Nick Veenhof's README
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About me
Hi! I started with GitLab in April, 2022 as a Servant leader (Director of Contributor Success) in the area of Contributor Success. I live in Ghent, Belgium and my primary operating hours are 9 AM to 5:30 PM (CEST).
Coffee Chat topics
If you’re reading this, you might be trying to find things we can talk about for a coffee chat or 1:1.
Here’s a bunch of topics I’ll be happy to talk about:
Tech-stacks / Open Source communities
- Drupal
- Mautic
- PHP
- Apache Solr / Lucene
- Google Cloud Platform
- Large scale linux deployments/production cloud systems
- GitLab
- Google Sheet scripting
- OSX little tools to make life easier
- Gmail tips & tricks
Travel
These are some places I’ve lived in for a while, or live in that I am always keen to talk about:
Conferences I adore
- Fosdem
- Drupal Developer Days
- Drupalcon
Parenting & Kids
It’s a challenge. Always in for tips!
My working style
I’m here for you. You in my role is a really wide interpretation. This means
- You, as an employee of GitLab
- You, as a contributor to GitLab
- You, as a member of our team
- You, as a customer
I prefer to deep-dive into an issue so I can get a great understanding of the topic at hand. I don’t function very well without a deep understanding of the technicalities behind the conversation, so please do not withhold any information because of the words in my title!
Next to that I like to brainstorm and have direct conversations to dig deeper into the why and the semantics of the words. Words mean something different to everybody, so finding a common understanding is key. I prefer to do this syncronous, and once we found that common ground, we can continue async.
How to communicate
I generally keep Slack & Email open, but it is possible I don’t reply instantly. For your information, I work with 3 types of todo classifications. So it is possible you will receive communication from me a month later asking for a reply or your insights to a specific issue.
- To Reply
- Expect a reply
- Longer term follow-up
In terms of communication style, I like direct communication but I don’t fear the hallway-track/coffee chat style conversations. You can schedule a coffee chat any time that fits in my working-hours.
Weaknesses
I have a tendency to be impatient. Please push back, and don’t worry about me being offended by it, I hardly ever am. I prefer a good discussion compared to a walk through the china cabinet :).
Strengths
I have a lot of experience with Open Source communities, mainly the Drupal ecosystem, but some others as well. Next to that I am a social person, which comes from my background as a youth-organization leader. I love public speaking, so I am not shy to take the stage to talk about topics that I am passionate about. I also love working towards big goals, and will always cheer for you, as I can’t get there on my own!
Book Recommendations
- The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
- Behind the Cloud
- The Innovator’s Dilemma
- Crossing the Chasm
- The practice of Cloud System Administration
- What got you here, won’t get you there
- The art of doing twice the work in half the time
There is also a good book list in our handbook if you are looking for more suggestions.
Where do I work
I work in a coworking office in the city centre of Ghent. Come say hi!
46417d02)
