This is the ‘SOP’ for working with me, and a document I always share with colleagues and people I work closely with. My goal is to build strong empathetic relationships with my colleagues so that we can all do our best work, and I believe that starts with a firm understanding of ourselves and each other.

Other Examples:

Your personal user guide: why and how to write it

Ryan Caldbeck’s User Manual

Personality Tests

Myers-Briggs: INTJ-A

Enneagram: Type 5: The Investigator (with some pretty strong 7 and 9 wings)

What I value

• Transparency and honesty. This comes out in both good and bad ways. I’m a pretty open book and people tend to know where they stand with me, but I sometimes lack certain social filters and will just say what’s honestly on my mind.
• I endeavor to treat everyone equally, fairly, and with respect. I don’t give much thought to titles and seniority. I believe in truth and meritocracy.

What I don’t have patience for

• Certainty and blanket statements of ‘truth.’ I believe very little in life is black and white, and the only thing I’m certain of is that nothing is certain. Blanket statements are a signal to me that you are unwilling to engage in a conversation that might change your mind
• I struggle in relationships with those that don’t demonstrate respect for themselves or others. I have little patience for those that lean negative. I like confidence and I am really turned off by arrogance. I am drawn to those who are intellectually curious and like to challenge their own and others’ assumptions.

When I am at my best I am

• Rested, fed, and full of exercise endorphins. When I get stressed and overwhelmed I tend to not exercise, not eat well, and not sleep. I can sprint like this for a couple days, but after a week my performance starts to suffer.
• I prefer having a single task or project to really focus on. I’m not doing my best work when I’m switching between large projects and mentally lose focus.
• I thrive when working with people that have high integrity and intelligence, who work hard and take pride in their work, and who try to be great teammates. I greatly appreciate those that have a sense of humor, particularly during stressful times.

How I like to receive praise and recognition

• Honestly, a public shoutout on Slack always feels nice. I get uncomfortable when given praise 1:1 and will tend to deflect.

Bugs