Tim: A User's Manual

I am based in Minneapolis, MN. I have a background in frontline management--working/managing restaurants, coffee shops, and retail stores. A bulk of my work experience has been working in frontline work. More recently, I have worked in B2B sales and marketing. 

​

I am often easygoing and operate at low stress. Please do not mistake this attitude for not caring or for not giving my total effort. I want to win in everything I do.

I like to zoom out often and think about the big picture of projects and try not to obsess or get stuck in the weeds, but when the situation calls for it, I am willing and able to dive into the data and the details to solve complex problems. 

I prefer action and failure to talk and no action.

I enjoy contributing to projects. I tend to bring a lot of ideas into meetings, and with that, I tend to have a lot of ideas shot down. I am ok with that as long as they are not immediately dismissed as something we can't do. I am also ok with hearing "not right now" or " you should go with that idea further and then bring it back when it is more developed." I am also ok with my ideas being taken over by someone else and a different team completing the project. 

I tend to be available all the time (I do not expect you to be), with that when I am unavailable, I will let the team know. My best ideas often come on walks, at the gym, or at other less-opportune times. When that happens, you may see me online and working. Again, I do not expect you to be. 

My preferred communication method is Slack. If I am not available on Slack, feel free to text. As a last resort, call. If I am on my computer and not in a meeting, I am always free to jump on a Zoom call and work through a problem or show you how to do something.

I expect to have an agenda beforehand, even if the agenda is something basic like "chat about the weekend."

If we are meeting virtually, I prefer cameras to be on, mine will be. If you are uncomfortable with your camera on, I will understand.

​

I expect scheduled meetings to begin and end at the time they are scheduled. If a meeting is running long, I will always give you the opportunity to drop off and reconvene at a later date. 

​

For meetings I am hosting, I will always send a recap: sharing what was discussed, who is doing which assignments, and listing out next steps.

People First--we all have lives inside and outside of work. I want you to enjoy coming to work, but I also want you to enjoy life outside of work. My expectation is that you regularly unplug and that you regularly take time for yourself, ideally daily. Personally, I spend time at the gym every day and will be fully unavailable for work during that time. 

I Want You To Ask For Help--I want everyone on my team to not only be great at their job but also enjoy doing it. It is not fun to be bad, but with that, I expect everyone to be bad initially. With that, I also expect you to ask for help when you need it and to be transparent about where you are in the learning process. I do not know everything, and I will be asking you for help too. 

I Assume the Positive--I assume that you are happy at work. If you are not, please tell me. I also assume that everyone is giving their best effort and has positive intentions. To some, this may sound naive, but it has served me well in every industry I have worked in. 

My Default is Teams--Not every project needs to involve groups of decision-makers, but my default is for multiple eyes to be on a project. I expect the project lead to have the discrepancy to understand that just because someone is offering ideas or feedback, it does not mean it needs to be taken. 

My Two Defaults for Giving Feedback--I tend to offer two types of feedback--the first is feedback that is pointed and direct "Hey, in paragraph two, that word is spelled wrong." This feedback is given off the cuff and is not based on opinion.

The second type of feedback is more nuanced, having worked in a creative field, the second type of feedback will sound more like questions. These questions will be an attempt to get the best work out of both of us and to drive the project further together than it would have been individually. 

Giving good feedback is something that I am actively working on. Often the reality is my feedback sounds more like "You should do this" and "You should do that," I know that this is not the best for anyone, and it is something I am actively working on. I hope that you will not only be patient with me but also call me out and help me get better at delivering feedback. 

I am INFP, Enneagram 9, and on the StrengthsFinder, I am an Includer, Woo, Ideation, Adaptability, and Futuristic. 

Favorite books: Too many to list, but a few are The Alchemist, Good to Great, Range, Culture Code, and The Obstacle is the Way. 

Favorite Authors: Seth Godin, Ryan Holiday, Wright Thompson, Malcolm Gladwell, and Adam Grant. 
Favorite TV shows: Ted Lasso, The Bear, The Office, Succession, and Anthony Bourdain. 
Favorite Movies: Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, Frozen, The Social Network, and Notting Hill.

Favorite Activities: Crossfit, Pickleball, walking around the lakes, and trying new restaurants.

Other Favorite Things: Sneakers, Minnesota Twins, University of North Dakota Hockey, City Design, and Writing. 

**This document is living and breathing. There will be pieces added and taken away as time goes on and as I get better.