Clik here to view.
Monthly Review: January 2016
I publish a monthly review of habits, work, etc. You’ll be able to find them all here. I can’t believe the first month of the new year is already come and gone! January was pretty darn awesome. I...
View ArticleStatic is the Worst Place to Be
I’ve been diving into quite a pile of personal growth books over the past few weeks. The goal was to help answer the question “How can I excel professionally?” I’m planning on compiling a master list...
View ArticleDeveloping a Process for Better One on Ones
As a team lead at Automattic, I have a weekly one on one meeting with everyone on my team. We’re a small team (seven total people), but it’s the top priority in my week. After all, my main...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: February 2016
I publish a monthly review of habits, work, etc. You’ll be able to find them all here. February was a fun month for several reasons. Multiple good friends came out to visit. My wife and I got several...
View ArticleWhat You Say vs. What They Hear
Communication is super important within any organization, but it’s particularly vital in remote work. At Automattic, we use the phrase “Communication is oxygen.” The take-home message—building...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: March 2016
How in the world did March fly by so quickly? There were a lot of areas where I fell short including some habits I was focused on. Despite those shortcomings, it was still a great month. We were able...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: April 2016 (And 2016 Goal Checkin)
Each month, I publish a monthly review, a sort of public accountability report, looking at goals, reading, habits, etc. You can find all previous months here. April was a pretty fantastic month. I took...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Approach to Learning JavaScript
I shared a variation of this blog post on learning JavaScript internally within Automattic a few weeks back. I thought it might be helpful so I’ve adapted it here for a blog post. I’m also asking for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leaders Adding Too Much Value
I’ve been in the team lead role over at Automattic for just about a year now. One particular weakness I’ve noticed over the past year is my desire to provide answers to people on my team. Need help...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building a Simple React Todo List and Timer
One of my goals for 2016 was to ship stuff, quite a few things in fact. We’re close to half-way through the year already, but I finally shipped a thing—a simple React todo list! GitHub—Project Page—GIF...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Handling Negativity in Customer Support
Currently, I’m at the first ever SupConf, a conference for support professionals. I gave a talk about dealing with negativity in customer support. Here’s a complete recap of everything I discussed. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: July 2016
I publish a monthly review of habits, work, etc. You’ll be able to find them all here. I really dropped the ball on these reviews in May and June. I was fortunate enough to attend SupConf in San...
View ArticleLooking Back on Year One as a Team Lead
It’s been a little over a year since I took on a team lead role at Automattic. The past year has been both fun and challenging. I’m fortunate to work in a culture where mistakes are viewed as...
View ArticleHow All Hands Support Works at Automattic
We now have close to 300 non-support employees at Automattic. Yet, each year most one of them (even Matt, our CEO) helps out in support. It’s a practice commonly known as “All Hands Support” (also...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: August 2016
I publish a monthly review of habits, work, etc. You’ll be able to find them all here. August was a pretty amazing month. I was able to fly down to Florida and visit family and friends for a long...
View ArticleKicking Off Another Year of Drink for Pink
Unless we’re Facebook friends, you might not be aware that I helped to start Drink for Pink, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based out of Denver, Colorado, in 2015. We partner with local breweries to raise money...
View ArticleHow do you push people without killing morale?
I recently read a piece by Christian Bonilla over on Smart Like How about pushing people without killing morale. I particularly enjoyed this bit about energy and enthusiasm as a bank: Think of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Monthly Review: September 2016
I publish a monthly review of habits, work, etc. You’ll be able to find them all here. September was a pretty amazing month! I had a chance to get together with all of my amazing coworkers in Whistler,...
View ArticleBuilding Your Own Inner Scorecard
I recently read Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. Since finishing the book, I continue to come back to one specific topic—living your life by an inner scorecard not an external one. A person who judges...
View ArticleOur Current Process for Handling Feedback
Yesterday, I read an article on NPR about performance reviews titled “Yay, It’s Time For My Performance Review! (Said No One Ever).” As you might expect from the title, the piece detailed where current...
View Article