Gordon

A first stab at a user manual to me

My style

• the work we do at Brave is what I wake up thinking about, go to bed thinking about and read about when I have time to read... my life revolves around this completely. This is a conscious choice that I have made and it is more fulfilling, and challenging, than anything else I have ever done.

• I have done many other things, as a dabbler, a professional and an amateur; for brief periods of time and for long stints, I generally follow my curiosity ad absurdum.

• I trust people completely right off the bat - primarily in the sense that if you say something, I believe you completely. This is not naivety, this is a choice I made (long before I heard of the prisoner's dilemma). However, if you work hard to convince me that you're not reliable, I'll eventually believe you. (I really enjoyed this article on what trust means, as a formula, in a working relationship.)

What I value

• everything, all experiences, I have no regrets.

• kindness and good manners.

• doing, and being. (Over planning, talking and hypothesising - much as I enjoy and also value those.)

• listening, humility, stepping back

• taking things, including myself, just seriously enough

• showing up, working hard.

What I don’t have patience for

• cheap jokes, that rely on stereotypes, no matter how harmless. e.g. lawyer jokes or "don't quit your day-job" comments...

• arrogance, brashness, posturing, boasting, the humblebrag, toxic masculinity.

How to best communicate with me

• try to leave me alone when I have my headphones on - Mondays are pretty much off-limits altogether, I get about 50% of my tasks done on Mondays...

• mornings tend to be when I'm trying to plough through stuff - I prefer talking, meeting and collaborating after lunch, and end of the week is better than the beginning.

• these days I'm overwhelmed by the Slack and have taken to turning it on a couple of times a day to check it, and I focus on direct messages or @ over everything else.

• if you send a Slack, email or text, I might reply in person - let me know if that doesn't work for you

• I draft long emails that have usually gone through 3 or 4 drafts... I kind of like to know if anyone reads them. ahem.

• I don't actually appreciate "direct, honest" feedback - I appreciate thoughtful, constructive feedback that is considerate in how it might be received (and I try to give the same)... I do, however, want the feedback, I hate things left unsaid and can't stand things said behind people's backs.

• if you really need to reach me (it doesn't need to be an emergency, just if you need my attention), call me, or text or whatsapp me - 604 500 8569.

How to help me

• if there's a perspective of yours I'm just not grokking, send me a link to an article, book or podcast.

• take anything off my plate without being asked and I will be eternally grateful.

• I don't know what your secret skills or joys or frustrations are - I think I'm a good listener (but I'm a terrible mind-reader), please share with me.

• my privileges are many and I hold a lot of power in this organisation, but I can get carried away and excited and forget this (and go against my value of humility and listening) - please gently call me on this when you see it.

What people misunderstand about me

• I'm not a lawyer at heart. I should have studied philosophy (well, I did, but, like, more), languages or engineering (I was good at math, I swear)... (but also: see above re. regrets.)

• there are things I say somewhat quietly that come from either real experience or learning, that are sometimes assumed to be a simple opinion or thought bubble - I usually don't correct these assumptions, but inwardly I'm kind of fuming.

• listening is something I've been learning my whole life, not my natural disposition: I kind of assume that everyone knows I'm an extrovert and would happily be the centre of attention all the time. (See: Gordon on stage and the entire Casey family being performers or musicians...)