Hey, I'm Sam

The basics you should know about me are …

I'm Sam, I’m new at GitLab. I work with teams to help them figure out what to do next.

Before I was a Product Manager, I was a software engineer with a deep love of devops and a love/hate relationship with Jenkins and all things groovy. I’ve always liked enabling people and whilst at Procter & Gamble I found that a great way to do this was to jump into product work and solve problems with a team.

I have a deep need for the things I do to have purpose and value. I think some of this comes from Larry Wall’s three virtues, but I’m not a big believer in doing things “just because…”. That said, give me fresh information and I am always open to change my mind.

I’m a gym-goer, a fair-weather cyclist, pi-hole user, peak gold nova CS:GO player, get easily distracted, love ramen, and don’t drink coffee after 4pm.

My Working Hours

I am not a morning person. If you are, that’s fine and I’m happy to connect at any point in the day. I do my best work after 10 am and if we connect before that I might hit you up later in the day. I’ve tried to be a morning person, I think I just need more time to adjust to the sunlight.

Occasionally, I am up late as something’s itching my brain. If you see me online and need something from me, please reach out. If it’s not hugely disruptive for me, I’ll help and if it is, I’ll give you an ETA.

My Communication preferences are…

Channels

Slack/IM I'm pretty much always here, best for quick conversations/discussions that aren't time sensitive.

Email Best for initiating a larger topic. I only check my email a few times a day. This is likely an old habit and one I'll work to change into GitLab issues in the short term

Phone/Meeting I’ll make time whenever you need me. The best way to have a synchronous conversation is to book time in my calendar. Spontaneous calls are fine, but IM me first to check I can pick up.

Communicating

Messaging me I'm best able to help when you can tell me what I can do for you. The perfect way you can start a message with me is “Hey, I’m having trouble with {x}, can you do {y}?”. That said, I am very people oriented and if you message me to ask about my day I’ll approach it as a chance to connect on a human level.

If you need a decision/opinion from me I'm usually comfortable shooting from the hip on things and will be able to give ballparks in most situations. I’ll tell you when I can’t and it’s likely in either case that I’ll follow up with a more refined answer.

Context/Big Picture I place a lot of value on having a clear big-picture narrative and being able to to speak to the meaning behind the work, as well as what’s exciting about it. If you aren’t sure why we are working on something, please let me know.

If my response is slow Message me and let me know.

Communication Style I tend to be very direct and honest in communicating; this can turn some people off. If there’s a style that works better for you, share it with me and I will do my best to adapt.

I really like having lots of context so if you have something that you think might be useful to let me know, send it to me as an FYI email so I can read it when I have time.

When I ask you to do something that feels poorly defined you should ask me for clarification and a specific call on importance. I might still be brainstorming. Your clarifications can save a lot of time.

My Personality Profile is ...

INTJ

I like starting things and solving nuisance problems. I love learning new things, please share things that you think are cool with me. I’m a big fan of spending time with people, but large groups drain my battery and I need time and space to recharge.

Things I do that may annoy you

I have a sometimes unreasonable desire to get to the bottom of things. This can manifest itself in direct challenge to explain why we’re doing something, or why you have an alternative opinion. 99 times out of 100, I’m seeking to understand and refine my point of view. I’m constantly working on this to get better.

I used to be a software engineer. Sometimes I’ll have the wrong idea or assumption. If this is the case, please correct me and share your knowledge so I don’t make the same mistakes twice.

Sometimes I use colloquialisms. This is not always that friendly for non-native English speakers and even for people from different regions of England. If I do this, let me know and I’ll correct it.

I can obsess over things. Sometimes I can get fixated on something that doesn’t really matter. If you know it doesn’t matter, tell me and I’ll re-evaluate my approach.

You’ll convince me to get on board by …

Being clear about what you're expecting from me, work with me, not just tell me what to do - and be excited about the opportunity.

The environments in which I thrive have …

It really depends. I need to move around every couple of hours - I like quirky comfy spaces, as well as modern light open spaces. I like having some noise around me, but also like having my headphones on. I need to be able to move from space to space to suit the mood and task I have, rather than being tied to a particular place or routine.

The best way to give me feedback is …

Honest, candidly and with examples, please. I need to hear where I could improve things as well as where I've done well. I need to understand the areas which are good enough, so I don't over-engineer the answer. I like regular, short sense checks to make sure we’re on the same page

I don't accept compliments well, so try to position them as a good outcome for the product, rather than my work being good.

Events that celebrate me, where people share stories about me are not a preferred experience for me.

I work brilliantly together with …

People that challenge me and give me consistent and constructive feedback on how to improve and refine myself and my work.

People that share their interests with me and try to open my eyes to new things.

Teachers, mentors, mentees.

The best way you can check-in on me is …

Ask me what I’m planning and ask what you can do to help me.

Beyond work, I’m really passionate about …

I'm very into strength training and seeing what my body can do. If you’re on a video call with me, it’s likely that you’ll see guitars hanging on my wall and I play either one of them most days. I like to make stuff, bread, wooden things, 3d printed things.