Working With Me
A guide to how I operate, communicate, and collaborate. Designed to accelerate our work together.
Key Operating Parameters
Decision Threshold
60%
Confidence needed increase
Response Time
Same Day
Slack messages increase
Detail Orientation
9%
Strategic focus increase
Engagement Peak
30-90
Days optimal increase
Who I Am (The Short Version)
Core operating principles
I'm a strategic operator who lives at the intersection of vision and execution. I see patterns others miss, move faster than most people are comfortable with, and care deeply about building systems that work—not maintaining them. I'm direct to a fault, logic-driven, and energized by hard problems with real stakes.
My mind toggles constantly between 30,000-foot strategy and ground-level tactics. I can't stay at either altitude for long. I'm a builder and a teacher—I clarify my own thinking by explaining it to others. I commit fast at 60% confidence and iterate from there.
Operating Altitude Pattern
30,000 ft
Ground Level
Back up
Toggle between levels frequently. Linear explanations at one altitude lose me.
Schedule & Availability
CST timezone, typically work until ~7pm
Daily Rhythm
Mornings: Sacred
Deep work, highest-impact tasks. Least communicative.
Afternoons: Interactive
Better for meetings and calls. More responsive.
Weekly Rhythm
Phone Calls = Last Resort
Calls are synchronous and time-expensive. They interrupt my current work and shift my priorities to yours. Sometimes that's exactly right—but it should never be the default.
Reserve calls for: Urgent, complex situations requiring real-time back-and-forth that can't wait for an async response.
Always include purpose: Don't just say "call me"—tell me what it's about so I can prioritize correctly against what I'm already working on.
Meeting Philosophy
Meetings work best for urgent issues or complex problems that benefit from real-time, multi-person discussion. If it doesn't need live back-and-forth, async is usually better.
- • Clear objective (not just "sync" or "discuss")
- • Defined outcome (a decision, action, or change)
- • Materials shared in advance
- • Status updates that could be written
- • No agenda or expected outcome
- • Hour-long meetings for 15-minute topics
Communication Protocol
Channel selection and response expectations
Default (almost everything)
Slack
Response: Same day
Urgent + Important
Text
Response: ASAP
External parties
Response: < 24 hours
Complex/visual demos
Loom
Response: Async
I Don't Need Updates
I assume you're carrying out your tasks to achieve your outcomes. Communicate when needed, not as a status ritual. Batch updates and questions into a single, live touchpoint ~1x/week.
What not to: "Just wanted to let you know..." or "Quick update on..."
How I Process
- Slack is default - I check it all day
- Text over video - I read faster than I watch
- BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) - lead with the point
- Under a page is ideal. Use headers to scan.
- Haven't heard back in 24h? Just bump me.
What Loses Me
- Phone calls as first option (last resort only)
- Proactive "updates" - I assume you're executing
- Lengthy background before the point
- Excessive hedging or disclaimers
- Salesy language or manipulation
Decision Framework
The Step-Back Method & 60% Rule
Back Up
Gather info, understand context, pros & cons
Build Matrix
Evaluate risk, ROI, maintainability, fit
Reach 60%
Sufficient confidence - no need for certainty
Execute
Move forward with feedback loops
Iterate
Rapid refinement and course correction
The 60% Rule
"If you're 60% confident and have feedback loops in place, move forward. Waiting for certainty is a decision to not decide."
When You Need a Decision From Me
Don't just bring the problem—bring your thinking.
Collaboration Dynamics
Team fit and working style
Best Fit
- People who match my pace
- High-performers who don't need hand-holding
- Direct communicators who push back with reasoning
- Comfortable with ambiguity and iteration
- Low ego, high competence
Challenging Fit
- Slow decision-makers
- People who require extensive process
- Those who need validation before acting
- Chronic pessimists
- Micromanagers
Trust
How to build and maintain it
Earn It
- Deliver what you commit to
- Bring solutions, not just problems
- Be direct - no guessing needed
- Own mistakes, fix systems
- Demonstrate sound judgment
- Push back with reasoning
Lose It
- Say one thing, do another
- Hide problems until they explode
- Require constant hand-holding
- Make emotional vs logical appeals
- Be consistently slow without reason
- Surprise me with things I should know
Energy Management
What fuels vs depletes operational capacity
Energizers
- Complex strategic challenges
- High autonomy with clear objectives
- Novelty - new problems
- Visible progress & rapid feedback
- Intellectual sparring
- Building from nothing
Drains
- Routine, repetitive work
- Extensive emotional labor
- Meetings that should be emails
- Micromanagement
- Bureaucracy without value
- Forced consensus-building
Signs I'm Running Low
Strengths to Leverage
Core capabilities
Strategic Pattern Recognition
Spots connections and opportunities others miss
Root Cause Analysis
Gets to the real problem, not the symptom
Systems Thinking
Designs frameworks that scale
Speed
Decides and moves quickly, biases toward action
Translation
Bridges vision and execution seamlessly
Teaching
Clarifies complex concepts through explanation
Known Blind Spots
Areas where I need support
Detail Retention
mediumOperates at strategic altitude, may miss granular details
Patience with Slow Processing
highMay move faster than comfortable for others
Emotional Attunement
mediumLogic-first, may miss emotional undercurrents
Follow-through on Maintenance
lowBuilder not operator - designs but resists maintaining
Quick Reference Card
If you need... Do this...
Anything (default)
Slack - I check it all day, computer & mobile
Urgent response
Text me
A decision
Slack with options + your recommendation
To escalate
Slack (customer, employee, strategic impacts)
To give feedback
Direct, data-backed, challenge reasoning
To share bad news
Slack immediately, one line, no disclaimers
To show me something
Loom it
To update me
Don't. I assume you're executing. Save for weekly sync.
To teach me something
Send resources, let me explore, sandbox
To pitch an idea
Lead with problem, show ROI, give me a role
This is a living document. If something here isn't working or doesn't match reality, tell me.