought things through. Sometimes my feedback can sting, but please know this comes from a place of care, and I only do this to optimise for the best outcome. I will always strive to deliver kind, but direct feedback.
• I expect you to make a lot of decisions without me. Always feel free to ask me for feedback on these decisions if you think you need it, or if it's a big one.
• I will sometimes challenge a decision you have already made - that doesn't mean I think you should change your mind. I am usually just trying to understand your thought process - maybe learn something new.