Manual of Maarten
The basics you should know about me are ...
I am Maarten, A test automation engineer. Together with my teams, we work together to figure out the best approach and plan our next steps. I mix my energy, passion and knowledge to create a potion that provides insights and advice. These potions offer humor, feedback and actions for discussion. This friendly neighbourhood neuro-spicy human is single and gets easily distracted with high standards set by himself. Loves to grab an ice cream (especially Beuno from the Australian, although not sponsored, unfortunately). Can be quite adventurous, but typically runs out of energy around 3pm. Open to new adventures and stepping out of my comfort zone with the right company.
My communication channel preference are ...
Chat are for memes and non-urgent tasks. For important or blocking tasks, please call through Teams/Slack A face-to-face approach is accepted when I am not in my focused mode (headphones fully on my ears and most likely dancing behind the desk) otherwise, please leave me a message or post it on my desk.
My working hours
07:00 - 15:00 In the office on Monday and Wednesday (Timezone: Europe/Brussels)
The team in which I thrive have ...
That are open, transparent and autonomous. I value the opportunity to experiment with my creativity and honesty. I approach every team as if it were a sports team, where mutual support is essential for reaching the top. Continuous improvement is key, striving to be better with each sprint.
Things I struggle with are ...
That I am an extroverted introvert, which makes approaching people uncomfortable. Not seeing improvement over some time. I try to continuously improve all the time and when I do not see progress it drains my energy. politics is another challenge for me. Additionally, I tend to isolate myself easily. While a nice walk around the block would do wonders, sometimes it feel like a hard challenge
The best way to give me feedback is ...
Recalling the moments on which you want to give feedback. I tend not to remember everything quickly, which makes it difficult to understand the feedback sometimes. Try to give it in a constructive like the following steps with a mix of positive and negative feedback. 1. Try to explain the evidence, what did you see or notice? 2. How did you receive it? How did you interpret it? How does it make you feel? 3. What impact does this have on you or the team? What aftertaste did it leave behind I tend to accept feedback but will try to find reasoning quickly and figure out solutions, so try to slow me down in this case and go step by step through with me how to improve it. Preferably have the actions written down and checked from time to time to see the progress.
The way I communicate ...
Is face to face so I am able to read and feel the room and the person better. I tend to crack jokes and try to set a lighter vibe,also I try to ask many questions to understand the topic and the person better. Sometimes my openness and honesty can scare some off but I prefer giving you the truth instead of sugarcoating everything.