Overview
- INTJ-A Myers-Briggs. Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging, and Assertive. I think this description is a solid one.
- 5-3-1 Enneagram. Investigator, Achiever, and Perfectionist. "Remarkably efficient, hard-working and competent, although a little bit anal. While sometimes self-righteous and impatient with others, they are pragmatic and tactful enough not to compromise their goals by being too inflexible. Can be clever, self-confident, perfectionist, arrogant and glacial." Tough scene.
Strengths
- Cross-functional. I'm a generalist at heart. I'm pretty comfortable moving between product, data, design, and growth. I think my best work happens at the intersection of all four.
- Clear thinking. I like to understand how things work and why. I tend to question assumptions and reduce complexity into systems to make sense of things.
- Moving fast. Speed compounds, so I put a heavy emphasis on moving fast. Building, iterating, and updating your thinking at a rapid pace is how good work gets done. It's also way more fun. Throughout my career, I've learned there are levels to this.
Weaknesses
- Operating without context. I read everything and want a holistic view of what's happening. I don't like surprises. When I don't have sufficient context, I struggle to contribute meaningfully.
- Overextending. I get excited by a lot of things, which means I spread myself too thin sometimes. Don't be afraid to tell me to focus.
- Local minima. Sometimes I zoom-in on a specific area and lose sight of the broader picture. If you think I'm too focused on one approach or question, go ahead and pull me out.
Principles for Thinking
- Start from first principles. Question the assumptions. Just because something worked before or is the default doesn't mean it's the right call now.
- Writing is where clear thinking happens. Writing forces fuzzy ideas to sharpen. If you can't write it down clearly, you probably don't understand it well enough yet.
- Time for thought. I block off time to explore ideas that might not relate to whatever's in front of me. Without this time, I feel like a machine.
- Reflect often. Looking back and evaluating past choices is how we get better. Without reflection, you're just moving fast and hoping for the best.
- Control what you can. Focus on what you can control, let go of what you can't. Clear perception and level-headed processing lead to better decisions than reacting emotionally.
- Growth mindset. Learning beats knowing. I need to feel challenged to do my best work. When I get too comfortable, both the work and my happiness suffer.
Principles for Working
- Bias towards action. Getting started is the best way to begin making progress and start learning. Avoid unchecked inaction.
- Shippable units of value. Slice up projects to ship value as early as possible. It helps you move faster, mitigates the risk of building the One Perfect Thing that may not resonate, and it's way more fun.
- Work in public. Share early, share often. Whether it's something you learned, a fresh idea, or progress against a goal, putting things out there sooner leads to better outcomes. Leave the garage door open.
- Force for progress. Done right, product management is a force for progress across functions. Short feedback loops and close collaboration beat throwing things over a wall every time.
- Attention to detail. The small things matter. Quality shows up in the details, and it's usually worth the extra effort to get them right.
- Prioritization is a religion. If everything is in bold, nothing is. Be clear about what matters now and what doesn't.
- Do things that compound. Invest time in things that build on each other. The best things create a foundation for what comes next, not just a one-off result.
More Quirks
- Simple questions. When I ask things that might seem obvious like "Why does this matter?" I'm not testing you. I might have a take, but I want your unbiased view first.
- Low conviction vs. high conviction. I'll often flag how confident I am in a piece of feedback, an idea, or a statement. If I say "low conviction," it means I'm thinking out loud. If I say "high conviction," I feel pretty strongly about it.
- Read the doc first. My best thinking doesn't happen in meetings. I need context and time to digest before a discussion is max productive. Write something ahead of time, and expect that I've read it.
- Hard to read. I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve. I can come across as flat or neutral even when I'm excited or frustrated. If you're not sure where I stand, just ask.
- High bar. I can be hard on myself and the team. If I think we're not doing everything in our power to win, it makes me uneasy. It comes from a good place, but it can come across as a bit debby-downery sometimes.
- Trusts my gut. I lean pretty heavily on the mental models I've built up, which usually serves me well. But sometimes I move too quickly and miss an angle that would've been worth exploring. Call me out if you think I'm leaving signal on the table.
- Too ambitious on deadlines. My estimates tend to be optimistic. I genuinely believe we can get it done in that timeline, and sometimes I'm right, but not always.
Favorite Books
What I know and how I think is heavily influenced by the things I've read. Here are a few that left a particularly meaningful impression:
Favorite Quotes
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. — Steve Jobs
I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan
That'll do, pig. That'll do. — Babe