Working with Me

I am Brendan; when I am not working, I enjoy playing video games, rollerblading and just generally being a couch potato. A fun fact about me is enamoured with Scandinavia and its culture; I also speak Norwegian. (sort of okayish)

If you're starting out working with me, or perhaps you've worked with me for a while, here are some things about me when it comes to a working environment.

General#

I tend to be more of an analytical and strategic thinker. When it comes to being involved in things I operate under an opt-out model, meaning that I like to be involved in most/all things and then opt-out of the items I do not believe are relevant to me. Doing this helps me keep a grasp on the bigger picture.

Communication#

My communication style is straightforward, and sometimes it can be confrontational; it is never personal. I get pretty passionate about things, which sometimes leads to heated conversations. I expect you to call me out when I am wrong or questions my choices, as I will do the same for you.

I prefer communication via textual mediums such as; Slack or email over phone calls. However, this does not mean that I will avoid phone calls/video conferencing as there is also a time and a place for it, and I preference Slack/emails to kick the conversations off.

Suppose you want to provide feedback about something I have done well or poorly I would prefer this be communicated directly to me as soon as the feedback arises. Especially if it is something I have done poorly. The only way I will improve on something is if I know it is something I need to improve.

If I have not responded to you -via any medium- please do not hesitate to prompt me about it. In all likelihood I have read it and gotten distracted.

Working Hours#

For the most part, I tend to work a pretty standard day, and if I am working from home, I tend to go out for a 30-minute walk before eating lunch. While I tend to work a pretty standard day, I am always available, essentially 24/7; if you ever need help with anything or need a chat, I am always around on Slack or IM.

If I ever send you anything out of standard hours, please do not feel obliged to reply or give feedback until you are back at work. I tend to operate on a push-pop model with information, so I find it easier to offload information onto the recipient as soon as possible, so I don't forget.

Strengths#

My strengths are, namely, in the technical realm.

I am very strong with Azure, Kubernetes, and Containerisation in general. When it comes to programming, I am pretty strong in Golang and the majority of scripting languages. For the most part, I feel that I am a strong communicator, although sometimes potentially too direct. I am exceptionally passionate about my work and the organisation I am working for.

Growth Areas#

One area I feel I need to grow on is not letting things frustrate me so quickly; this is something that I do struggle with, so please bear with me. If you think I am irrational about something, please call it out because I will likely agree with you (eventually). I need to grow in the pre-sales engagement part of my job; this is something I am actively working on and am happy to receive assistance or feedback. I am pretty terrible when it comes to context switching. As a result, this can sometimes lead to delayed responses.

Traits I value#

Below is a list of traits that I value in the people I work with:

Frustrations#

I will opt for a dot point list of things that frustrate me.

Miscellaneous#

As an aside, I took the 16 Personalities personality test to see where I would land; below are my results. Perhaps they will provide some value to someone reading this; at the very least, I found the process fascinating.