https://www.davidbauer.ch/readme/ How to work with me A user manual for David Bauer [readme-1-1024x576] tl;dr Trust + Ownership + Mindful communication = Win About this document If you start working with a new person, wouldn't it be nice if you had some sort of user manual that gives you a basic understanding of how to work with them? This document is exactly that. It captures my guiding principles, how I work as a human and what I value in others. Hopefully, it will help you understand me better and allow us to work together in a more meaningful way. Inevitably, I will sometimes fail to live up to my own ideals. I will always try, and they are here so you can hold me accountable. If you have a similar document, I'd love to see it. This is a living document, incomplete and imperfect. I will update it regularly and would appreciate your feedback. My premises Things I believe to be true, that are the foundation of us working together. We need one another: We wouldn't be here, working together, if one of us could do it on their own. We bring different skills and viewpoints to the table, and it's our job to make the best use of all of them. You let me know if you can't do your job: If there is anything that prevents you from doing your best work, let me know. If it's something related to me, I will try to fix it. If it's beyond us, we will try and find a solution together. If it's a personal matter, I will try to cover for you. We have the same goal: We can't be successful together if we're aiming for different outcomes. If one of us feels our goals or motives aren't aligned, we need to talk. We trust each other: Our work will be mediocre and our relationship will deteriorate if we don't trust each other. My default mode of working will always be that I trust you and that you trust me. Find this useful? Sign up for my newsletter. What I value Context-awareness. Nothing that we do happens in a vacuum. In fact, making the right decisions is foremost about understanding the context we're operating in. This can be anything from interpersonal to organisation-wide, from understanding customer needs to market forces and policy constraints. Default to action. Often it's best to just do it. Most decisions are reversible, so it's better to see how things work out instead of overthinking them. Self-reflection. We can't improve if we remain ignorant of our weak spots. We should all regularly take time to reflect on why (exactly) we made a certain decision, why (exactly) we reacted in a certain way. Attention to detail. Spot something that could be improved? Say something, help fix it. Small improvements compound over time. Empathy. Not just towards those who you work with, but anybody. We're all humans, and often times, you see things more clearly when you take someone else's perspective. How to efficiently work and communicate with me Please don't hold back: Challenge my ideas and opinions. If you see me behave in a way that isn't cool or if you notice that I'm making a bad decision, let me know and explain what I should be doing differently. If you truly liked something I did -- I like to hear that, too. Mind the channel: People prefer different channels of communication, often depending on context. Don't communicate in the way that's most convenient to you. Always consider whom you're communicating with and what their needs and context might be. Don't give clues: I sometimes miss clues, many people do. Don't give clues. Tell me what you need. Use the power of async: An important update can be sent via email. Feedback can be gathered in a shared doc. Questions can be answered in a direct message. Decisions can be reached without everyone in the same room. Async is not always best, but it's a good default. It gives people to choose the right moment, and the time they need, to engage. Meetings done right: If you invite me to a meeting, I need to understand why it's valuable that I'll be there. I like meetings that are respectful of everyone's time and contributions. Act like an owner: Make your own decisions when you're confident enough. Solve issues yourself when you can. If you need support or want your ideas challenged, I am always there to help. Ask for help: I love giving input, but only if I know it can still make a difference. Tell me about an idea, show me a rough draft, ask for my opinion on work in progress. It's frustrating if we identify room for improvement, but there's no time left to act on it. Let's have fun. We're not here for fun, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have some. How to discuss and argue In the moment, things can get heated quickly, so it's important to keep some guiding principles in mind. I try to stick to these: * I start with the assumption that we are arguing because we all want to solve the same issue, with the best intentions in mind. * I try to truly understand a position before arguing against it. Ask questions. Repeat back what I understood to be their point. * I find it helpful to state how (un)certain I am when I make a statement. Asking <> is better than asking <> * Reflect: Are the people having this discussion the right people to have this discussion. Is someone missing? * Know when to end a discussion. Sometimes a decision needs to be made. Sometimes additional information needs to be gathered to continue the discussion. Always end a discussion with everyone knowing what will happen next. * When a discussion went off the rails, let's follow-up later to talk about what went wrong and what you can learn from it. How to give feedback We all grow, personally and professionally, from regular, candid feedback. Giving and receiving feedback should be an integral part of how we work together. However, there's a big difference between well-intentioned and good feedback. Some of the guiding principles I try to follow: * Four dimensions that are key to overall performance -- and thus we should give and get regular feedback on: innovation, teamwork, efficiency, results. * Before giving feedback, always ask if the person is ready to receive feedback. * Feedback is most effective when given often, and directly after you've noticed something you want to give feedback on. * Always give feedback with the intention of helping the recipient grow. Be candid and direct. If you can, offer advice on how to improve. * Be wary of positive feedback. It's great when deserved, but it's dishonest and will backfire if you do it to avoid addressing an actual issue. * If you don't receive feedback when you'd like it, ask for it. * We can always get better at giving and receiving feedback, and we should. * I've learned a ton from Kim Scott's book Radical Candor. If you find the time, read it. There's life beyond work Let's agree that work isn't everything, and that we can only be our best selves at work when we take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Our work is important to us. But there's life beyond work, we have our obligations and the occasional unexpected challenge. And sometimes, we need to prioritise those. I don't advocate for strict boundaries, but flexibility that goes both ways. I will always go the extra mile when it's most needed, and hope you will, too. On the other hand, that means we trust each other when someone needs to leave early or take a day off. The most important thing is to be transparent and upfront about this. If I won't be available, I will let those that might be affected know. Also good to know I'm an introvert. You might not always notice it, in fact, people often react surprised when I tell them that I am. It means that I'm most comfortable in smaller settings with people I know well. Prolonged exposure to humans is exhausting for me. Especially in larger groups, I won't engage as much as I would in smaller ones. It also means I'm sometimes slow in expressing what I really feel. Related to the above, I sometimes write messages when we should be talking instead. I know that's not ideal, I'm working on it. In the meantime, please point it out to me. You'll know when. I like to work with my headphones on. That means please don't tap on my shoulder and interrupt me, but you can always message me, and usually, I'll find time shortly after. I have two small kids at home. Before I had kids, I had no idea how much that impacts work. I wish someone had told me -- so I'm telling you here. You don't have to think about it on a daily basis -- I will be open and upfront when something related to my kids affects work. This document is inspired by Michael Lopp's How to Rands, and draws heavily on Niklaus Gerber's Readme. Like everything on my website, you can use and adapt it for your own purposes, as long as you share it under the same license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Hello, nice to meet you. I'm David Bauer. I'm a journalist by training, a product person by conviction, and a generalist at heart. I love complex issues and helping people navigate them. Learn more - hello@davidbauer.ch @davidbauer Weekly Filet Thousands of curious minds trust the Weekly Filet for food for thought. Every Friday, I send out a carefully curated set of recommendations on what to read, watch, listen to. [ ] Sign up Thanks! Check your inbox to confirm your signup. Past work I have worked for startups and large companies. As a journalist, strategist, product lead. I have written stories and strategies. I have built products and teams. I have hired, mentored and promoted people. I have navigated and accelerated transformation. Pushed for and nurtured culture change. I have wrangled data and code. For insights and data visualisations. Even a series of games. And a ton of other things that got me excited. If there's one thing that connects it all, it's my love for connecting dots and trying new things. Neue Zurcher Zeitung, The Guardian, Quartz, Republik, Refind, Livingdocs, Radio Free Europe, Der Spiegel, Das Magazin, Tages-Anzeiger, SonntagsZeitung, TagesWoche, Schweizerische Depeschenagentur, Echtzeit Verlag, MAZ Journalistenschule, TEDxZurich, Bluewin, and some more. 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Vertrauensserie Lionel Messi 60 Stunden Facebook Work at the Guardian Data Blog All content on this site, excluding images, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Grab it, remix it. Made by David Bauer with and limited coding skills