The operating system
Three words I keep coming back to.
A motto is not a strategy. But it is a direction of travel. These three words are how I try to show up — in work, in relationships, in the small choices that shape a life.
- 1
Be Cool.
Sharp. Modern. Slightly rebellious. High competence. No try-hard energy.
Cool is the part most people mistake for the whole thing. It is the surface — the aesthetic, the craft, the clarity of the work. But cool without substance is just decoration.
I mean cool the way a well-made jacket is cool. It fits. It does not announce itself. Someone who knows, knows.
Cool shows up in the code that runs without drama. The page that loads fast. The message that arrives at the right time. The quiet confidence of someone who has done the work.
- 2
Be Nice.
Warm. Approachable. Generous with attention and credit.
Nice is the floor, not the ceiling. It is the baseline decency that lets the rest of the work land.
Nice shows up as: replying when you said you would. Saying "good question" out loud. Catching your own ego before it spills onto someone else. Saying "I do not know, but I will find out" without flinching.
Nice is not soft. Nice is strong enough to be kind when it would be easier to be sharp.
- 3
Be KIND.
Depth. Loyalty. Care for people, craft, and long-term outcomes.
KIND is capitalised on purpose. Nice is behaviour. KIND is character.
KIND is what you do when nobody is watching — and what you keep doing after the rewards dry up. It is the long view.
KIND is choosing the harder right over the easier wrong. It is the loyalty that outlasts the deal. It is treating people like they matter because they do, not because it is strategically useful.
Most importantly: KIND is the part that compounds. Cool fades. Nice is forgotten. KIND is what people remember you for.
Where this came from
Years of trying, failing, and trying again to be the kind of person I'd want to work with. Cool without substance is hollow. Nice without depth is for sale. KIND is the part that stays.
Where it shows up
- In how I write code, and how I name variables.
- In how I reply, and how quickly.
- In the work I take on, and the work I turn down.
- In the people I hire, partner with, and stay loyal to.