I received the idea to write this document from Claire Hughes Johnson's book Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building.
My Purpose
I think purpose is important to explore. I believe that not everyone should be expected to know their purpose, especially early in their careers. For starters, it is important to know the definition of purpose. The definition I like I learned from Angela Duckworth's book Grit. She defines purpose as "the intention to contribute to the well-being of others." That is my goal. I've achieved my greatest successes when my focus has been on helping others. My success depends on your success.
My Values
Following the exercise in Stan Slap's book, Bury My Heart at Conference Room B, I have identified that my top three values include: integrity, family, and health.
Health - I focus on my health because it helps me be the best version of myself. I strive to optimize my physical and mental well-being. I also encourage others to do the same.
Family - I not only prioritize work-life balance, but I also want to feel the same psychological safety at work that I receive with my family.
Integrity - I believe it is important to do things the right way and, whenever necessary, right any wrongs. This doesn't mean that I'm not willing to challenge rules and established norms, I do this because I want to understand why things are done a certain way and I don't believe that the way we've always done things is necessarily the best way. But challenging authority and questioning norms can easily be done with integrity.
I am committed to living these values in my life, at work and elsewhere. More importantly, I want to inspire these values in others. Other values that scored high in my assessment included: impact, advancement, balance, creativity, freedom, peace, and service. These are also important to me.
More About Me
There are a few other things you should know about me.
First, I think it is important to have a growth mindset. I will aim to develop and nurture this mindset in those on my team. This means I might challenge you to expand your comfort zone. I want to see efforts to (1) achieve high standards of excellence and (2) challenge your abilities with stretch assignments. I believe in your potential, and I don't believe in failure (if lessons are learned).
According to my Insights Discovery profile, I am an observing reformer. Basically, this means that I strive for understanding. I think more than feel. I am usually able to remain calm under pressure, but this is sometimes misinterpreted as uncaring.
Because of my ability to collect relevant details and see pathways to success or exciting possibilities, I can proceed with confidence and decisiveness. I might lean slightly more towards introversion, but my confidence allows me to assert myself when necessary.
I typically put a lot of thought into what I say and so I really appreciate when people hear me out. In contrast, I don’t like when people cut me off or argue without indicating they understood my point.
I feel ashamed when I waste time or do poor quality work. I can get stuck in the absence of logical structure and unclear direction. When I am stressed or struggling, I typically become reserved. In extreme cases, I might become irritable. In these cases, it helps if you invite my input, show me that you understand what I am saying, and then give me space to reset.
I am a critical thinker. I like clear reasoning. I might sometimes be overly rational. Logical gaps stick out to me like a sore thumb. When I ask about them, it doesn’t mean I’m disagreeing. I’m treating you how I want to be treated. I want to be challenged. I like honest feedback, even though I might react otherwise in the moment. Please trust that I take your comments to heart and will ultimately benefit from your honesty. I like to learn, even if it is difficult.
If you have something for me to review, please send it to me and then schedule a meeting for us to discuss. I would rather not discuss before I review. If you have specific questions that need answered before you can send me the draft, then send me a list of your specific questions and an offer to discuss after I review. It many cases I might be able to effectively address those questions via email, saving us both from another meeting on the calendar.
I don’t always want to avoid meeting with you. I like to find time to connect with others. But I’d rather connect over something other than business. It’s the business discussions that I want to be efficient.
Last, but not least, I like to have control over my time and energy.
Strengths
According to Clifton Strengths, my Top 5 strengths include: (1) Strategic, (2) Significance, (3) Intellection, (4) Futuristic, and (5) Restorative.
In simple terms, I'd say my strengths combine to make me a reasonably good problem solver who especially likes to think about big problems and bigger solutions. I like the challenge of finding thoughtful solutions.
Leadership Style
I aim to have a flexible leadership style that matches your stage of development, like that described in the SLII framework.
I tend to have an S3 Leadership Style, meaning that I like to provide strong support with little direction.
My secondary style is S4, which means I sometimes delegate, providing little direction or support.
On occasion, I employ the S2 style, meaning I provide both direction and support.
On no occasions in my assessment, did I apply the S1 style, which was heavy direction and little support. I don't like to be micromanaged and therefore I don't want to micromanage others, although I've learned that it is sometimes the best approach depending on a person's development level.
For more, see My Leadership Playbook.
Communication Style
My preferred communication style is walking in-person meetings. I like how walking side-by-side gives the feeling that we are heading in the same direction. Unfortunately, walking in-person meetings aren't always an option. When they are an option, I want to make them happen.
I sometimes talk too much and then feel anxious. I can overshare, which sometimes causes me to ruminate on what I said. I appreciate your patience as I work to express myself but also give you permission to tell me when I am talking too much; but please don't do so passively because that will only heighten my anxiety.
I don't usually communicate after hours and never expect it. I strongly advocate for work-life boundaries.
Recurring Meetings
I like to have three types of recurring meetings with my teammates: weekly check-ins, monthly workload discussions, and annual career strategy sessions.
Weekly Check-ins
I want these meetings to be a loose, but productive, conversation on a topic of your choice.
Workload Discussions
This is an opportunity to discuss questions on how you are feeling. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you feeling challenged? Are you stressed? This is also a time to review progress on tasks and discuss strategies going forward, as needed.
Career Strategy Session
Like I mentioned above, I like to work towards big solutions. As a result, I like to hear about people's ambitions so I can help them work toward their greatest aspirations.
I realize that not everyone has a well-developed sense of purpose. Many people don't know what they want to do with their career. This is perfectly acceptable.
Nonetheless, I want to have annual meetings to discuss career direction and strategy. These make for great in person walking discussions.