Support Network
The key to my long term success will be support from my manager, peers, and trusted external professionals. To facilitate the realization of my success, in the following section I will detail what these three groups can do so that I can match or exceed what is expected of me at Dropbox.
| Support | Ways to Support |
|---|---|
| Manager | My manager can best support me through regular check-ins, calibrating my skills and expectations. This includes • explicit task instructions • Detailed feedback in the moment about my current projects, calibrating efficiency, quality, and communication for projects • Defining expectations and reviewing if I am meeting the expected “bar” for my role/level? • checkins to evaluate if I’m on task, or whether I should re-prioritize or reevaluate scope |
| Peer Support | my peers can offer support via Mentorship, technical reviews, and shadowing opportunities. Such support is vital for continuous skill enhancement and technical calibration |
| External Support | Executive functioning coaching and team awareness training will provide additional layers of support, aiding in my professional development and fostering a supportive work environment. • |
Executive Functioning Challenges
| Challenge | Description | Accommodations |
|---|---|---|
| Perfectionism | Tendency to overextend on tasks, leading to burnout. Struggles with balancing efficiency and quality. Example: Spending extra hours refining a project beyond the required standards, resulting in delayed submissions and increased stress. Impact: This often leads to longer working hours and diminished work-life balance, eventually leading to a crash | Beginning of each task [10-30m]: • Define scope and help determine the Minimum Viable Product. [Manager, Peer] • Clear, written instructions for each task, including explicit timelines, deadlines, milestones, and measures of success. [Manager] Weekly check-ins [10-30m]: • To discuss project progress and alignment with expectations and scope. Emphasize efficiency over perfection. Clarify performance expectations against the role/level expectations. How do I know that I am meeting these expectations? Review of what I did well, identification of weaknesses, and calibration of performance. [Manager] • Agenda ◦ Expectations ◦ Scopes ◦ What I did well ◦ Weaknesses ◦ Calibration • Purpose: These meetings will provide a platform for real-time, detailed feedback and discussion on project efficiency, quality, and communication. Daily [5m] • Help assessing the line for "good enough”. (MVP) and expectations for my role End of each project: • Written feedback to assess my efficiency, quality, and communication balance, quantitative and qualitatively (2x week, 30m with manager or peer) • Review if I am meeting expectations for my role |
| Prioritization | Difficulty in effectively prioritizing tasks. Often gets entangled in low-priority tasks while high-priority assignments are neglected. Example: Focusing on perfecting a minor bug request while a major project deadline approaches. Entangled in low-priority tasks, neglecting high-priority assignments. Difficulty in balancing immediate tasks with the larger picture. Impact: Results in missed deadlines or rushed work on important tasks. | Daily [5] • Daily Task Prioritization: Quick daily check-ins to evaluate if I am on the right track with my tasks, and to assist in reprioritizing or reevaluating the scope as needed [Peer, Manager] 3x Week [10m] • Re-prioritizing current tasks Weekly [30m] • Assess track alignment and evaluate against expectation [Manager] • Proactively rein me in regularly if I get off course and lose sight of scope and priority - min weekly checking to assess if I’m on track Tools and Strategies • Daily Progress Document: I have made it a habit to maintain a daily document of my progress, next step and blockers. My manager goes through this document with me regularly to help calibrate whether I am on track, should ask for help, or whether my task is getting out of scope, and is ready to ship. This helps hone my own discernment for such points, and encourages proactive collaboration with teammates eliminating unnecessary work which they could easily unblock me from |
| Multitasking | Struggles with handling multiple tasks simultaneously. Example: Overwhelmed when juggling simultaneous tasks, leading to decision fatigue Impact: Decreases overall productivity. Often tasks are blocked by others | • Organizational support and maintaining a daily progress document • assistance in building a follow up strategy with partner teams • Help escalating blocked issues, coaching on language for effective escalation • Case Study: After establishing a daily progress document during coaching, my ability to multitask has increased substantially. • My manager’s support in triaging this document and building discernment on when to follow up with blocking teams, when to escalate, and how to phrase such requests has been invaluable in building a strategy and habit of following up promptly and unblocking myself. This allows me to focus on multiple tasks in parallel while maintaining focus on my primary task • keep track of deadlines, meetings, and project stages. • Slack threads grouped helps - beginning, middle, end |
| Focus | Maintaining focus is challenging due to distractions from messages, meetings, and conflicting priorities. Example: Losing track of a critical coding task due to frequent Slack notification and big blocks of meetings Problem starting projects - pair programming Impact: Leads to fragmented workdays, loss of efficiency, and incomplete tasks. | • Utilizing a "body doubling" approach for co-working, • Extended scheduled focus time • limiting to essential meetings • Utilizing a "body doubling" approach for co-working • Regular check-ins to reassess priorities help me stay on task and turn down the noise on external distractions. • Expectations of set times to respond to slack notifications to allow for focus time • limiting the amount of active tasks at once ◦ check-ins to discuss progress, challenges, and adjustments to accommodations. • Breaking Down Tasks • keep track of deadlines, meetings, and project stages. • • Task Rotation: Rotating tasks that might be monotonous or overly routine, which can help in maintaining focus and engagement. • |
| Procrastination | Difficulty in initiating tasks. Example: Delaying the start of a new project due to uncertainty about the first steps. Impact: Leads to time crunches and added pressure as deadlines approach. | • Pair programming, body doubling, or doing a 15 minute architecture review with a peer, to help with starting projects • Setting small, manageable goals, POCs and MVPs • Mixing in a combination of enjoyable and necessary tasks |
| Written Communication Preference: | Difficulties with verbal communication and information retention. Example: When given a lot of information during a meeting, forgets many details Impact: Long, multi-person meetings tend to me an ineffective way to relay information Difficulties with verbal communication and information retention. | • Frequency: At least three times a week, providing insights into areas of strength and areas for improvement. • Focus Areas: Feedback to focus on efficiency, quality, and communication aspects of my projects. • Focused 1:1s and written action items in place of group meetings, clear outline and prioritization of responsibilities • Written instructions for tasks with explicit timeline, due dates, and clear expectations and measures of success • Adopting a succinct or explicit communication style in conversations and emails with employee. • In advance of manager 1:1, given written feedback that process feedback. - this is how I will implement, here are my questions • Verbal or written recaps after lengthy or complex conversationsation to reduce challenges associated with verbal communication. Reflects my adaptability and preference for effective communication methods. • Frequent Performance Feedback • Challenge: Currently, feedback given once every 6 months, with positive marks, ignoring negative feedback. I understand that the culture is to be “nice”. But as seen from my current situation, lack of constructive feedback proves to be detrimental. ◦ Accommodation: More frequent and constructive feedback to understand expectations and recognize achievements. Recognizing the importance of regular feedback in understanding performance and making necessary adjustments |
| Asking for Help | hesitancy to seek assistance impedes efficiency, as I feel ashamed to take up others’ time, and end up solving problems independently, instead of getting the relevant answers from SMEs. Often a 30 minute chat with an SME saves a week’s worth of work. | Encouragement to seek help, with clear guidelines for when to do so and help calibrate/discern appropriate situations. Assistance from management in requesting assistance from other teams. • Mentorship System - help me continuously calibrate to more effective way to be in my role from a technical level • Peer Evaluation: Help calibrate these skills via weekly technical reviews of my current projects, as I’m working on it, and detailed feedback of what I could’ve done differently • Shadowing/Pair Programming: 1 hour of shadowing a top performer on a team per week, during which we work on a project together and cover themes like scope and efficiency, when to delegate to others, helping hone skills in a practical way • Priority Assessment: 3x per week - 10-minute check-in with a teammate via slack or Zoom to assess priorities • For feedback: Implementing the Start, Stop, Continue feedback method - i.e., what does more detailed mean? Specific examples: - SOPs for steps to follow when stuck on a problem and method of communication to seek help (group chat, team lead, email, etc.) - Ability to CC manager on external help requests - Ability to send manager draft of external help requests for feedback before sending - RACI matrix to better understand stakeholder roles |
| D&I | • Executive Functioning Coaching - recommended in my neuropsychological eval ◦ External coaching from experts in my condition to help me develop strategies and tools to help me improve these skills and keep me on track, alleviating support workload from the team • Team Awareness Training - how can the team utilize the strengths of neurodiverse coworkers (investment vs obligation) • Stigma associated with bipolar disorder. Understanding limitations and accommodations for this condition is challenging • Accommodation: Providing training sessions or resources to increase team awareness of executive functioning and energy management difficulties and foster a supportive work environment. Advocating for awareness to eliminate stigma and create an inclusive workplace. • Give practical strategies on how to support someone with these difficulties. frame it as "Practical neuro-inclusion strategies for the workplace" rather than singling a person and their condition out. In general, this is just a best practice that every team should have this training but it's not considered an accommodation (you can still request it from your HR though) |
Energy
| Challenge | Description | Accommodations |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Management | Experiencing variable energy levels, which impact consistency and performance at work. Example: On days with low energy, the productivity can be significantly lower, affecting the progress of ongoing projects. Impact: This variability can lead to inconsistent performance and challenges in meeting standard workday expectations. | • Maximize Limited Hours: Implementing strategies to maximize productivity within limited hours, such as strategic breaks and workload management.This limitation requires a more focused and efficient use of working hours, prioritizing high-impact tasks leading to effective results matching or exceeding expectations (show sprint spreadsheet) • Flexible Scheduling: Adapting work hours to align with periods of higher energy. • Task Prioritization: Concentrating on critical tasks during peak productivity hours. • Meeting Optimization: Minimizing meetings to conserve energy for high-priority tasks. • Flexibility in Work Hours: Adjusting work schedules to match energy levels, ensuring maximum efficiency during productive hours. • Flexible Time Off • Flexible Work Hours and Breaks • Meeting Optimization - take up a lot of productive time • Flexibility in Deadlines: When possible, offering flexibility in deadlines to account for variability in productivity levels. ◦ Strict Deadlines |
| Burnout | Susceptibility to burnout when overextending during periods of higher energy. | • Management Strategy: ◦ Careful monitoring of work hours and effort, ensuring sustainable work habits to avoid long periods of burnout ◦ Allowing for breaks as needed. ◦ Collaborating to plan the roadmap ahead and add padding to projects for potential dips • Additional Recovery Periods: Allowing for breaks or time off as needed to manage energy fluctuations effectively (via FMLA or regular sick leave) • (Energy Management) infrastructure for success! ◦ Time off ◦ ◦ PTO - Intermittent leave to accommodate unplanned flare-ups of medical conditio ▪ Additional PTO/Reduced Hours ▪ Challenge: Limited productive hours (3-4 hours a day) and energy fluctuations. However, even with these limitations, I have proven that I can be just as productive as my peers. ▪ Accommodation: This limitation can be accommodated by a modified working schedule that does not impact the team’s roadmap or expectations on my output. I have learned that maintaining such a schedule keeps me productive and prevents large crashes, which impact my performance in the long term. By accommodating my current needs, the long term productivity and stability is ensured. Accomodation for occasional additional PTO to maintain productivity preventing long crashes and inability to perform my role. Recognition of the correlation between effective energy management and sustained high performance. - Ability to take breaks when needed to accommodate flareups (no pto needed, you make up the hours) - Ability to flex hours when needed to accommodate flareups (no pto needed, you make up the hours) - 12 hours of intermittent leave per month (typically used when PTO isn't enough) - Ability to use PTO as needed to accommdate flareups (you should already have this ability as it's part of your rights as an employee Flexible Work Hours and Breaks (Combine/sort) • Challenge: Variability in energy levels. • Accommodation: Flexible working hours and structured break schedules to accommodate energy variations, allowing for optimal productivity. Implementing a structured break schedule and strict work hours for rest and recharge. Illustrated by my ability to capitalize on peak productivity hours. • Meeting Optimization ◦ Challenge: Limited productive hours necessitate minimizing meetings. ◦ Accommodation: Limiting meetings to preserve productive hours, with a focus on virtual communication methods such as Slack or Confluence docs for updates. • Maximum of 2 hour meeting blocks to allow for breaks • Strategies ◦ Task Rotation: Rotating tasks that might be monotonous or overly routine, which can help in maintaining focus and engagement. ◦ Strengths - developer tooling ◦ - Adjusted schedule, such as shifting core hours to later in the day A morning is more productive ◦ - Uninterrupted work time, such as the ability to use DND for up to three hours per day |
External Resources
Job Resources