Hi I’m Ian and my full name is Mr Ian Forrester

I’m referred to by ‘he/him’ pronouns and here’s how to say my name.

Here is my user manual (which it use to be)

Conditions I like to work in

• I like a medium busy working environment. I find it hard to work in silence.
• I like having my own desk space which can move from standing to sitting but pretty flexible as I can work in coffee shops or on my sofa.
• I like to wear headphones and listen to music mixes, podcasts or audio books while working if its too quiet.
• I like flexible spaces, with adjustable seating.

The Times/Hours I like to work

• I am trying to start my work day at 11am, I am not a early riser at all.
• I work best in the afternoon and evenings
• Think and write better at night
• I don’t mind being contacted at most times but I will likely only respond when not busy or have the time. I expect people to respect my decisions when I decline calls.
• My calendar is private but I prefer if things are set in my calendar so I don’t double book myself.

The best ways to communicate with me

• Text or instant messenger (signal & text) is the quickest way to get a response from me, but you will get a quick and short reply.
• I get direct messages on most platforms due to using beeper and context collapse but its best to follow up with an email.
• Mastodon is best for wider communication
• I will answer my phone and prefer to talk over more complex issues
• I deal with emails all week and usually respond within a week, unless I’m busy
• Narratives are generally better than raw data
• Standard voice messages are not good for me, but voice notes can work as I listen at 2x speed

The ways I like to receive feedback

• I’d rather have conversations than leave things unspoken or at an inauthentic level.
• I like receiving feedback face-to-face including video based
• I respect people with humanity & respect, and expect the same back
• I see all feedback as a learning opportunity so I like any feedback to include examples and also suggestions on how I / it could be better/different

Things I need

• I need ideas sessions with people, where we can freely think about what is possible without the if’s and but’s
• I do need a little time to reflect
• I need longer paper work in digital form, so I can re-shape it or have an app read it to me
• People to understand I am different
• Authenticity, I find it harder to take people seriously if there is no authenticity

Things I struggle with

• Too much critiquing and logical reasoning drains my creative energy
• If I don’t understand the bigger picture, I find it harder to understand why I should be involved.
• I find unnecessary opaque processes draining
• Maintaining the status-quo
• Surface level conversations over a longer period of time
• Superstition
• Repetition

Things I love

• Hearing what others are working on and connecting up the dots of what we are doing together
• Human conversations over administrative tasks like replying to emails
• Understanding peoples experiences and influences behind projects
• Team away days
• Blue sky thinking
• Working on the cutting edge
• Collaboration
• Working “in the open”

Other things to know about me

• I am an ENTP
• I have dyslexia
• I use interconnected, narrative and dynamic reasoning to make decisions on problems which are logically taxing.
• I approach problems in a learning as doing way
• My favourite saying is “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
• I bring my whole self to work (we should chat about what this means)
• I am quite expressive and say what I feel and mean quite openly.
• Fairness and justice matters to me. If I think someone is not being treated fairly, or someone is having an unfair impact on others, I will call it out.
• I believe hyperlinks subvert hierarchy, with a rich network of people.