Working with Mads
To help us work together, I've put together some pointers on my working style. This is meant to be helpful, not a strict rulebook. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and learning about your business!
Communications
I’m reachable at mads.johnsen@gmail.com, m@ds-johnsen.dk, and (+1) 214 616 8506. I work mostly via email, but I’m also happy to join you on Slack, Whatsapp or Signal if that’s your preferred channel.
My phone is always on silent mode, which means:
You can text me 24x7 - don’t worry about waking me up in the middle of the night/bothering me during off-hours.
I likely won't pick up if you call me. Text me instead, and I’ll call you back.
I manage my email in batches to not be distracted
As a result, my response time tends to be on the slower side of things (up to 48 hours).
If you need a quick response to an email or message, please mark it as urgent or let me know when you need an answer. There is no quota for urgent emails - feel free to mark all your emails as urgent if you want fast responses.
I also don’t expect a quick answer from you, and I don’t equate a fast response with respect or courtesy.
I treat all communication and discussions as confidential, whether we have explicitly agreed to it or not, and regardless of whether we have an NDA in place.
Meetings
I’ve found meetings to be more productive when…
they are on a fixed recurring schedule (vs. scheduled ad hoc).
They operate off a shared doc with a running list of topics and questions that are top of your mind / pre-reads
I have access to relevant documents and data. You don't have to create documents specifically for me; you can share what you already have, and I'm happy to sign an NDA.
shared artifacts are qualified by how complete they are (i.e. 10% done, 50% done, or 90% done) or by what level of feedback would be helpful.
I prefer written documents over slides, but will take whichever format is easiest for you. I’d encourage you to repurpose materials you already have.
Intros
I’m happy to make introductions. I always use double opt-in, which gives the other party (or you) a chance to decline the introduction.
Write a context email I can forward to the person you would like to meet to increase your odds of the other party accepting the intro.
Be clear and unapologetic about your objective of the meeting: ‘Picking someone's brain’ or ‘having coffee’ has high reject rates. If you have commercial intent, I recommend framing your intro as ‘asking for product feedback’.
Additional beliefs
Dimensionalize and avoid labels: Labels and broad categorizations often mask important nuance. Instead of saying "we have high latency" or "usage is low," dimensionalize with real numbers. There's too much judgment in what constitutes "high" or "low,".
Escalation is a feature, not a bug: The notion that escalation signals organizational dysfunction is backward. In my experience, lack of escalation is what truly slows organizations down. Clean escalation paths are actively used to help break deadlocks, align priorities, and drive decisions. An organization afraid to escalate is an organization afraid to move quickly.
Embrace cat and mouse: Some challenges are inherently dynamic - security, fraud, performance optimization. Don't let potential countermoves prevent you from making the first move. The fact that fraudsters will adapt to your detection system or competitors will eventually copy your feature doesn't invalidate the value of acting.