A Guide About Myself
Somewhere in 2019 I read an article about someone who had written a guide about themselves for their team. How they work, what they value, where they tend to go wrong. It seemed useful, so I wrote one too.
I work with a lot of people from different backgrounds. A guide felt like a way to level the playing field. I wanted to give everyone the same information upfront, rather than letting it trickle out over months of working together.
When I joined a new company, I wrote a new one from scratch. I wrote about the small things I started solving. As I got over time exposed to wider terrain, I included more information about context. The guide grew along with my learning.
There are some things that stand out in my guide now compared to my initial guide.
A lot of problems are imaginary. Not fake, exactly. Real enough to discuss, real enough to spend time on. However, they are disconnected from the actual situation. We discuss whether to auto-scale our server infrastructure, but no one has run a load test. When we analyze traffic patterns, peak traffic turns out to be about one request per second on some applications. Not really auto-scaling territory. Auto-scaling server infrastructure turns out to be an imagininary problem.
The subtler version is having idealistic solutions for real problems. There are situations where you'd genuinely like to be somewhere better. Skipping the steps along the way doesn't get you there. We discuss contract tests between our services. It would prevent regressions. It would also be the wrong thing to build right now. We do not have versioned APIs, and graceful degradation is not taken care of. The journey between here and there is where the real work happens.
Going back to read an older version of the guide is always interesting. There are usually things I have long departed from, and realizations that had faded to the background. Sometimes I shake my head at the thoughts of past me.
At all times we're making the best of the situation around us with the time, attention, knowledge and wisdom available to us then. Finding that in writing feels like finding a photograph I had forgotten taking.
I started writing this guide because I read about someone else who did. It seemed useful. I'm writing this now for the same reason, to pass this idea on. If it feels useful, write one.
Over to you.
On Pepijn
Hi, I am quite stoked to be working with you.
This is a guide to how I work and how you can work with me. It covers what I usually do, how I like to work, my principles, and what I expect of others. It is not a replacement for us getting to know each other.
It is permanent work in progress.
On communication
You can write me whenever. I might send you messages at any time. Feel free to ignore them until the time that's good for you. I rely on your judgement.
I prefer writing over meeting, at least initially. That said, my calendar always has time for you to discuss things you find important. You only have to ask.
You are encouraged to give feedback directly. It does not have to be sugar coated.
If I think you're headed down the wrong path, I will tell you. This means I am trying to help you. There might be information asymmetry. It doesn't mean you are doing something wrong.
On principles
- People first. Empowered, tuned-in and enthusiastic team members create the best company.
- System thinking is my religion. It is my way of understanding the world. I abstract things into flowcharts, finite state machines, agent systems. This includes humans, desires, business models.
- Rooted in experience. When I decide or give direction, especially on ambiguous matters, I try to be rooted in current context and reality. Much less in theoretical models of how things should be.
- Failing is fine. We don't mean for things to go wrong. Please tell me when you need help or when you've made a mistake. I won't blame you, and I'm committed to a blame-free culture.
- Growth is great. I get joy out of learning and becoming better, not out of being perfect.
- No decision is the worst decision. It kills creativity and cripples momentum.
- Everyone must lead. No one has a monopoly on leadership. Every team member is empowered to make their own decisions. They also must take responsibility for the consequences.
On pitfalls
Some things I do aren't so great. If you see me enacting these, please point it out.
I sometimes make decisions extremely quickly with little information. This is usually deliberate. The cost of waiting feels higher than the cost of being wrong. But I can be wrong about that too. If it feels unhealthy for a topic we're discussing, stop me.
I get energy from starting new things. I may need help finalizing them. I value shipping over perfecting, but that doesn't mean things shouldn't be finished.
I can react grumpily or seem disinterested when I'm caught in thought. I'm not good at shielding this.
On personal life
I am a positive person, even if at times critical. I enjoy the diversity different life experiences offer.
My ideal day involves socializing in the evening, cooking Italian food for dinner, and doing yoga. I own a large collection of teas and would love to have one with you.