To serve as a reminder of who I am, and as a time capsule for myself to see will my value change over time.
As of 2021-12-21 today, here's a list of values and principles that I swear by.
- If a 5 year-old can't understand what I am explaining, I don't really understand it
- Low hanging fruits are low hanging because they are undesirable
- Always be helpful, and I don't need power nor status to start being helpful to those who are around me
- Being shitty will always bite back. Don't be shitty or do sloppy work
- Respect never comes with power nor status: it comes from wisdom
- When money is taken away from the equation, usually what's left is respect
- Asking for advices is a sign of wisdom, because it requires courage and humbleness
- Talk is cheap; Always be the change that I want to see first
- Difference between making a tough call and an idiotic call; Both are a form of madness, but a dumb call are just a repetition of human history yet expecte different results
- Listen and learn - is the best way to find out what is the right thing to do; thinking alone and think that I can come up with all the right answers are just sheer arrogrance
- Keep the speed up by taking pragmatic risks. Only agonize over irreversible decisions. Be reliable and follow through. If I say I'll do something, do it
- Trust others and assume good intent. If I need to build context and understanding, always ask and share information freely
- Always drive with a mission and a goal. I won't go anywhere if I don't have a focus to begin with
- As a product person, I pay close attention to the problems people (not just outside of the company) want to solve with better tools and services, and follow their lead. If I don't do a good job of that, I should not exist
- Debate to make progress, not to win
- Give direct feedback no matter who I am with, because that's how ideas are explored, trust is built, respect is earned, and lesson is leaned
- Being kind is not the same as being nice. Being kind is about taking responsibility for my impact on the people around me, and being mindful about how I can help others to grow
- Give credit where credit is due
It is to no surprise some of the values are a reference from some of the brightest product companies, such as Notion, and Dovetail. I would like to take some of them as a reference because I coudn't find a better way to put them into words.