A Personal User Manual

My team is currently spending a bit of time filling out these Personal User Manuals and the exercise has been illuminating, to say the least.

I had a few thoughts on a recent vlog about this as well:

You can review my own here as well as get the template below:

What I loved about this exercise is that it really made me think about my own behavior and how this impacts other people. I also was surprised (but shouldn’t have been) at how much time this took to thoughtfully answer the questions!

I hope you can find time to create your own Personal User Manual and then have the courage to share it with your team!

Personal User ManualDownload

Feel free to send me a copy of yours and give me feedback on mine!

I spent a little time updating it… here’s the full text:

User Manual

Here are a few things that you might find helpful to understand about me! Last updated: 04/09/2021

What Do I Get ENERGY From:

  • Stories: I love hearing, seeing, and experiencing stories. I love being transported to new worlds through narrative.
  • Learning: I love learning new things; I’m especially curious about the intersection of dissimilar and unrelated things.
  • Entertainment: I love to be entertained and I particularly love old(er) video games and movies. I do love the ’80’s.

What I VALUE the Most:

  • Agency: I value the freedom to choose my own path and to invest my time and resources in the things that matter the most to me.
  • Changing One’s Mind: One of my favorite mantras is “strong opinions, weakly held”.
  • Saying Sorry: Being able to say “sorry” is a superpower.
  • Health: I’m very vocal about creating a healthy environment for myself and for those that I work with and I’m an advocate for making these topics less taboo.

What I Don’t Have the PATIENCE For:

  • Bullshit: You win me over when you’re frank, direct, and full of candor. Say what you mean.
  • Indecision: Speed of decision making is an operating virtue in my startup.
  • Do What You Say: Fastest way to build trust is to do what you say; you know, integrity.

How to Best COMMUNICATE with Me:

  • Give it to me Straight, Be Direct, Give Me Context: Knowing what you need and being able to articulate that clearly and efficiently is something I really appreciate.
  • Decide Who’s Taking Notes: I am not very good at taking notes while talking so please help me understand who’s going to be in charge of data capture, collection, and distribution.

How to HELP / SUPPORT Me:

  • Ask Me Questions: I love answering questions. So, ask.
  • Give Me Time to Recover: When I have a “moment” I’ll often need time to recover. You can expect me to apologize and I will do my best to provide context and an explanation for my behavior in time.
  • I’m Already Paranoid: Being a startup founder makes you paranoid. Consequently, I don’t really like surprises. Thanks.

How I Make DECISIONS:

  • Quickly: It’s all about speed of decision making for me. “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” – General George S. Patton

A Few of My QUIRKS:

  • I hate windshield wipers… almost as much as I hate mosquitos.
  • I don’t drink anymore; sober since 2016.
  • I like wearing the same stuff most days.
  • I have two auto-immune disorders which make my breath smell really bad. I’ll do my best not to kill you when we meet IRL.
  • I like listening to music on repeat… a lot (and I like it loud).
  • I eat gluten-free foods and I’m lactose intolerant.
  • I drink coffee twice a day: Morning when I first wake up and then at 2:15pm.
  • I love / hate exercise. 4 times a week I walk ~3.0 miles and then M/W/F using a HIIT / Tabata-style using my own bodyweight.
  • I love video games but I don’t have time to play them. Sad.
  • I love the 80’s and I’m stuck in a retro-wonderland.
  • I love the color orange.

Other Things About Me:

A few additional things that you might find interesting:

  • I have a twin brother. I’m the oldest of 5. I’m adopted from South Korea.
  • I have 3 kids: Roenne (f/14), Arden (f/10), and Oliver (m/3).
  • I’ve been married for 15 years to Sue.
  • I have 2 advanced degrees: Masters of Biblical Studies and Masters in Christian Education.
  • I love sushi and soccer.