How to work with Matthew
Personality
INFJ in Myers Briggs - The introversion element may surprise some folks, but I'm a fairly sociable individual the prefers to be alone most of the time. I am strongly in alignment with this Advocate archetype as I love helping other to succeed.
Strengths - I'm a strong collaboration oriented person that loves to empower the people I work with to solve issues in ways I would not think to approach them. I'm a strong believer in "you can tell people what to do, or how to do it, but never both".
Weaknesses - I try hard to document clearly and identify edge cases, however I'm not perfect in this endeavor. As a product person I am always oriented to the end goal value and therefore I must lean on others to help identify the "dragons" we may face together when pursuing a new project.
Values & Culture
Clarity over Comfort - When something needs to be said, best to say it rather than live with the fear of it. There will be times when we need to get past diplomacy and to the truth - I'm always a fan of cutting to the chase.
Psychological Safety - Everyone deserves to feel safe and stable at work and in the absence of that leads to folks not doing their best work - nor living their best life. Let's create a space in which we can all thrive.
Work Smarter, Not Harder - Start simple, test, break things, iterate - I always want to push for the "thin line implementation" of any experiment to ensure we're on the right path. If there's an easier way to address a hypothesis - I want to know.
Collaboration
Gold Stars - I love it when complexity can be synthesized into elegance. People who can do this effortlessly help me in my work and "win" in my book.
Responsiveness - I will get back to you all as fast as humanly possible. If you are busy and cannot attend to something I've requested - please just let me know. Let's be mindful of not impeding one another's work by way of a lack of responsiveness.
Quirks - I can rub folks the wrong way with talking too much in meetings and/or injecting too much humor. Apologies in advance.
Trust Gains - Own your work, show pride in your work, and never hesitate to ask for clarification. Also - know where the boundaries of your work end and where you need assistance.
Trust Gaps - Inaction on a request is a quick way to fall out of my default of "assuming best intentions". If something will be delayed, or broken, or is infeasible let's communicate about those things directly rather than committing to something that will not work.
Communication
Medium - I try to stay on top of direct messages. I am slower on collaboration: Collaboration platforms (Jira and Aha!). I check email less frequently than others would wish - but it's a self preservation method. So if you need me - DM me. For emergencies call me.
1:1's - I prefer to keep these meetings when possible and we'll use this time to connect on whatever needs discussing. Sometimes it will be work related, sometimes it will be career related, sometimes it will simply be to connect and nerd out over something that interests us.
Frequent Communication is Key - Let's talk whenever it's needed and often. We're best as a team when we connect often to tackle problems collaboratively. If that means we speak six times in a day - so be it!
Feedback & Recognition
Providing Recognition - I make it a priority to call out good work when I see it, so sending verbal kudos is always my go to way of acknowledging good work. If you are uncomfortable being put on the spot - please let me know!
Providing Feedback - Again, clarity over comfort. If something needs to be addressed we'll first speak about it privately. I always strive to assume best intentions, so feedback sessions are generally painless!
Receiving Feedback - I welcome critique and feedback as I feel it's pivotal for my personal and professional growth. If something comes up that you want to address, please never hesitate to do so!