Culture in the Long Run

/ Cali, Design, Product

Over the years, I’ve been really curious about company culture. It’s always fun reading articles talking about how you shouldn’t F up company culture. But if you read between the lines, there’s actually a financial reason why culture matters in the long run for start-ups. Given enough time, you’re probably going to move on or get fired… and the only influence you’ll have on the company is the culture you’ve left behind.

You know, I actually hear ex-founders talking about how they don’t recognize any of the new faces in their company. It’s fascinating to think about how all those new faces are working every day to build value (and making the company worth more).

The interesting thing about culture is that it’s hard to change for the better after things have gone south. So it seems really important to establish the right direction really early.

It all starts with the founders and the first hire. I’ve been told that the first hire is like mitosis—the first cell division in an organization that carries its DNA. One of my mentors explained to me, “your first hire will echo all of your best and worst attributes.”

So with that in mind, I’m trying to be more conscious of my attitude and perspective. I constantly ask myself questions like: How do we build values around innovation and a relentless work ethic into our DNA? How do we balance decisions based on data versus gut instinct? How do we handle disagreements and distractions? How do we set an example of excellence? How do we learn from our mistakes and run more efficiently? And ultimately, how do build things we’re genuinely proud of and have fun?

Anyways, big f’n kudos to any of the leaders out there that have built a successful culture. It’s not easy, and it’s certainly not luck. And yeh, when its done right, culture can be a lucrative thing. It’s a bet I’m ready to double down on.

My SF Studio

/ Cali

DSC_5314_final

Since I’ve moved to SF, I’ve completely downsized my lifestyle. I sold my condo, cars, and most of my personal belongings. I can pretty much carry all my essentials stuff in two small suit cases.

I live in a 500 sq ft apartment next to the bay bridge. If you haven’t already noticed from the photo, I pretty much have my el cheapo bed, table, chairs, and christmas lights. As for entertainment, I have my xbox, a short throw projector, and a set of bose computer speakers.

I’d love to ship my nice speakers and receiver out here, but it’d be a hassle to move around. Who knows how long I’ll be out here. Rent seems to be going up, and I’m not sure how much higher I can go before I tap out. I may have to start looking for something cheaper for next year.

DSC_5315

For what it’s worth, I’m learning a lot—more on that soon. For now, I’m going to enjoy my time here and soak in the view. I’ll be honest, it’s actually kind of nice having less stuff.

SF Cars and Coffee: LaFerrari

/ Cali, Cars

DSC_5008

I never thought I’d see one of these (the LaFerrari) in person. Actually much smaller than you’d expect…

DSC_5011

It’s too bad they didn’t rev the engine. I’m really curious as to how it sounds.

DSC_5012

It’s hard to believe that you can’t just go to the dealership and buy one. There are only 499 units made.

DSC_5000

Horsepower: 949 HP
MPG: 12 city / 16 highway
MSRP: From $1.416 million
Battery: 2.3 kWh 480 V lithium-ion
Engine: 6.3L V12

Check out the full specs here.

Monday Music: Walking Dead

/ Music, Zombies

Annie and I have been binge watching The Walking Dead. I found this song on Season 3, and I’m digging it. Sorry I haven’t blogged that much in a while. It’s been pretty busy. Hopefully I can figure out a way to post more stuff more often. Until then, enjoy this little monday tune. Enjoy this acoustic version. Hear the original version here.

San Tung’s Fried Chicken

/ Cali, Food

As a part of documenting my experience in California, I’m going to start sharing my experiences with food here. I’ve asked my friends to recommend some of their best eats for cheaps… so this is going to be fun.

Today, I went to San Tung, a Chinese restaurant that is known for its fried chicken wings. Easily accessible from the Muni, and there seems to be plenty of parking in the neighborhood. Patrick and I arrived around noon, and there was a short line outside. I’d say the wait was approximately 20 minutes. As soon as you walked in, you pretty much saw everyone with a plate of chicken wings. While this restaurant served other dishes, it was apparent that wings were their *thing*.

IMG_2461

So we ordered some wings and tried out a dish of steamed dumplings. The wings were pretty good—deep fried wings with a blend of sugary, salty, and peppery sauce. There were seasoned well, though a little on the sugary side. The balance, however, was right. The skin was crispy, and wasn’t over battered. When you compare the wings at San Tung to Bon Chon’s, I’d say that you could easily eat more wings at San Tung. For some reason, Bon Chon’s wings are so heavily battered, that the average person can probably only eat 6 wings before tapping out.

IMG_2458

The steam dumplings were pretty good. I’d say the dumplings probably needed to *be* served with a nice vinegar sauce to really elevate the flavor. Nonetheless, it was decent.

Overall price was about $10-12 per person, and it was satisfying. I’d say that the one thing you shouldn’t do is order too much. The wings don’t look like they would reheat well compared to Bon Chons’ wings.

IMG_2457

My only criticism of their wings is that once you get to the bottom of the plate, there is an excess of sauce, which makes the last 3 or 4 wings really… well, saucy. Some may like this, but my last couple of bites were a little too rich.

Would I go back to San Tung? Sure. It’s pretty solid. Truthfully, it’s not the best wings I’ve ever had, but it hits the spot when I want something similar to a Bon Chon’s.

Here’s San Tung’s address:
1031 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122
Inner Sunset

If you have any recommendations of cheap eats in SF, please leave them in the comments below. Thanks!

The Product Metronome

/ Design, Me, Product

”Product is the metronome of a team”

Hooman’s been feeding me with some profound nuggets of advice. As I dive into the role of product, he explained that it’s more than just creating growth and delivering things. It’s about helping the team find a cadence and rhythm not only for releasing, but an attitude around a company. When you’re calm, cool and clear, everyone around you will mirror that—and that’s a part of building product culture. Creating a cadence is something I’m going to have to work on. And being consistent with that will set an example of excellence.

If you had to choose between two teams (with the same output), which would you rather have?

a) A wired team filled with raw horse power and brute force?
b) A calm team that’s highly efficient that continually improves.

And the real question that Hooman alluded to—“which one is going to scale better in the long run?”

As I take on this new challenge, I will need to find balance in my life. Finding some zen will help me become a better metronome. The best is in front of us, and I look forward to our team playing together as a symphony.

”All great leaders have a platform of people that they can lean on.”

Hooman hit me with another bit of sound advice. For example, Mark Zuckerberg always seems to have a calm cool persona… but he relies on a network of people around him to put his thoughts together. But what most people don’t realize is how much he leans on his platform of advisors to guide him. Same goes with the president of the United States. One could say this about all leaders.

When Hooman asked me who I could talk to about the following things, I didn’t really have a good structure for how I utilized my network:

  • Someone to bounce creative ideas.
  • Someone to vent to when I’m frustrated.
  • Someone to run through strategy and growth.
  • Etc.

Having a network of people that you can lean on for wisdom, creativity and sometimes to lend an ear, is a platform that you can use. And the sum of having a platform of people you can lean on plus acting as a metronome is a great formula for becoming a leader.

It’s a lot to think about… but I’m pretty excited to be working on creating new systems, not just for design, but for building companies. This is going to be epic.

« Older Entries Newer Entries »