Working with Sergio

These are instructions to best work with Sergio Marrero.

Standard Operating Procedures

• Trust and Truth. I trust and have faith that people are truthful and genuine in our interactions. This is my preferred state of being. I value people who tell me the truth as I believe it builds strong relationships and in return I aim to be as honest as possible.
• Radical Transparency. I say what I think and use radical candor as a default operating principle. Some people find it slightly off putting to get continuous feedback and hear exactly what I think. If I am saying what I really think, it is because I care deeply about you and your success. Conversely, I love suggestions and feedback. Feedback is a gift most people don’t have the courage or care to give. Thank you in advance. For more on radical transparency check out Ray Dalio’s TEDx talk.
• Less talk, more do. I am impatient and I like moving quickly. In moving quickly, I sometimes skip details, rush, and break things. I get frustrated when things to slow me down.
• Just do it. I would rather take a rough cut at something, move to action, get feedback, and co-create together versus over thinking and talking extensively before acting.
• Always learning. I love learning about new things, especially how things work or are made.
• Playful. I like instigating and stirring things up. I like to joke and be sarcastic at times. I find it fun in learning what makes people smile and laugh.
• Maker. I love making things and bringing ideas to life. From sketches, to designs, to wallets, to mobile apps, to startups. Always be making.
• Focused. I come off as intense. I just like to focus on things, sometimes myopically, one at a time. I am probably just trying to understand what I am focusing on. As a consequence, when I get overwhelmed I block out non-urgent things so I can focus.
• Moving. I like to move when I think. This includes walking, writing notes, sometimes shifting in my position frequently. If we are talking, I am not looking directly at you, and I am writing, I am using this as a method of concentrating on what you are saying. If I lose track, I am probably stuck thinking about something previously said.
• Engineer at heart. Structuring chaos. It is one of my favorite activities to create processes and continuously iterate and optimize. By standardizing the little things in my life, from when I work, eat, workout, etc., it frees up more time and mental capacity to be creative, which I value. At times when my personal process is interrupted, I may get frustrated. This is just me trying to get back into rhythm.

Preferred Style of Communication

• No B.S. I prefer being honest and open always, even if it is unpopular or rough at times. Conversely, I respect and appreciate others being open, honest, and direct with me. I believe being open and honest leads to efficient use of your time and mine. I believe respecting people’s time is one of the most respectful things you can do, as time is the one resource we never get back once consumed.
• To the point. If I ask a specific question, please answer my question, or tell me you do not prefer to answer. If not, I will ask again. I get frustrated when people are not clear, as I feel we are both wasting each other’s time. Ironically sometimes I am not clear — just ask me to clarify.
• Curious. At times I ask lots of questions quickly and in succession. It’s because I am a maker and I like to know how things work. If it comes off as condescending or intense, that is not my intent, I am just trying to understand and move forward.
• Ordered. I try to answer messages in the order they were received.
• Heard. I try not to talk over people. If I do it let me know. I dislike being talked over or extensively being talked at. I find it disrespectful. If you are doing all the talking, invite me (and others) in.
• Seeking to understand. When it comes to matters of perspective, I am less interested in what is ‘right and wrong’ or justifying one opinion and more interested in understanding multiple opinions to determine objective criteria for which opinion is best. This is a practice of radical candor, with the spirit and purpose of having a greater understanding and determining the best path forward.
• Being understood. Sometimes I may repeat myself or ask if what I am saying makes sense. I am not asking for agreement with me, just confirmation that what I said was understood before moving forward.

Mediums of Communication

• My preferred medium for urgent personal matters is a text or phone call.
• For non-urgent matters email is preferred.
• WhatsApp, Instagram Messages, and Facebook Messenger are my other preferred mediums I check intermittently, in that order, but more frequently than email.
• If you do not hear from me when sending a message, try again. Don’t feel bad, I am probably overwhelmed. It’s not you. It’s me.
• If you hear from me and send too many messages following. I will get annoyed. Respect the space.
• In my attempt to be fully present in conversations and in the things I do, I usually only review and respond to messages at defined times.

Suggestions

• Tell me the best way to communicate with you. Slack? Email? Text? Call? In person?
• Tell me what you really think and I will do the same. I enjoy understanding — even if I am frustrating you — tell me and I will course correct.

About me

I make an effort to keep my LinkedIn up to date and post consistently on Medium.

Fun Facts

• I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in a day.
• I have hiked an active volcano in Chile.
• I have swam with sharks, but I am scared of the sea.
• I wore a body camera for 30 days straight to understand what it would be like to have cameras integrated into our clothes.
• I made by own leather wallet replacement made of cork — hand made in Chicago.
• I have deejayed over 15 weddings, I have MCed one wedding, officiated two weddings, and I am an ordained minister.
• I have done two TEDx talks, The Degree is Dead at University of Princeton and Startup Studios and Building the Future at Bergen Community College

Have a thought about this post? I would love a comment or shoot me an email at sergiomarrero1@gmail.com!

Best,

Sergio Marrero