<aside> 💡 Welcome to My User Guide.  The goal of this document is to build trust through Intimacy (into me you see) and to create a thriving working relationship and culture by being clear about my commitments, expectations and how I work best with teammates.  Specifically, I recognize that the faster/better we get to know each other, the more trust we will build, the more we will accomplish together while having a lot fun.  The more trust we have will also enable a safer space for both of us to grow.  I encourage you to write a User Guide as well for me and your teams.  This will be a living document that will evolve as I do!

In general, this document is written more towards “my reports” with me as CEO vs my partners/co-founders, but I think 80% of it still applies and will be helpful to review and understand so you know me well.

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My Why

My Why is to help others be the best versions of themselves.  I want to empower others to learn & grow (at a rapid, uncomfortable pace) and use entrepreneurship as the canvas to do this.

In my experience, entrepreneurship and business is incredibly challenging and super rewarding.  Like any great undertaking (e.g., running a marathon), the journey leaves people having experienced tremendous personal growth.  Delivering this for people is my why.

I also want to live this Why through the products and services we build.  I want our products and services to clearly solve a problem for people, improve their lives and enable them to be their best.

My Zones of Genius

Zones of Genius are a unique combination of 1) natural strengths, 2) love doing, don’t feel like work and give me energy.  Here are mine:

• Entrepreneurial creativity - I love sitting in a room/whiteboard and dreaming up something that doesn’t exist today.  That happens for entire business ideas as well as small processes that will help us be better.  I read a lot.  I meet a lot of people.  I am good at connecting dots.  And so I love to do that in ways that will generate new/creative ideas.
• Entrepreneurial problem solving - related to above, I am in my element when there is a tough challenge in front of us and we are looking for an “impossible” solution.  I am naturally resourceful and a non-linear thinker.  I can quickly brainstorm many solutions (most of which are bad).  I am often willing or able to do stuff most people can’t (e.g., cold email Mark Cuban, I tracked down a professor for a special baby sleep guide, have a difficult conversation, ask for a favor)
• Coaching/Teaching Others - I LOVE teaching.  My mom is a teacher.  I enjoy the process of learning myself and then sharing knowledge, iterating with someone to help them get better.  I love watching A HAs happen.  My favorite moments are when someone emails me after a few years telling me how much they learned while working with me.
• Force multiplying/GSD/Triaging/Prioritizing - I have a gift for looking at a situation, knowing what it takes to get it done and figuring out the most important few things needed to get it accomplished successfully.  I learn super fast, I will take risks, I will turn things on and off quickly to find a way to make something work.
• Persuasive/Inspiring Communication - I did lots of public speaking as a teenager and love storytelling.  I love doing this when recruiting, selling to clients, finding partners/vendors or talking to anyone in my orbit. I have over 170k X/Twitter followers and know how to write engaging content and build audiences.
• Relationships & Partnerships - I love connecting with people quickly and deeply.  I will share personal things quickly and try to help and add value to those I meet.  I remember people and proactively reach out with opportunities.  This has cultivated a powerful network of friends/associates who I lean on for advice, introductions and other opportunities. I actively enjoy building this.

In general, I request you help me to stay in my ZoG.  When I’m there, I’m at my most powerful and having the most fun which usually leads to great business results for everyone involved.

My Development Areas

• Spreading myself thin - I get excited easily in big and small ways.  This could be anything from taking a new meeting to spinning up a whole new business.  It shows up in my calendar, being pretty jam-packed + needing help context switching. I am aware of it and am practicing saying ‘no’ more often.
• Context switching - Since I do a lot of context switching, when starting a meeting with me, some historical context or a report I’ve seen before really helps me to get in gear around whatever we are discussing.
• Harsh/“below the line” communication - at times, when I am frustrated, I can be short or sometimes harsh in the way I say things.  This isn’t my ideal and I’m working to stay “above the line.”  It’s usually worth unpacking after the fact to clear out any negative impact and figure out where we may not be aligned.
• Expressing appreciation - I grew up in a house where “no feedback” = good.  I have realized this doesn’t serve me and isn’t the type of culture/company I want to foster.  So I am actively working on expressing more appreciation and providing as much positive as constructive feedback.