My Personal User Manual

9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Outside that window there's usually something encroaching on my time — kids, appointments, or just brain fog and time for some fresh air.

I have a clear goal. Then it's minimal distractions and caffeine.

A mix of collaborative bursts and solo time to gain context, digest, and percolate on my thoughts.

Calm, focused, async-friendly. I love working from coffee shops or my own office space.

Written is best. I love context — the more the merrier — and I refer back to notes and docs often.

Good coffee, a solid to-do list, and some chill background music (or the gurgle of my aquariums).

Meetings that could have been an email, and vague requests with no context. My door and DMs are always open for teammates — just bring the context.

Slack for quick things, docs for structured info, email for external stuff, and catching up in person (over a coffee?). I'm good at leaving Slack channels with a low signal-to-noise ratio — if something is important enough that I need to know about it, it'll make its way to me.

Usually within a few hours during work hours, unless I'm in deep focus mode on something that needs to get done.

Nudges are fine; I appreciate gentle reminders.

Friendly and casual, but clear. I like a bit of personality in my messages.

If it doesn't have an agenda, it probably could've been async. I'm more than happy to do async chats.

If my accent or Australian-isms get confusing. I try hard to avoid slang and articulate clearly, but I can get casual sometimes — please just ask me to repeat or clarify.

Empathy, curiosity, and resilience. I'm loyal and hardworking.

People who take ownership, share ideas early, and care about the "why" as much as the "how".

Calmly and directly. I'll suggest a chat to clarify and realign.

Timely, specific, and focused on outcomes, not personalities.

Timely, honest, and actionable. If it helps me grow, I'm all ears.

I'm an introvert at heart. I like time to digest information and formulate responses, so I can come across as chill or quiet. I just process before I speak.

Communicate clearly, do what you say you will, and be kind. Share with me and I'll share with you — let's get to know each other.

Meetings with no purpose, wasting time, and not communicating early and often.

Avoiding accountability or being passive-aggressive.

I don't check Slack after hours — time is our most important asset. If it's truly urgent, use the bat signal.

Be on time, come prepared, and leave with clear actions. I like notes — they help with alignment, and we all forget things.

Helping people and solving problems.

Anything that combines tech, design, and storytelling. Bonus points if it involves coral or 3D printing.

AI-assisted workflows and leadership. For fun and profit: 3D modelling and improving our family Magic: The Gathering decks.

A healthy balance between work and home life (note: balance doesn't always mean equal), and happy, healthy kids.

I grow corals in my lounge room. Yes, really.

Lo-fi beats, the gurgle of my aquariums, or coffee-shop ambience.

More of my aquarium maintenance.

Recently I've been diving deep into 3D modelling for printing — initially as a creative outlet, but it's had a surprisingly broad impact. What started with designing accessories for my reef tank evolved into learning tools like Fusion 360 and Blender, contributing to open-source 3D-printing communities, and building a small product line through this side project. The hands-on experience has sharpened the way I think about product — not just functionality, but how things are designed, packaged, shared, and improved over time.

Yes — though to me that's about more than clean syntax. High-quality coding is building software that's maintainable, understandable, and genuinely useful: code that plays well with others, and is easy to review, test, extend, and debug. I care about naming things clearly, reducing complexity, leaving helpful documentation, and the long-term health of the codebase — not just the immediate solution.

Yes — because I focus on enabling others to do their best work while aligning it with meaningful outcomes. Management isn't about control or hierarchy; it's about creating the right environment: clear expectations, psychological safety, strong context, and the systems that help people grow and deliver together. I measure my effectiveness by their growth, our outcomes, and the culture we built together.

Helping people find their path, not pushing them down a predefined one. Everyone's motivated by different things, and part of the job is creating space to figure that out. I keep it grounded — regular 1:1s, honest conversations, and support specific to the person rather than the role — and I give people room to grow through doing (leading projects, mentoring others, stepping into something uncomfortable) with the support and reflection they need along the way.