What are some honest, unfiltered things about you?
- I'm an introvert. While I also like working alongside others, alone time and hyper-fixating on problems until I solve them is where I can thrive.
- I harbor an interest in English grammar (and markdown), and how it can help communicate more effectively (I don't always get it right, but I try my best).
- Being skilled at something like my work and hobbies is my comfort zone. Despite that, I have a million 'hobbies' while being an expert in few of them 😓
- I'm from Alberta, Canada. I like it here, especially when it's not literally on fire 😔
- My better half is a mezzo-soprano (opera and more), and I love what they do. I'd have an easier time talking about them than talking about myself.
- I have a cat named Sam who means a lot to me.
What drives you nuts?
- One-sided, aggressive, or loud conversations stress me out. I prefer interactions with active listening.
- Unformatted walls of text.
- Certain noises and loud noises. I hate "ASMR" with a passion beyond my passion for anything else.
- Toxic positivity
What are your quirks?
- I'm a hermit/homebody.
- I'm a relentless advocate for users/customers, but that can come across wrong sometimes.
- I'm a sound sensitive person. I don't like certain sounds and loud noises.
What are some things that people might misunderstand about you that you should clarify?
- My name is pronounced
k-eye-naan(NOTkey-nan) 🔗 pronunciation audio
What qualities do you particularly value in your colleagues?
- Kindness.
- Customer obsession (I know, I know, it's corpo-speak, don't @ me. What it really means is I like a positive mindset when discussing users).
- The ability to concisely explain something without walls of text.
- Empathetic, self-reflective, and mindful of their ego.
What do you wish colleagues didn’t do?
- Nonchalant demonstrations of a superiority complex
- Discrimination towards anyone based on anything like age, background, experience, etc.
- Talking over and ignoring smaller voices.
How can people earn an extra gold star with you?
- Show me something cool or useful.
- Listen to me when I find something cool or useful.
- Involve me in things.
- Teach me something.
- Speak to me like we're on the same team, as equals, even if you feel that we're not.
How do you coach people to do their best work and develop their talents?
- Help with what I reasonably can.
- Let other people communicate what they need to do their best work and be receptive to that information.
- There are no stupid questions (except when I ask them)
What’s the best way to communicate with you?
- no hello.
- Be kind.
- Don't be loud.
- If it's a technical problem, give me all the information to review on my own screen at my own pace. Give me all the links and things.
What’s the best way to convince you to do something?
- Mostly just be kind about it.
- Convince me it's useful to me, you, or someone else.
- Maybe offer to do the thing together. Despite being an introvert, I really enjoy solving things with other people.
- When that's not possible, a please and thank-you will suffice 😁
- Empathize with, and respect, my time. Make me feel like you understand and empathize with the time investment.
How do you like to give feedback?
- I tend to ask questions masquerading as a suggestion.
- I treat each feedback opportunity uniquely and try to give it in the best way given the circumstance.
- I don't like giving personal feedback unless it's critically affecting our working relationship, or you have explicitly asked about it.
How do you like to get feedback?
- I like objective and constructive feedback that doesn't imply some sort of adversarial relationship.
- Personal or sensitive feedback I prefer given to me directly, privately, like most people, I'm sure.
Ok