Article by Dan Cristea
My Style
I love, promote and sustain Team work.
My high expectations are matched by my commitment to support people in meeting them. I believe in giving people freedom, flexibility and “stretch” assignments and equipping them with the tools they need to uncover and develop their potential.
I’m most energized when I’m connecting dots/people/resources that translate challenges into opportunities. I am always scanning for information to feed ideas in my mind and typically do my best thinking out loud and be transparent.
I welcome ideas at any time, but I appreciate that you have real ownership of your idea and that you have thought it through in terms of total business impact.
What I value
I value honesty, resourcefulness and proactivity. Be smart, move fast and pivot quickly.
I’m obsessed with efficiency: I touch each email only once (respond, delete, delegate, or delay), and live by the law of 80/20 – often prioritizing promptness over perfection.
I expect my teammates to value efficiency as well. Before doing something “the way it’s always been done,” scan for an easier, cheaper, simpler way to maximize your “return on effort”. Before starting something from scratch, ask if it’s already been tried.
Tell me what I need to know, not what you think I want to hear.
What I don’t have the patience for
If you make a mistake or something is heading off the rails, tell me before the crash. Failure is great (as long as you learn quickly), bad surprises are not.
I default to trust, but if my confidence is shaken, it’s hard to rebuild. Ways to lose my trust: not following through, withholding important information, avoiding hard conversations, or treating others with disrespect.
“If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” If you don’t take direct action to make things better you’re an obstacle to change.
How best to communicate with me
Be crisp. Start with the headlines. I prefer bullet points.
Come to me not just with problems, but with plausible solutions and your recommended course of action.
I value authenticity, honesty and transparency. If I say something you disagree with, tell me. I am hungry to be challenged in thoughtful and constructive ways. I respect people who have the right blend of confidence and humility to know when to question someone (even the “boss”!)
I speak with conviction, but I’m not fixed in my thinking. I’m open-minded and always delighted to be shown a better way. I make decisions quickly, but if you give me reasoning or data that points in another direction, I’ll happily change course.
Finally, I may be the “boss”, but I’m also a person, a teammate and a messy work-in-progress 🙂 I’m committed to always getting better at my job, and to become a wiser, kinder and more impactful human.
*And this is how you create a good manifesto 🙂