I am Rene. I am a father of 2 boys and husband of a lovely wife. I am born in 1977, so already "experienced". I work as a Consultancy Director at Xebia. I am responsible for creating a Signature Delivery. That means creating standards and playbooks about WHAT we do and also building a culture of HOW we do this.
In my spare time I spend a lot of time in 🏒 Ice Hockey Rinks. Both my kids are fanatic players at the Dordrecht Lions. I like to 🚴♂️ cycle and sometimes 🏃run and 🏊swim.
There are many ways how you can reach me. I speak 🗣️ at conferences, I have a 🎙️ podcast , you can find me on LinkedIn or here at GitHub
- In creative mode, a place with lots of whiteboards. I tend to be drawing when I talk
- In productive mode, when work needs to be done, quiet space,or you'll find me with my noise cancelling headphones
- A space with enough (sun)light
- Good coffee and tea. Spoiled... yes, but I just don't like the "cheap" machine stuff
- A place where you can have a chat and talk about stuff that is non-work related
- Working from home works well for me since I have all the space and equipment I need, and I can balance it with family life.
- I usually work in these blocks 9:00-12:00, 13:00-18:00. When something does not fit during regular business hours I shift some work to the evening.
- I really, really have a hard time in early morning. I feel tired the whole day. So to be honest, 8:00 is an early start 😬
- I don't mind Slack, WhatsApp, e-mail 📧, Twitter and other work related messages on "non-work" times. It all kind of blurs together anyway
- I don't especially like e-mail 📧. If it is short fine, but long messages don't work for me. Feel free to send it, but probably I'll call you quickly after I receive it to get some more context.
- Short messages on any medium is fine. I look at my phone way too often.
- I try to use the same tools the team is using, so try that first (Teams, Slack). Although I have some personal preference
- If you need me to respond quickly, send me a text message (or call if something is on fire 🔥).
- You can also contact me via Twitter for DevOps related topics. Don't expect to get unlimited (tech) support via social media though. I really like to help out where I can 😊, but there are limits to my time and capabilities.
- I really welcome and appreciate direct and constructive feedback. You'll get it from me as well.
- Don't tell me I MUST do things. I get an allergic reaction.
- A one on one meeting is best for difficult conversations. Don't put me on the spot in a group.
- People who want to move forward, who are open to learn from one another and are willing to take an alternate route.
- Transparency & fairness in processes & decision making.
- No politics or hidden agendas. Just be clear about your intentions and goals.
- Tell me the WHY. I need to understand the problem/situation to help you realize your goal. Everything has a context. I need to be aware of that context in order to help you the best way I can with the What and the How.
- Open discussions and reviews to reflect on my work & performance.
- Fun, a good beer 🍺, some laughs, informal talk and off-work activities.
- Meetings without a clear goal and lack of decisiveness & actions.
- Bureaucracy, strict and formal processes, status quo and a lack of willingness to change that.
- People who have hidden agendas, play nice with you, but not so nice behind my back.
- People that complain but do no take any action themselves to solve their issues.
- Although people perceive me as self-assured and direct, I tend to take things personally (even if I know I should not) and my face will show it. Don't take that personally and retreat. Just let me chew on it for a day or so. I need that.
- I decide quickly, but after that I need some time to actually process the decision I already made....
- My wife and 2 kids 💗
- Inspiring people with the things I love. I really get a kick when someone is inspired by a story I told them
- I love to brainstorm about new ideas, innovations, events, workshops, formats to "change the world" 🌍 (or at least a small part of it)
- Helping out colleagues, and in general, people in the community. I'd like to share knowledge, speak at conferences facilitate workshops, co-host and/or organize events.
- Innovation, Ted Talks, Singularity University. Science Fiction becoming Science Fact.
- I like IPA's. And I like to try as many different ones as I can. 🍺
- I ran 2 marathons. Currently I cycle 🚴 (Gravelbike), run 🏃 (not so far anymore) and started swimming 🏊
- I'm Dutch and I live the Netherlands, in a medium size city near Rotterdam and Dordrecht. If you're from another country or culture and think I'm doing or saying weird things, let me know ASAP.
- My 2 boys play Ice hockey 🏒🥅. If you are a little familiar with this sport, it is a family activity 😊
- Dystopian Science Fiction books 📚 are my favorites (Red Rising, Passage, Feed Trilogy)
- Indie Music, a lot of small Dutch bands (are there big ones?) 🎸
* This manual is a reflection of my beliefs and situation in life at this moment. Things are constantly changing and so will this manual 😄.
René van Osnabrugge