# James Evans's Manager Readme

**CFO at Ogram**

# Motivation for this document

I like to start fast and the easiest way to do that is to ensure you know as much about me and how I like to work as quickly as possible.

# My role

My role as CFO is to manage the company's finances and to ensure that we are operating in the most efficient way possible.

# When to come to me

Anything finance related!

# What do I value most?

I value honesty, radically candid feedback ([https://www.amazon.ae/Radical-...](https://www.amazon.ae/Radical-Candor-Revised-Kim-Scott/dp/1250258405/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MAPKQ6GBXVVF&keywords=Radical+candor&qid=1669702612&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjMyIiwicXNhIjoiMC45OCIsInFzcCI6IjAuOTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=radical+cando%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1)), leading with kindness and accountability.

# My Expectations

When it comes to booking time with me, please refer the below about meetings.

When it comes to accountability I highly value being told early and honestly, if a mistake has been made let's fix it together. I do not see things as my fault/your fault it's OUR problem to solve.

# Meetings

For me formal meetings need to have an agenda and I will often ask for context if you invite me to a meeting without one to see if I will gain/add value and to ensure the correct people are on the call. To ensure my calendar makes the most sense to me I use the following meetings (I generally prefer to have the emojiis in the meetings titles)

- ![:busts_in_silhouette:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f465.png) 1:1s - these are between me and one of my direct reports (or reporting lines).
- ![:recycle:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/267b.png) Syncs - these are for regular catch-ups that are outside my reporting lines, typically in another function.
- ![:coffee:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/2615.png) Informal chats - over a coffee, tea, or some other beverage.
- ![:fork_knife_plate:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f37d.png) Lunch - or some other meal. I reserve 12 - 1 pm every day for my lunch.
- ![:movie_camera:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f3a5.png) Presentation - all hands, specific presentations or some other meeting whether the main format is based on a presentation.
- ![:notepad_spiral:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f5d2.png) Agenda-based meeting - a meeting with a known agenda, typically tracked in a document somewhere that we can track items, notes, questions, actions, etc.
- ![:no_entry:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/26d4.png) Focus block - this is me carving out time to focus on something.
- ![:island:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f3dd.png) Holiday - time to kick back and relax!
- ![:books:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f4da.png) Learning & Development - attending a training course, doing some online learning, or reading.
- ![:date:](https://pf-emoji-service--cdn.us-east-1.prod.public.atl-paas.net/standard/caa27a19-fc09-4452-b2b4-a301552fd69c/64x64/1f4c5.png) Anything else - if it doesn’t fit into one of the above categories, I’ll use this.

For my team I have biweekly 1:1s where at the start of the week we allign on what we wish to accomplish during the week and then an end of week where we reflect, these are short 10-15 min (MAX) calls.  
I also have monthly calls with my team, these are your calls to talk about anything (work, career, general how can I help) and for me to receive feedback on how I am performing as your manager. I subscribe to radical candor when it comes to feedback so I expect blunt honesty on myself and can promise nothing said will be held against you and is purely for me to serve you better.

# Why are my notifications off?

Switching focus causes the average person to lose 2-3 hours of productive work per day and for that reason I tend to monotask. I keep notifications off for email and slack whilst focusing to ensure I can be as productive as possible. I generally check my email and slack once an hour and also have time dedicated to responding to queries. If you need something urgently please feel free to force the notification on slack, otherwise please be understanding in any delayed responses.

If you're interested in learning more about switching cost [Stolen Focus](https://www.amazon.ae/Stolen-Focus-Why-Cant-Attention/dp/1526620227/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=stolen+focus&qid=1670320399&sprefix=Stolen+fo%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-1) is a fantastic book on the subject.

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# How I manage

Coaching vs Mentoring is always an interesting topic in the ways that people manage. I personally prefer coaching where it's facilitating the person to find the answer on their own rather than me giving in the answer as I feel it helps L&D better and allows for better interactions. I use the grow model:

G - Goal

R - Reality

O - Options

W - Way forward

If you wish for a direct answer please just state that or ask directly.

[Coaching vs Mentoring](https://www.pushfar.com/article/mentoring-vs-coaching-the-key-differences-and-benefits/#:~:text=The%20Definitions%20of%20Coaching%20and%20Mentoring&text=A%20mentor%20is%20someone%20who,another%20to%20develop%20and%20grow.&text=A%20coach%20is%20someone%20who,them%20reach%20their%20full%20potential.)

# Books I love

Reading (fiction and non-fiction) is a huge part of my life so I have listed out a few books below that have substantially helped me professionally:  
  
[Cold Start Problem](https://www.amazon.ae/s?k=cold+start+problem&sprefix=Cold+start%2Caps%2C236&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10)

[Radical Candor](https://www.amazon.ae/Radical-Candor-Revised-Kim-Scott/dp/1250258405/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=radical+candor&qid=1670314935&sprefix=Radical+Candor%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1)

[Trillion Dollar Coach](https://www.amazon.ae/Trillion-Dollar-Coach-Leadership-Playbook/dp/0062839268/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=trillion+dollar+coach&qid=1670314962&sprefix=Trillion%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-1)

[The hard thing about hard things](https://www.amazon.ae/Secrets-Sand-Hill-Road-Capital_and/dp/0753553961/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018%3Aamzn1.sym.ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018&cv_ct_cx=secrets+of+sand+hill+road&keywords=secrets+of+sand+hill+road&pd_rd_i=0753553961&pd_rd_r=fcd32813-d0d2-4e02-9540-c72c58da237c&pd_rd_w=Q6G6l&pd_rd_wg=LMY0H&pf_rd_p=ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018&pf_rd_r=0DRNTERWSRV71JD47PTJ&qid=1670315020&sprefix=secrets+of+sand%2Caps%2C201&sr=1-1-1890b328-3a40-4864-baa0-a8eddba1bf6a)

[Secrets of sand hill road](https://www.amazon.ae/Secrets-Sand-Hill-Road-Capital_and/dp/0753553961/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018%3Aamzn1.sym.ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018&cv_ct_cx=secrets+of+sand+hill+road&keywords=secrets+of+sand+hill+road&pd_rd_i=0753553961&pd_rd_r=fcd32813-d0d2-4e02-9540-c72c58da237c&pd_rd_w=Q6G6l&pd_rd_wg=LMY0H&pf_rd_p=ed63a525-b09b-48a2-b862-aece5e063018&pf_rd_r=0DRNTERWSRV71JD47PTJ&qid=1670315020&sprefix=secrets+of+sand%2Caps%2C201&sr=1-1-1890b328-3a40-4864-baa0-a8eddba1bf6a)

If you want my fiction recommendations, ask me!

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