About me – Nick Yankovsky

This document is a kickstart to getting to know me on a professional level. It quickly describes my values, work habits, communication style, etc.

👍 What I value

Ownership and challenging status quo. Own your topics, do your best to make them excel, and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. If I’m wrong, let me know.
Sense of humor. Being able to laugh at ourselves and about the situation we’re facing helps to save our minds.
Straightforward and honest communication. Yes, I’m aware of differences in culture codes, but still prefer it as default mode.

👎 What I don’t value

Silo thinking. We are on the same boat, so if there’s a hole in the hull, we should all equally care about fixing it. The ‘it’s not my job’ syndrome makes me fuming.
Unjustified perfectionism. I do believe quality and UX are critical, but there are times when learning pace is more important. Let’s not overdo on ‘quality is important’ when running simple experiments.
Complaining without action. If you don’t like something, fix it. If you don’t know how or feel it’s beyond your control, hook me up, and we’ll figure something out. Action over words.

⌚ Daily routine

My target work routine is 9 AM – 5 PM (GMT+1); Monday – Friday.
Yet, I don’t believe in a work-life balance and don’t strictly divide life into parts. I see it more as a flow. So I prefer to do meaningful actions whether it’s about work tasks, family time or hobbies.
Sometimes I work in the evening and over weekends, sometimes I finish work earlier or take days off. Please, check my Slack statuses.
It’s fine by me to stay late or start earlier if there is a reason that I consider valid.
I have ‘deep work space’ sessions in my calendar – please respect them; these spaces are not open for ad-hoc meetings.

🕺 My work style

My main objective is to build a culture and processes where the product manager is no longer needed.
I (almost) always open to experiments and am not afraid of mistakes.
I try to be open-minded and treat each idea as a hypothesis at first.
For new ideas, my default way of thinking is to cut the scope. I believe it’s OK to accumulate tech debt and cut corners to test the idea ASAP – we can always improve on it later. There are, of course, exceptions.
If you didn’t manage to fulfil your commitments – I don’t need any elaborate explanations. Just tell me you’ll miss the deadline, and let’s not fuss about it. I believe you did your best, and there was some reason for the delay; you don’t have to prove that.

🔊 My communication style

My default mode of oral communication is calm, polite, but straightforward.
With people I consider as close ones I can be a bit more relaxed. It usually means more jokes and swearing. It might not resonate with everyone – just let me know; it’s crucial for me that you feel comfortable talking with me.
I don’t mind getting messages at any time of the day or evening – if my notifications are on, that’s my choice; I believe the same works for you.

✏️ How I like to get feedback

Direct, preferably as it happens. There is no need for sandwich techniques or beating around the bush; the fact you want to help me grow is more than enough.
I usually need more negative feedback (improvements to work on) than positive reinforcement. The former drives me; the latter sometimes makes me complacent.
Feel free to schedule a chat with me or just send me feedback via this form.

😁 Random fun facts

I love the DIY approach. My biggest project – converted a cargo van into a camper.
I was born in Omsk, Siberia and live in Lisbon
I play tennis since 9

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