Borsalino Test #10: Working with Michele
Readers,
One-third of your life is spent with co-workers. I wrote a personal user manual as a small investment that will hopefully pay dividends to those who work with me. It’s been a great tool for self-reflection as well.
You can read my other essays here.
Michele
Working with Michele
Wait, what’s this?
I reckon this might be an odd initiative. So let me begin by stating the purpose of this initiative. I intend to authentically expose my modus operandi at work and share my expectations on others. I believe similar initiatives help effectiveness and reduce interpersonal overhead.
This document is a breathing being, so it will likely morph into new shapes over time. But, most importantly, this is a written piece. So you can hold me accountable to it. It is meant as an intro to myself and a personal manual. It also includes a set of mental and operating principles I strive to work and live by.
Environment
I have a soft spot for a quiet working environment. Large open spaces with hundreds of desks are not where I thrive. I tend to get distracted easily by idle chatter and people clattering away at their keyboards. I love me a bright corner. You will catch me opening the windows at least a couple of times a day.
I am radically against consuming meals or snacks at my desk. I almost never take meetings over lunch. Earlier in my career I had my fair share of sandwiches while answering emails in between bites. There’s no productivity gain from cutting the corners of a lunch break. So yes, I take breaks to eat.
As I am writing this, I have been working remotely for almost a year due to Covid-19. Being confined in the same physical environment for long hours has been no stroll in the park. At an aggregate level though, I am 100% sold on the benefits of remote work.
When the emergency will be tamed, I would still meet co-workers in person. Yet, I would want to work remotely most of my time. I would expect in-person meetings to be the exception, not the rule. We will also get better at asynchronous communication, and hopefully minimize Zoom abuse to the essential.
Schedule
Mornings are my most effective windows of time. By 10 AM I am wired in, ready to tackle a couple of hours of uninterrupted focused work. Earlier in the morning I meditate, exercise, read and write. All activities I deeply cherish. They allow me to function with centeredness, and a sprinkle of endorphins too.
Afternoons are for meetings. With a few exceptions, I regularly don’t schedule more than 4 hours of meetings per day. I also don’t mind being contacted at any time. I encourage people to book a slot in my calendar, if open. I will try to reschedule meetings if that allows for a more unbroken flow state.
No late night work. I shut down my laptop by 10 PM, earlier if possible. I don’t perform any creative work at the end of the day. Earlier in my career I have been pulling (sometimes a few consecutive) all-nighters. Nothing incapacitates body and mind like lack of sleep.
Occasional weekend sessions are the litmus test of my engagement. Genuine or perceived signals of carelessness should come across as a red flag, and appropriately diligenced. I do not expect anyone to work around my schedule. Expectations are always placed on the output side of the equation.
Communications
Slack is the quickest way to hook my attention. It works well for quick and yes-or-no types of questions. Similarly, you may expect a ‘where do I find X’ request from me via Slack direct messages. Groups are useful, if dedicated to relatively infrequent updates.
I check emails twice a day. Generally, that happens around noon and mid afternoon. I respond to every message I receive within 24 hours, with rare exceptions. I work well with action items (e.g., [request for input] in the email subject). Often, long threads are useless. So I avoid them.
Growth is paramount. I would deliver and expect to receive feedback as frequently as possible. Synchronous communication is better here than email or docs. Feedback should be grounded in examples, and rich with articulate suggestions. I care about areas of development way more than strengths.
My preferred format of 1:1 catch-ups are walking meetings. I find them extremely suitable for brainstorming sessions, feedback conversations or just wide-ranging exchanges. The act of walking clears the mind and provides the necessary low-tech focus. They are also fun, and a bit of exercise too!
Needs
Pre-reading materials. I appreciate a 24 hour notice with pre-read documents. Slide decks’ aesthetics are often questionable. Surely, they are extremely laborious. I favor more efficient, higher-signal-to-noise ways to present information. I genuinely value a well-articulated one-pager.
Meetings start on time, and end on time. Time is the scarcest of resources. If a meeting completes its intended purpose before it’s scheduled to end, let’s give the time back to everyone. If the intended goal won’t be achieved in the allotted time, let’s stop the meeting and determine how to finish later.
Emails should cut right to the chase. No ‘Best regards’ or ‘hope that this note will find me well’. Especially during ‘unprecedented times’. Most single-ask notes should fit into 200 words tops. I appreciate quick acknowledgements of receipt. As in ‘got it’, ‘sure’, ‘I’m on it’.
I like simple ways to work around complex problems. Similarly, I prefer short, concise status updates. I might be less analytical than others. So I will ask analyses to be explained in simple, practical terms, starting from the main takeaway.
Struggles
I disagree with the standard length of meetings at 30 minutes. Most chats can be exhausted in 10-15 minutes. Some people feel the need to talk through the entire scheduled time just to fill the space that’s given (see Parkinson’s Law). I’d rather use only the time that is needed.
Team newsletters are not effective. Too much information, too many people that don’t read it. I am sure there might be some creative solutions to be explored (e.g., team internal websites). Adding more noise just progressively decreases my ability to retain signal.
Too many back-to-back meetings. I fail to execute well when my calendar is overscheduled. A certain number of slots will energize me. But too many will drain me. I also tend to schedule meetings consecutively, to avoid short breaks in between and free up longer blocks of uninterrupted time.
Seniority and tenure used as wedges to impose opinions in meetings. On one hand, it’s pretty obvious that experience holds value. I’ve seen that being used inappropriately, and that triggers me. Most of the time, it translates into opinions stated as facts. Not a fan.
Beliefs
A clear hedge. Every employee in the organization should have a unique, distinguishable personal monopoly. I am always looking for a killer intersection of skills, a specific sweet spot. I am curious to know what two or three attributes make you irreplaceable.
Radical openness. You should feel safe debating with me. I find that ideas improve by being examined from all angles. If it sounds like I’m disagreeing, I’m most likely just playing devil’s advocate. This does rely on us being able to have a safe debate.
Individual ownership. It’s everyone’s responsibility to step up and fix small things along the way, even (and especially) when appropriate credit is not given. There’s some compounding magic after you put in the reps here.
Long-termism. I respect people that take the time to work on something hard and complex for a very long time and are comfortable with long feedback loops. I believe in putting lots of quality time and effort behind very hard problems.
Nuances
I am an introvert. Prolonged exposure to humans can be taxing for me. Weird, huh? Meetings with three of us are perfect. Three to eight are ok. More than eight you will notice I turn a bit aloof and strangely quiet. Please, do not confuse my quietness with lack of engagement.
I block off time to think. If this is slowing things down, I appreciate being notified. I take some time to digest plans, ideas and suggestions. If I disagree, I will push back. The more you can inform me on the reasoning behind your idea, the better.
New projects spark joy for me. Sometimes I lose interest as soon as I can mentally see how the things will unfold and what sorts of impact is delivered. This might happen weeks or months before the project is effectively completed. Sorry. I’m getting better at this.
I can be hyperbolic, or overly enthusiastic. It happens when I feel psyched about a problem. I also swear sometimes, or just use some colorful language. Don’t worry - nothing that has ever been pointed out as problematic. So far. Sorry!