My operation manual

Renee’s Manual. v1.02

What I value, how I surround myself with people that are good for me, what I don’t like, and some apologies in advance.

Time is the asset I value the most.

I tend to be genuinely excited about things in life.

I’m bad at superficial connection, I don’t open up immediately and it takes me a minute to trust people.

I’m an optimist and tend to see opportunities rather than challenges. I see life at a 51% level of fullness. The people I enjoy being with the most are in a similar range +- but never on the extremes.

I work hard to recenter myself through empathy.

I like to work with high integrity people I respect and care about, I only do symmetrical relationships.

I don’t like to use people or feel like someone is using me. I’ll become rapidly inattentive and emotionally disconnected if I feel dishonesty.

I think the pie is large, and everyone can have a bite at it. I don’t feel comfortable engaging with scarcity driven mindsets.

My native language is Spanish, so if at any time I say something that seems weird or off, ask for a clarification, I promise I’ll do the same.

My work style

Direct, spontaneous and creativity driven.

I have a high sense of accountability, and I expect the same for everybody I work with.

I work long hours, and wake up early. I don’t expect people to have the same bandwidth as I do, I respect that everyone has a different style.

I take action on things because I decide to. I don’t do anything just for the sake of it, especially if it doesn’t feel right.

I’m outcome driven, I like leverage, network effects and smart approaches.

Everyday I try to improve myself a little bit, I respect people that do the same.

I always show up, I like punctuality, but I don’t enforce it with everybody.

I suck big time on Fridays and need time off on weekends to recharge. I haven’t go on actual vacations for a decade now, I’m not planning to do it soon, but I may take off a day or two every 3-6 months,

On how I communicate

I try to direct my communication on a non-violent way.

I like to communicate in a spontaneous and attentive way.

I don’t read all my dms or emails. I just have too much inbound, I’m trying but failing at inbox zero.

I try to respond as quickly as I can, sometimes that’s instantaneous and sometimes it takes a minute. If something is important and you need a prompt reply, please state it clearly in the first communication and bump it back again if I have not taken action.

I can be open to getting or sending voice notes sometimes. I have strong feelings about passing the responsibility of communication to another party, and I feel using a voice note shows zero agency or respect for the person receiving it. However, there are exceptions — for example, if someone is showing a lot of affection (such as with a birthday note), or you want to communicate something relevant or caring and you're driving.

I try to avoid impromptu voice or video phone calls when it comes to professional things, unless the matter is a real life or death emergency. A heads up before calling is fine, if I did not reply back and I don’t answer, it is probably because I can’t take the call or I’m not close to my phone.

My communication preference is:

iMessage for anything text and either super relevant or trivial. Think either is something you are sending me because you need a fast answer, or when it does not matter if I reply to you. Sounds a little confusing but after interacting with me for a week or so you’ll start understanding this.

WeChat is good, mainly because it is geography inclusive and the only way to reach some people.

I try to stay off Whatsapp. Though I use it for a lot of communications with my network and family in Latam, I tend to have notifications turned off for Whatsapp. Whatsapp is kind of the most similar to WeChat in Mexico, everybody does it and it’s on it.

I prefer to use Slack for communication that is not formal and can be reachable to search afterward, think of a file, link, or something relevant in the future.

Email for everything important and formal. I firmly believe that work, a thing we spend a third of our lives doing, should be carried with civility, grace, and respect. Email is an excellent opportunity to shine about ideas and communications. Still, I’m also a big pragmatist, and I like the philosophy of keeping stress manageable, so don't worry too much about writing style and just send me a note.

Sometimes my brain is faster than my eyesight. I'm constantly making typos and omissions, I work really hard on improving this. Still, not every written communication I send is highly polished.

On Meetings

I don’t like to meet just because, I prefer to have a clear agenda, and a well defined starting and ending time.

Remote 90% IRL 10%, this number is arbitrary but I’m trying to make a point. Remote work is a generational gift, we should cherish it and evangelize people about it.

Final notes

I’m a work in progress, meaning I’m always trying to learn. Please share any ideas,questions or thoughts I can use to improve. I’ll do the same with you.