Where I go I just don't know
I got to got to gotta take it slow.
When I find my piece of mind
I'm gonna give you some of my good time.

Where I go I just don't know
I might end up somewhere in Mexico.
When I find my piece of mind
I'm gonna keep you for the end of time.

- Red Hot Chili Peppers "Soul to Squeeze"

I know 2011 would be a huge year of changes for me. First things first... my six year journey with MindTouch is over, effective last Friday.

To say I have mixed feelings about this would be an understatement. I invested a lot emotionally into the company, and while I am happy with the way things ended, I have a lingering feeling of unfinished business.

What's next? That deserves its own post, but the short of it will be starting a small business of my own. I'll write more about this.

This email went out today. 

Fellow MindTouchers -

It has been my pleasure working and getting to know all of you over the past six years, an incredible journey, which ends today. It’s with mixed emotions that I email you all with my farewell.  While I may be leaving, my admiration for MindTouch - the people, the product, and the experience -  will always be held dear to my heart.

In coming to this decision, and reflecting on the past, I'm taken aback by the enormity of our accomplishments. MindTouch took a simple idea and built an exceptional product and community experience.What was once a simple Mediawiki fork has become so much more - and our customers and millions of users who interact with our software on a daily basis are a testament to that.

I can't thank Steve and Aaron enough for the opportunity they gave me - I came in as just a software developer, and they provided the trust and support that me the professional growth to ship product, build teams, and be a part of something bigger than myself. For that, there's no way that words can express my gratitude to them. I am who I am professionally because of them, and I will eternally be in their debt.

I hope that I can remain in touch with all of you: for everything I love about MindTouch, I have loved the people the most. There's such a unique blend of smart, driven, and passionate people at this company, and I will be searching for a work environment with the same mix of people in the years to come.

My email address for anybody who wants to stay in touch is royikim@gmail.com. I plan on staying in San Diego indefinitely, so I'll definitely swing by the office from time to time.

- Roy

"The first impression you leave is authoritative, skeptical and strongly self-disciplined; however, much of this may cover a deep self-protective sensitivity. Others may see you as impatient with routine, detail and people and as trusting people only after being convinced of their ability and loyalty to the system or organization. You may appear to be serious and overly conscientious."

"You probably interact with a great deal of intention, being goal- or results-oriented in almost every relationship or interaction."

Under the section of how I'm currently changing:

You are probably trying to adapt more to others and are perhaps less dynamic than you naturally could be. Perhaps you are feeling boxed in by external pressures or attempting to hold back in response to internal pressures. This may be in response to needing or wanting to be more diplomatic, versatile, or a more cooperative team player. Others probably see you as being less decisive than you may be ordinarily.

You are probably trying to be or having to be less concerned with details, systems or may be trying to become less seriously minded. Currently you may be taking a lighter approach to life and perhaps loosening standards on perfection or delegating more to others. Others may currently see you as being more relaxed and easy-going than you actually are. You may be trying to see problems from a new or different perspective, or trying on different options from your more comfortable automatic behaviors.

Being more cooperative and a participative team player may be important to you currently.

At present you may find yourself reflecting more about your personal needs and what is important to you than at other times.

After MT posted this Director of Development job description, I got a few private pings about it asking if something with me had changed. It was actually kind of nice having people care about this kind of stuff.

In any case, the short answer is, yes, it is taking over a whole bulk of my responsibilities. Actually, I'd say it's taking over pretty much my primary role for the past two or so odd years. The reason for why this is happening is complicated and bears another post some day ... but for now, I'll be migrating into a more product-oriented role, which is one of the many places MT can benefit from me.

It's not a negative thing though - we should all be striving to grow in new and different ways. One of your responsibilities in your job should always be to actively deprecate yourself and train people into your previous positions. I've done that before with a multitude of people at MT, and it's always been beneficial to the company and to my career. Don't be scared - just take that leap of faith.

I started off as a developer, who progressed into a UI dev, then a dev lead, then a Dir of Eng, then a VP of Eng with a year-long stint running services. Every time, I've tried to bring people up to a level where they could succeed - and MT is better off because of it. (And every time, they've done a better job than I ever did...)

big sur, california

tired to the bone, but can't seem to sleep. i keep tossing and turning. i'm back into the work-crazy mode, where i sweat the small details. am i forgetting something? what am i overlooking? what can be triaged until the next release? it's tough to try to be an individual contributor *and* a manager at the same time - but circumstances require me to be a micromanaging individual contributor. it's a short term view.

mt will make a killer product announcement soon. can't wait until we unleash this baby on the world. i also can't wait until i can take another international trip - somewhere like tibet. i have a location in mind, but i don't want to jinx it quite yet. the finances are taking a beating - need to let a few large purchases settle (like the car!)

odd thing is, when i look back at this past year, i've done an insane amount of traveling. but it's all been within the states. it's been more than a year since i left the country - criminal!

. . .

i'm always so fascinated by the diversity of personalities of the people in this world. taking pictures of people is so much fun, even though i stink at it.