What is this document?
This is a guide to Hazel – a very quick tour of my professional personality and working style. A crash course on working with me as a colleague, manager, team member.
This document is not intended to replace or override the relationship and mutual understanding we will build as we work together. Its intention is to give you an idea of how I think and how I work.
This is a new document and still a work in progress.
Caveat: Take this document with a grain of salt; I wrote it!
Also, yes, I'm fully aware of how weird this is.
What I Value
📌 Assumption: I value honesty, family, and health (mental and physical) above all and I assume the same of everyone one I interact with.
🏃♀️Taking action. There's no shortage of fantastic ideas and strategy docs in the world, but actually taking action and doing a thing is what I truly value: making moves to get things done.
🎯 Intentionality. When I was younger, I'd call this efficiency. But the way to truly be efficient is to be intentional in every action you take. The first question I'll ask any time it's missing is: what's the end goal of this action?
🧨 Humor You'll often hear me laughing too loud at my own jokes on calls. It's cringeworthy and I own it, and frankly, I just like to laugh.
💫 Pride in my work. If you've ever been on a video call with me, you've seen my "Give a Damn" poster. I take pride in the work I do and work best when I believe in what I'm doing.
🙌 Kindness. Make things better where you can, leave the world better than you found it, be better today than you were yesterday.
When do I do my best work?
- [Time] ☀️ In the morning. I generally work east coast hours on the west coast, so I'm up early and it's when I'm most productive.
- [Behavior] I'm at my best when I take breaks, sometimes I don't notice this until it's too late and a lack of breaks has ruined my mood.
What motivates me on a project?
- [Motivation] Understanding and believing in the root reason behind an action or project
- [Conditions] When I’m trying to solve a challenging problem with other people I trust and admire
My top three work superpowers
- Not being afraid to ask the questions everyone is thinking.
- I'm good at spotting the puzzle pieces that belong together.
- Finding shortcuts to done.
Known issues
- My energy levels tend to fade in the afternoon, or after a series of 3-4 meetings in a row. If you catch me at one of these times, please know I know how I'm being too. And I'm trying my damndest not to be.
- Volume setting seems to be permanently stuck slightly too high.
- I sometimes get too stuck on big picture and lack attention to detail, which means I can sometimes gloss over details or seem dismissive unintentionally.
- I get fired up from time to time, but am quick to reground myself and am known for post-meeting apology tours.
- I can be hyperbolic but it’s almost always because I am excited about the topic. I also swear sometimes. Sorry.
How do you know I'm stressed?
- You know I'm stressed when I’m not communicating effectively or I'm less responsive, or the times when I start talking even faster than normal.