Lunch Visit with Adrian

Adrian came down from Foster City to have lunch with Ty and I in Mountain View. I spent the first half of the day in San Bruno for my first day of training for YouTube.

We had some some good convo, gave him a tour and he got to see just how different Google culture is in comparison to Visa and Goldman Sachs.

The really funny moment was the ending. As we took Adrian to his car, we were approached by a man with an accent. Oh yes... an accent from Holland! Why you ask? He flew from Europe to hand in his resume to Tech Companies in hopes of landing an internship to get US working experience.

Ty was really nice about it and offered to pass it to HR. He felt he had to represent the company in a Googley way without overpromissing him anything. In reality, he probably should have just applied at google.com/jobs.

A Total Surprise

I just want to keep a mental note: today was by far and away my best birthday ever. The only really tragic part was having to enter '25' into the age portion of the workout routine on the Elliptical at the gym.

I'll write more later.

Fall begins

Thanks GOOG for reminding me why I love the fall. It's about change... and I smell it in the air...

My girly gasp lunch moment

It's not uncommon for me to have a girly moment or two during any given day.

I was at lunch this afternoon with my old temp boss, Dara. We do these lunches about once a month or so, just to catch up on boys, life and random musings. This month was especially important because I'm off to YouTube next week.

Anywho, we decided to sit outside because the sun was out and it wasn't too hot. Then all of a sudden there was a moment where this big ass freaky bug landed on our table. It was the sickest thing I've EVER seen.

Imagine two dragonflies conjoined at the head with a bit of a praying mantis kinda feel to it. Oh yea... my girly gasp came out in full force. It was like two bugs attached to each other, but it flew as one. My first thought was that maybe it was one bug carrying another that happened to be injured. I don't think that was the case, though.

Dara, and the tables lunching near me, got a kick out of my girly reaction. It was funny cause one of the tables had the training class I'm working with. Now these kids have evidence to make fun of me with. :P

I really wish this was filmed or photographed in some fashion. Haha.

A surprising drunk call

I was chilling with Howie at his cousins (Kathleen and My Le) place in San Francisco when I got a series of phone calls from my sister.

I didn't pick up originally because I'm not a fan of talking to people in front of others. After the fourth or fifth call, I decided to pick up.

The conversation went something like this:

[picks up phone - drunk sister starts talking]

Sister: Hiiiii. What the fuck? I've been calling you.

Me: I know. I didn't pick up earlier. You got me now. What's up? Are you Drunk?

Sister: Yes. Two Things. Number 1... Shoot me an email with what you want for your birthday.

Me: Okay. Will do.

Sister: Number 2... I'm with Chris. You know how I told you I would never go to a gay bar? So he's totally cool with gay guys. [Chris' voice faint in the background: 'Ya. They're cool.'] I decided I'm going to go with you. Mom told me you're coming home soon. We're going. He's [Chris] going to be my buffer just in case anything happens.

Me: Wow. Okay...

Sister: What's that place you told me is cool?

Me: The Abbey.

Sister: We can go there. Or this gay bar in Ventura County. Paddy's.

Me: Why would I go to Ventura County? Let's go to the Abbey.

Sister: Ok. I have Halloween at Six Flags on that Friday. Saturday we're going out.

Me: Okay. Sounds good. See you later.

That was sorta random. But I'm actually really happy my sister made the effort to (1) Call Me and (2) Offer to be taken out of her comfort zone.

I never really thought I'd see the day when I'd go out with my sister to a gay bar...

Now I'm nervous...

The Big Two-Five

The older I get the more I realize how un-important physical possessions are. My family keeps asking me what I want for my 25th birthday, which is coming up on Tuesday. To be quite honest, the only thing I really crave are time and memories.

I crave time because I'm starting to realize I want more free time to pursue interests I'm really passion about, in addition to discovering ones I'm unaware of.

I crave memories because I really want to spend more time with my good friends and family. I've realized the smallest things make awesome memories. From working out with my buddy to spending more time with a loved one at home, they all stick in my memory more than a physical possession. I will remember 'red shorts' (a gym reference) moreso than that last DVD I bought. Although physical possessions can create memories, they only happen when loved ones are around.

I'd rather have awesome photos with loved ones than a new car.

I think once you realize this, you've truly grown up.

Taking Risks: The Next Chapter Begins

In my 20's, I've become quite the risk taker. I dunno, I used to be 'Mr. Safe.' To some extent, much of my life is safe. I've saved money, lived in Suburbia, etc.

A few examples of risks I've taken in my 20's:

• Interning in Washington, D.C., having never lived outside of California
• 'Coming Out' to family, friends and co-workers in full force
  
• Moving to Northern California from Southern California for a temp job, in the hopes of landing a full-hire position
• Beginning a weight-loss journey, having no idea where I'd end up

What I see as my next risk in life started a few weeks back. I was intrigued by a position that caught my eye at YouTube. (FYI - Google owns YouTube.)

I approached some friends, co-workers, ex-managers and my current manager on advice on whether I should pursue the position. I got mixed messages. Some folks thought the position would be taking a step back career-wise. Others thought I would be really good move and it was a good fit to develop my skill-set.

Ultimately, I decided to pursue the opportunity - setting my expectations really low. If anything, I would take the pursuit of the position as an opportunity to learn about internal transfers amongst departments.

The first interview was a video-conference screen with a YouTube director. I passed the screen and moved onto round 2. At this point, I was competing with a few others for the position. Round 2 was a series of 3 interviews - two with Product Managers and one with a Product Specialist. The first two interviews were in San Bruno starting at 9:15am, where YouTube is headquartered. The last one was in Mountain View at 3pm that same day. So there was a lot of driving involved. I also took the YouTube office visit as an opportunity to catch up with my friend Kenji, who's worked in that office for a while. Here is what the day of 9/5/08 looked like:

• Interview 1: Tom R. (9:15am) - I thought I rocked this interview. I was a bit nervous at first. But Tom made me feel really comfy. I thought I was able to articulate myself pretty well, given the fact I woke up early.
• Interview 2: Lane S. (10:00am) - This wasn't really an interview so much as a conversation and Q+A. I worked with Lane in AdWords, so I thought this went well.
• Lunch Break with Kenji (12pm) - Kenji used to be a temp manager in AdWords. He interviewed me way back in December of '05. It feels like forever. Kenji had a daughter recently, so he was sharing some funny stories with me. He definitely calmed me down and made me feel at ease.
• Drive to Mountain View around 1:00pm
• Interview 3: Matt L. (3pm) - Matt is a nice guy but I could tell he the down to business type. Luckily I got to gauge his personality because we had to wait a few minutes before the interview because the people in the conference room we booked went over their time. Honestly, I thought I blew this interview. Matt is a difficult interviewer. He asked a lot of hard product and process questions. He also had a lot of managerial type of questions.

After the 3rd interview I ran into Ben Ling, who recently started to work at Google again (he used to work here previously) after a short stint at Facebook. I was dressed up in a collared shirt and tie when it was like 95 degrees outside. He was like 'What you doing all dressed up?' I was like 'Ohh... I just had an interview.' I told him it was with YouTube. We parted ways after a brief convo and I tried to go find my friend Ty so we could work out. I went inside a building on main campus and funny enough... I ran into Ben again. He was squatting in an office. I found Ty and we worked out around 4:00pm.

I got home around 6:00pm or so to meet my friend Danny at my apartment. We were going to go bowling for Elizabeth and Kyle's goodbye party. After having a fun chat, I decided to open my work email around 7:30pm. I got an email from the director, Tom, stating I got the YouTube position and he needed to know if I could take the position ASAP. He even left me his cell # because it was apparently very urgent. I just about fainted. I thought I had no shot, especially after my last interview with Matt!

I was in a state of total shock and mental numbness for the next few days. To be honest, it still hasn't really hit me. I'm going to really miss my team, of which I spent nearly 3 years with. I'm especially going to miss my cubemates --- Brittany and Elizabeth.

The next few weeks will be that of transition. I'll have to get used to commuting from Sunnyvale to San Bruno (about a 35 minute drive). Thankfully I can take a shuttle from work if I choose not to drive. If I don't like the commute, I'll consider looking into apartments in San Francisco. I'll have to learn a new product, form new relationships, and make sure I foster and keep my current friendships with friends in Mountain View.

Wish me luck with my next life adventure...!

Here's a video what it's like to work at YouTube in San Bruno:

Laura's Goodbye

There are a few people I've truly admired working with at Google. Laura Johnston is one of them. She's been a true mentor and advice-giver for those of us in AdWords. I've had the pleasure of working with her on a few key projects.

Today was her last day at the company before she moves on to a new adventure. She wanted to be closer to her family in Texas. She commuted to California on a weekly basis during the week. Hell, I don't know how she did it!

During the all hands meeting, she gave a memorable speech. Key points revolved around:

• Gratefulness
• Perspective
• Abundance
• The Boll Weevil
• An Irish Wake

She treated her leave as a celebration. It was pretty awesome. She's known for her crafting skills and thus left the team some crafting supplies in the wake of her absence. I mean, who else gets to craft at work?

They also got everyone some cupcakes from Sibby's Cupcakes. I stayed a good boy and didn't eat one. Go me. I'm sure they were fab.

Laura & Will

 

Custom 'L' Cupcakes from Sibby's

How do you crack someone who's shy?

There's always been something intriguing about shy guys to me. I'm a very shy guy in social settings, especially around people I don't know.

But what happens when you are interested in a shy guy? How do you crack them open? How can you get them to reveal themselves? Is it possible to do without it being awkward? Or is it the awkwardness that's the key?

How is this even possible when you're shy yourself? Ugh.

I ask myself these questions because I've been intrigued by someone for quite a while. We've mainly hung out with each other in group settings, which has been fun. It's easy to gauge someone's personality that way. But 1:1, we're both kinda shy. I know there's something there that I really like about him. It has nothing to do with the way he looks on the outside --- it's all about the inside.

The problem also lies that I'm intimidated by what I see on the outside. Many people would put him in the 'hot' category. But that's not why I'm interested in him.

To be continued...

Putting my advice into practice

I enjoy giving advice and a fresh perspective to friends. It's even better when you follow your own advice, though!

I usually preach to people to break out of their comfort zone when they feel things are getting *too* comfy. I find I thrive when I'm taking out of my comfort zone. In this case, I'm talking about applying for a different job. Even if you don't get it, you put yourself out there, made yourself vulnerable and will ultimately learn something from your experience.

I decided to take the plunge and apply for a different position within Google. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'll talk about it after all of my interviews are done. All I can say is that I'm excited and I'll be happy either way. I'm just glad I got to be taken out of my comfort zone again.

Gary Danko & Customer Service

Last week my work started a new guest speaker series called 'Getting Customer Centric' in which guests from notable establishments come in and share their views on customer service from a variety of industries. The first guests were representatives from Restaurant Gary Danko (on Yelp). They are one of the most well known restaurants in the city in just a matter of years. The only comparable restaurant is probably the French Laundry in Napa Valley.

It was really interesting to see what service means to them and what makes them stand out. Some things can apply to my industry as well. The anecdotes from the speakers were hilarious, to boot!

Here are my notes. Forgive the typos:

8/28/08

Overview

• Clarvoyant Service - Idea is to perform the service before the guests think of it (water, wine, amos bouche, etc)
• Relationships between the back and front of the house are key.
  
• Gary Danko opened in 1999.
• Challenge was training. Small intimate feeling and have the guests feel the way they do.
• Important aspect - Commroderary. Everyone has their own strength. He digs into things you really care about and participate.
• It took a long time for them to appreciate unique personalities of others. (Some people more casual, some more formal)
  
• Follow passions leads to excitement. (e.g. Specializing in knowledge of artisan cheeses) Excitement will then bleed into excitement in the customer.
• 15 seconds to establish your presence. Have to make that person like you. Not always will be successful.
• Worst case scenario is the moment you have an opportunity to make a friend. E.g. - If you spill wine, you can win people over with your reaction and how you deal with the situation.
  

Here are the five components to excellent customer service according to Restaurant Gary Danko:

1. Communication

• Listening - Make eye contact, smile, and actively listen. They are genuininely interested and giving their best. Someone who is competent and informed. Bring them what they need in a friendly and unstuffy way.
• Read Behavior - Nothing was gonna make [this particular woman] happy. Some people want to be petted, etc. Capture the guest who wasn't gonna be happy and turn it on for them. Why do we want a guest like that back? (You gotta go back for this Salmon!)
• Follow Through Is Super Important - Manager brings it out. But you must follow through so you can gain trust in your customers. Easiest way to get through the night.
• Stay in your role - Evening will flow better. A strong support staff and team will make it easier to stay in role. (e.g. 'Heart Shaped People' every dish needs to be shapped in a heart!)

2. Ego

• You have to step out of yourself and let go of your ego.
• You have to let everyone else have theirs, though!
• Servers cant have much of an ego.
• Combative nature in service will then hopefully that will subside. They can't challenge and argue with you if you get rid of your ego.
  
• It can eat at you, the success is getting success with the most challenging of customers.

3. Empathy

• 'Instant Karma' --- bad service leads to other bad things. E.g. - Just when you think a bad thought, the worst thing will happen. Spilling water, etc.
  
• Two forms of flexibility: 
• With Flexibility -- Anything you can do to make or create trust to help people get to that point without flexibility. At least they know you're trying. (E.g. - I can't do this but I can do that.)
  
• Without Flexibility -- Nothing you can do to make someone happy.
  
• 150 guests withing a 65 seat dining room within a 5 hour schedule. How are they going to accommodate everyone if people are late?
  
• Customers are more willing to deal with limitations (3 course instead of 4 - compromise with 4 with a late reservation) when you give them more options.
  

4. Leadership

• The cooks are much more understanding when you empower them.
  
• A restaurant is only as strongest as their weakest link.
  
• Most responsibility have the worst jobs. Take ownership. (It's a healthy thing for heirarchy) - You have to work. Manager has to get their hands dirty. (e.g. Cleaning up puke)
• Gary does more cleaning than anyone else. Inspire by doing!

5. Change

• Not something you want your customers to feel. You want them to feel safe.
• However a restaurant needs to change things all the time to help keep staff motivated.
• Keeps them excited about their job.
• Allow people to have personalities.
• Create Empowerment to create new ideas and implement them (Taxi) example. Don't let failed ideas stop you.
  
• Remember, the restaurant is the staff's home away from home.