May 15, 2025

Working With Diwank: A Guide.

Who you’re dealing with:

I’m a startup founder, philosopher-engineer, and a fun no-BS person. I think fast, move bold, and expect clarity, ownership, and genuine obsession with building good shit. I’ll give you plenty of freedom—if you show me you can handle it.

How to win with me:

• Get straight to the point. No need for anything formal, bullet points in txt-lingo works just fine. If something’s unclear, expect me to poke holes.

• Own your stuff completely. Don’t bounce decisions back to me; I trust you to handle it unless you tell me otherwise.

• Disagree openly. If you’ve thought it through and feel strongly, speak up. I am always open to changing my mind (and expect you to be as well). Conviction is great; data is better.

• Keep it crisp. If you’re not adding clarity or value, wait until you have something real to share.

• Batch your thoughts. Note shit down whenever you think of it, and batch send on async comms channels (email, discord, whatsapp). I hate interruptions and context switches so batch async requests are very, very helpful. Preferably, start or end of the day.

What trips me up (avoid these):

• Jargon and buzzwords. They make my skin crawl. Just be real. “I don’t know” is 100x better than a fake-smart answer.

• Passivity. Waiting around for directions or asking what you should do is a bad look. I value self-starters.

• Fragility. I’m direct, even blunt sometimes—don’t take it personally. If something’s too intense, just say it clearly. I can adjust.

• Dropping balls. Ghosting messages or not following up quietly erodes trust. Always close loops, even if it’s just to say “need more time.”

Stuff I’m not great at (yet):

• Context-switching. I’m usually juggling too many things. Interruptions may get a blank stare—not personal, just mental overload.

• Publicly closing threads. I mentally check things off without updating the conversation. Ping me if I’ve missed something—it helps both of us.

• Patience for pointless process. If something feels overly bureaucratic, I’ll push back or skip steps. If you need structure, say it up-front.

• Reading emotional nuance. If you hint or expect me to read between lines—I won’t. Just say what you mean directly.

• Balancing effort vs reward. I tend to gravitate towards finding the best solution first. I do want to find the fastest / cheapest solution but sometimes need some nudging to find it.

Communication style I prefer:

Clear, simple, direct. Humor helps. Docs are better than calls unless real-time matters. Feedback is always welcome—expect mine fast, give yours freely.

The golden rule:

“If I were Diwank, would getting this message/call/email enable me to clearly understand the problem, and help me take quick actions?”

If not, tweak it or break it up further.

Helpful flowcharts:

flowchart TD  
    A[Working with Diwank?] --> B{Need to communicate?}  
    
    B -->|Yes| C[Be direct & concise]  
    C --> D[Use bullet points]  
    D --> E{Is it urgent?}  
    
    E -->|No| F[Batch communications]  
    F --> G[Send at start/end of day]  
    
    E -->|Yes| H[State urgency clearly]  
    
    B -->|No, making decisions| I[Own your decision]  
    I --> J{Confident in your choice?}  
    
    J -->|Yes| K[Execute & inform]  
    J -->|No| L[Research more OR ask specifically]  

flowchart TD  
    M[Receiving feedback?] --> N[Don't take it personally]  
    N --> O[Focus on the work, not emotions]  
    
    P[Have disagreement?] --> Q[Voice it with conviction]  
    Q --> R[Back with data if possible]  
    R --> RR[Be open to changing your mind]  
    
    S[Made a mistake?] --> T[Own it directly]  
    T --> U[Propose solution]  
    
    V[Need more time?] --> W[Close the loop]  
    W --> X[Set clear expectation]  
    
    Y[Working on a project] --> Z[Focus on quality]  
    Z --> AA[Skip bureaucracy]  
    AA --> AB[Maintain momentum]