Hi - I’m excited to be working together. There's a first pass of my working principles on my homepage, and here’s a guide on the actual practices that show what it's like to work with me. I’m sharing this in service of building a strong working relationship based on verbalized values.
How I view success
In his commentary on Carmen Jones (1954), James Baldwin writes:
"For a second or so at a time [the character Miss Bailey] escapes the film's deadly inertia and in [her] one catches glimpses of the imagination which might have exploded this movie into something worth seeing...But this movie, more than any movie I can remember having seen, cannot afford, dare not risk, imagination."
Success to me looks like giving the work a fair shot to bloom. Not adhering to best practices but rather making space for the weird, like a good film that escapes inertia and dares to risk imagination.
This kind of thinking often yields friction with commercial goals, so I also expect hard conversations, the type where we come out with more respect for each other. That's the interpersonal dimension of success that I look for.
How I operate
In Summer's Lease, Chef Thom Eagle notes of his trade:
"...when you are cooking you can decide upon your end result and control the process every step of the way - or, alternatively, you can set something in motion and see where it ends."
I stay flexible, maintaining a posture of - "Let's set this thing in motion and see where it goes." As much as we can define an initial plan, the market might surprise us.
I think divergently. I work well with blank slates and can bridge methodical processes with nonlinear thinking. I come into meetings with ideas for us to consider new ways of seeing and doing things, likely pulled from a niche corner of the internet. Pretty much anything inspires me, especially if it’s not directly related to my work.
I'm a people connector. As an engineering manager coworker once recounted, I just kept talking to him in the office and somehow we become friends. I believe all our work belongs, and the strength of my intra-team bonds rivals that of my inter-team bonds.
I maximize connections. I create new crossfunctional working relationships from the foundation of personal relationships, through spontaneous water cooler chats and semi-structured remote bullpens.
I'm research minded, well versed in qual/quant methodologies and journalistic seeking. I'll push for shared evidence-backed understanding before making big decisions.
How I communicate
As an external verbal processor, I'm often clearest in writing. It gives me space to synthesize and edit my thoughts without deluging my audience with words as I reach clarity. If I seem to be silent during a meeting, I'm still actively collecting and processing information - I'm just conscious of when it's right to react in real-time vs. when a topic would benefit from async thinking. (I'm also a fan of going off-camera to focus on deep listening. Or cam-on but in black & white, the alter ego my colleagues call Goth Vicky.)
I love communicating through diverse mediums - think voice memos, video voiceovers, and visual thinking tools like FigJam - when linear docs and static messages feel restricting.
I radiate intent when I'm moving forward with a process or decision, knowing that stakeholders are busy. I push continual updates (tastefully timed) so those who need to stay aware have multiple opportunities to chime in without bottlenecking progress.
What brings out my best
When I get to be an editor. Drawing out the purest form of what you're trying to say, making a way through the mess, being the whetstone to your blade. This is where I enter flow state.
When I think alongside you. I'm naturally wired more glass-half-full than empty, but I'm not an uncritical cheerleader. I use evidence to increase confidence and bring grounded validation through moments of uncertainty.
When we have high trust and high honesty. Good working relationships aren't just about good vibes; they welcome hard conversations. Especially in beginning new engagements, I value dialogue that develops long term structural alignment, knowing that trust is cultivated through shared decision-making principles and rhythm as much as warmth.
How to challenge me
Push my logic, not my craft. I work best with collaborators who lead with curiosity, asking questions like why did you go this direction? rather than stating declarative opinions. I'll do the same with you.
Ask me for the numbers. Not everything is measurable—nor should we be spending time measuring the wrong things—but quantifying impact can still help as a translation practice (e.g. reframing your goals through the lens of finance). It's the eternal tension of creative work, one that I don't shy away from.
What I expect from people I manage
Don’t ask forgiveness, radiate intent. Signal next steps so I know you’re thinking ahead. Show your work early and often, at least in the beginning of our working relationship.
Operate with structure and systems-thinking. Drive our 1:1s so it’s clear to me what you need and by when. Organize your asks so it’s easy for me to help. Show me you’re thinking about all the dependencies and steps in your work. Bring it back to our big picture and long term goals.
Prepare for our feedback sessions. I will always be thinking about how I can help you grow, but for best results, this takes dedicated thought from your end as well. Share your own insights so I can respond to them.
Stay positive, stay resilient. I don’t expect metrics to motivate people. People motivate people. I’ll give external validation but there’s also your own intrinsic motivation that I can’t give. This has been key to my own journey - I’ve been lucky to have fantastic managers but I’ve also had to learn to manage my own insecurities (an ongoing process!). Let me know if I can support you more here.
In summary
I care a lot. I have an intrinsic drive that applies to whatever I do - and I've found that toggling in between independent and full-time roles helps with this continual mental refreshment (read: avoiding burnout). That said, I will always value the people above the work. I believe in balancing conviction with restraint - not everything needs to be in tension for growth.
I’d love to learn anything that this inspires you to share. Looking forward to where this goes 🙂
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