Jonathan’s Quick Start Guide

My approach to working with people

I care deeply about creating the right environment for my teams and the people I work with to feel inspired, feel a sense of ownership and growth, and act with intention, rigor and pro-activeness. I value a sense of connectedness with those that I work with, leading to strong mutual trust. I encourage every effort to maintain an open and transparent communication practice. I strive to lead with candor and warmth, while balancing a healthy process, outcomes definition, and a focus on impact. I care about the craft.

As a leader, I’m here to help articulate which direction to point in through vision & inspire action towards that direction. I’m accountable to help connect the big picture and company strategy to work outcomes, create clarity, & remove roadblocks so that we can stay focused on the things that matter.

As a colleagure, I’m here to listen — to your observations, your feedback, and your requests for help. My job is to help align the ways that we work with the needs of the business. I’m accountable for championing great work as well as creating safe spaces for open discussion and strong relationships to form.

What I expect from my consulting / advisory partners

That we assume good intent and remain respectful, collaborative and professional at all times
You help me see around corners and navigate organizational culture: as I don’t work directly in your organization, I will rely on you for this and will often take you at face value
If we feel things are going well -- let me know. If we feel they aren’t, let’s grab time or beers and talk about how we can improve
That you use consulting time strategically and let me know about agendas, milesontes and expectations well in advance

What you can expect from me

High quality, thoughtful work
Good energy and ease of communication
Transparency about how things are going and a willingness to ask for help / advice when I think it would be helpful
An open phone line: share your thoughts openly, candidly, and frequently
My honest, expert opinions on topics that I think would benefit from them

I will stay aligned with my personal values, which include

Incubation: Nurture seeds of ideas and insights and help cultivate them to drive positive change
Significance: Striving to spend time with intention and reason
Craft and Pride in Making: Attention to detail and process resulting in outcomes that reflect quality
Epicure: The art of many; enjoying the many varied gifts that life has to offer through food, friendship, and interests
Learning, Growth and Expansion: An enthusiasm to learn, stretch myself, and an openness to being wrong
Intentionality: Being thoughtful and opinionated
Balance: Creating space and time to re-charge and spend time on people and things outside of work. For me this often manifests as time spent in nature and the outdoors
Omotenashi: Wholeheartedly care for and support people I work with; creating environments that lend to depth and connection in relationships (sincere care for the experience of others, manifesting in how you act and show up for others)

My Work Patterns

I’m not a morning person, but I generally try to reserve quiet work time from 9 to 10am PST. I find this protected time incredibly important to plan, organize, and be thoughtful about my approach!
I typically have Dad-duty from 7-9 AM and 4:30 – 7:30 PST
🦉 I usually come back online when my kiddo is asleep around 8:30 PST and wrap up / prep until 10ish.

Communication Preferences

Text over email for fast comms and fast replies
I appreciate direct, open dialog
- I feel distant from people when I don’t know where I stand with them or if it feels like they aren’t sharing something relevant to our conversation. I have the strongest relationships with people who give me positive and critical feedback in a timely way, backed with specific examples
I like when people are explicit in their communication whether they need help with exploration(brainstorming, inspiration-seeking, co-creation, etc.) vs. decisions (analyzing, deciding prioritizing, etc.). This helps me understand whether to brainstorm, coach, or provide suggestions/ advice.
I have a preference to chat face to face to work through complexity and ensure candor is best represented in difficult situations.
I love frameworks and metaphors!
Having a chance to respond to feedback and make adjustments is appreciated and something I expect.
Please assume good intent; if you are noticing areas of improvement please frame them with this in mind.

Wellness

Having a good balance of family time
🌱 Meditation and eating healthy
Spending time outside every week, sailing / camping
😴 At least 7.5 hours of sleep
🚲 Having personal time in the morning to exercise
A balance of screen time and off-screen work
Having the time to think intentionally and process
🍷Wine and socialization!

Success Indicators

Being supportive and present with my family
Making time for personal wellbeing and hobbies (I have many!)
⛰️ Lots of time outdoors
📅 Date nights and friend nights
Being relied on by teammates
Feeling prepared
Talking philosophically with colleagues and friends
🛎️ Providing a great experience for others
Feeling recognized for meaningful contribution
My relationships feel solid and not wobbly

I look forward to working with you!