My long overdue blog about starting my new job…

So, I GOT A JOB!  I had my first meeting on August 14th while my first day was the 17th…  Rapleaf (www.rapleaf.com) is an SF-based technology startup that focuses on social media research.

Since starting my gig, I have been trying to figure out my whole work/life balance thing.  It turns out, my pendulum had swung very far to the life side during the six months between gigs (and man was it a fun ride). So, fittingly enough, the pendulum hit a hard down swing and the momentum carried me through the first (almost) two months of work. The balance certainly tilted toward work (but really, I have been having a fun ride).

Here I am, figuring it out as usual, trying to keep the balance in check. I think being in the office from 8am to 6pm is about right, hopefully limiting the couch sessions of email/ upkeep to only a couple nights a week.  Eating at my desk is out moving forward; it just doesn’t set my afternoon up with the right attitude/ vibe.  Coming in early is in… the east coast needs me too.  And, odd as it may sound, I am the old guy on the team in many respects…

The team is great, all really smart and excited to be there. Rapleaf is about 2/3 software engineers (wicked, crazy smart software engineers) and the aim is to keep that balance and focus as we grow.  The shop is still small enough that all eyes can be on you in a hurry, helping correct a course or congratulate a win.  At the same time, our company is big enough that we are getting noticed and revered by big companies across many industries. It was crazy to walk in and talk to some of the holy grail clients of the auto industry within the first few weeks.

As for now, I am having fun and hoping you are too.
~N

Managing Oneself (by Peter Drucker)

So in my self imposed vacation from the working world, I figure I can use the free time to catch up on some overdue reading.  One of the titles of choice was Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker.  I recommend it to anyone- it’s a short read and has good examples of personality types and how they interact.

A quick read to improve your interactions.

So what were the choice details I pulled out of this book for myself?

• Focus time and energy on strengths, minimize weaknesses through management, mitigation or outsourcing.
• Intake of information can take two major forms:  Readers, who prefer prepared material or questions and time to digest it all; and Listeners, who prefer to have open dialog to gather information about subject matter.  I tend to be a listener (I love to talk to anyone about anything and would rather watch a documentary than read a book).

• Organizing information has two major forms again: Writing, taking notes or otherwise documenting information or conversation, not necessarily to review, but to aid recall; and Talking, which is more or less thinking out loud, likely with an audience but not expecting debate or dialog.  I tend to be a writer (taking notes, connecting comments, whipping out PPTs that may never get used).

• Group dynamics have lots of characteristic pairs: Team player vs. Loner (I have historically been a loner), Contributor vs. Leader (typically leader), Decision Maker vs. Adviser (I am not sure here… a bit of both I suppose), Stress vs. Structure (I prefer the stress of too much going on), Big vs. Small Organization (I like the small working environment much better than big business).

All in all, it is a great one to two hour read that is worth some review afterward.  I put it in the same category as Myers Briggs or other self evaluation that help you realize the ways you think and hopefully figure out how others think so you can better interact and work with them.