Jack's user manual

[jackherizsmith]

Jack (he / him)

How I get my best work done 👷‍♂️

• Enough planning that everyone's got a broad understanding of how it will all fit together
• Having space to try things and learn from failing rather than theoretical discussions about why something won't work
• I like to take time to understand things, so enjoy working with people who are patient and happy to explain
• My team SGCs including how I feel I'm progressing

The role I usually take in a team 🌱

• I want to prioritise people feeling heard over one knowledgeable person leading the way
• I am comfortable taking the lead if no one else puts themselves forward
• My Belbin team role is Plant which mean I sometimes have a tangential idea I'd like to try out.

My communication style 🐵

• I am always happy to pitch in so try to be mindful of doing that too much
• I am a visual learner, I will understand / learn best with diagrams on pen and paper, and always with analogies ⛪🏗️
• If I get stuck on an idea that isn't helping the project move forward, please remind me of The Big Picture and I'll snap out of it

What I value 😆

• A positive, open environment in which people are able to keep a good sense humour / perspective on things, and trust that we're all on the same team doing our best
• Honesty, straightforwardness, trust that we have each others' backs
• Puns, emojis, GIFs, memes, group games

What people misunderstand about me 🙊

• I am a passionate person and sometimes I can get stuck on an idea I've had. If I'm being difficult, it's because I have forgotten the big picture so just tell me so.
• When I'm feeling anxious or stressed, I worry about how people perceive me and then internalise negativity. That's why....

How I like to get my feedback 🙌

• I love both positive and constructive feedback so I know what I'm doing well and what I can do better. It's important to remember that we're all trying our best.

Technical strengths & weaknesses 💻

Strengths 💪

• I like CSS, JavaScript and SQL
• I like making presentations
• Overall keeping an upbeat attitude most of the time

Weaknesses 🚫

• Navigating node lists in HTML still baffles me and there's a lot to learn in HTML in general
• I haven't had enough experience with Heroku, and need to practice more TDD

Interests (programming or otherwise!) 💃

• I am interested in joining small a tech start-up ... of some sort. Or freelancing. 🤺
• I have been doing improv comedy for four years, and run a monthly comedy night - you're all invited post-quarantine. 🎭
• I love to go out dancing. I love dancing. If there's music, I'll be dancing.

[Roger-Heathcote]

Jack has amazing energy and an infectious enthusiasm. In a project he has the ability to push things forward without being pushy which is a great skill, and one I hope to emulate some day. He is also very good at adapting his style to his partners which makes him great to work with whoever you are.

[hannahgooding]

Jack is full of ideas, enthusiasm and positive spirit which makes working with him super fun and rewarding 🏆. In our project team he was open to building on everyone's ideas together and encouraging my random lines of thought by considering them and responding, "you're so right", even when I was unsure that I was 🤔😅. Jack channels his boundless energy into filling our cohort with fun analogies (mostly, but not limited to, cathedral metaphors), methods and tools, such that I learn something new from him every day, even when not directly working with him!

[glrta]

I had the privilege of being in the team that was first presented with Miro by Jack. The fact that it became mandatory for every project planning after week 4 says a lot about Jack. He is enthusiastic, curious, always in search of the best way to implement something and loves organisation - qualities that will keep you wondering what he is up to when you aren't fortunate enough to be working with him.

[Joepock123]

Jack is an absolute joy to work with and one thing for sure is that you'll learn something new by working with him. One of his greatest strengths is his resourcefulness and he will always challenge the status quo to find new ways to solve a problem; this has led to the discovery of some fantastic new tools (Miro) which the entire cohort are now using.

One thing value most about Jack is his leadership and I was continually impressed during his role as a scrum master. Both keeping the team laser focused on meeting project requirements and the task at hand. This coupled with a mindfulness of the individual needs of a team means Jack is an integral part of any group and a continual source of inspiration.