Jonas Altman - Shapers

—Joshua Crook, author of Essays in AI: Automation, Technology and the Future of 9‐5 Work

“The world is changing, and the future of work is up for grabs. SHAPERS gives us a blueprint for a future of work that's both sane and humane.”

—David Kadavy, author of Mind Management, Not Time Management

‘In concise and accessible style, Altman takes us on a multi‐disciplinary journey through the sometimes thorny and complex topic of work. An impressive experiment that will force new modes of thought upon you.'

—Will Stronge, Director of Autonomy and co‐author of Post‐Work

“What constitutes a thriving team, healthy leadership or a successful boss is fundamentally being redefined. Altman invites us into an exploration of the multiple aspects of a work world built around the human spirit and responsiveness to change. This is how we are designed!

—Samantha Slade, entrepreneur and author of Going Horizontal

“What a relief!–you read Altman's SHAPERS and realize that, yes, anyone can bend with the waves. This is less a book about the changing face of work (though it surely is that also) and more a guide to how to be flexible, resourceful, and graceful as a genuine maker of your own path. In jazzy, often galloping prose, Altman shows us how to be free spirits–and why living this way matters.”

—Adrew Taggart, founder, Askole and author of Total Work

JONAS ALTMAN

This edition first published 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Jonas Altman. All rights reserved.

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ISBN 9781119659044 (hardback)

ISBN 9781119658931 (ePDF)

ISBN 9781119658900 (ePub)

Cover Design: Luiz Ferraz Junior

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

—Jane Goodall

Manny likes fish tacos. I mean, he really, really likes them. We plunk down in red folding chairs at opposite ends of a table at his favourite local taco stand, and Manny sets to work dressing a trio of mahi‐mahi tacos. A little onion. A sliver of avocado. A pinch of cilantro. A generous squeeze of fresh lime. With such meticulous, almost ritualistic care, it's a miracle he ever finishes prepping them. I'm already two bites into my second al pastor before, finally, Manny sports a wide‐ass grin and takes a bite.

Manny is a shaper, literally –this is what people who make surfboards by hand are called. His work is as precise as it is passionate, rooted in tradition and as innovative as hell, with every board a unique reflection of his personality. It's an unconventional career choice and, to Manny, it's more than a profession; it's his calling. Challenging. Meaningful. Infinitely fulfilling.

He's also a shaper in the way he shows up in his community, supports independent businesses, and leads environmental initiatives. The mindset of a shaper is about connecting your work with your self . As we'll come to understand, it requires self‐awareness, self‐belief, and continual growth.

I met Manny at the turn of the century while living in San Francisco. Years later, I heard he'd fallen off the face of the earth. So on a whim, I decided to pay him a visit to see if indeed he had. Turns out he was living in Leucadia, a seductive town north of San Diego. This curious human had created one hell of a colourful life for himself. His positive energy was contagious and I wanted what he was having.

Born Manuel Caro to Filipino parents, Manny and his family moved from Laos to southern California when he was two. As a kid, he'd spend his early mornings riding waves and the rest of the day playing the dutiful son, doing his chores and finishing his homework. But then Manny's dad up and left, and at just fourteen, the boy had to grow up fast. ‘I [learned] how to use a screwdriver and fix things because no one else was there to do it,' he explains, taking a swig of fizzy water.

He set his sights on becoming a marine biologist but soon found out how much he sucked at calculus. So he abandoned marine science and opted to study anthropology; humans would have to make do over sea‐life. With his mom and younger sister in tow, Manny's plan was to keep his head down, work hard, and follow a familiar script: study → college → job → success. However, life sometimes has other plans for us, and Manny's was no exception. None of it, he recounts between bites, went according to script.

As the dot‐com bubble burst and sent its devastating effects rippling throughout the country, Manny took a soul‐sapping retail job–anything to pay the bills–and shacked up in a shed in a rough part of Oakland, California. Things were pretty dismal, but Manny stuck to his (now slightly modified) plan: keep your head down, work hard, and find a way forward when you can. And in the meantime, he surfed.

Manny had gotten used to the looks he'd get from the other surfers. A vivacious Latin soul housed inside a geeky 5′5 Filipino body, Manny was a far cry from the typical beach‐blond dudes parked in the tiny beach lot in Pacifica, a town just south of San Francisco. His board stood out too. While the other guys rocked the popular three‐finned thrusters, Manny guarded a bizarre‐looking quad fish surfboard. As the name suggests, the quad fish has four fins and a tail that resembles a chirpy carp about to chow down on dinner. You could say the look was, well, whack , but it suited Manny just swimmingly. And besides, the heckling would usually stop as soon as he caught his first wave.