About him
Duncan has lived his entire life in and around the city The Hague in the Netherlands. In January 2020 he moved from an apartment in the city to a remodelled farm in the outskirts of a small village near ’s-Hertogenbosch. Here he lives with his wife Sylvana and a king poodle Navi.
Away from keyboard he enjoys riding his motorcycle and walking with his dog through the biggest forest he can find. For relaxation he can be found on the couch watching films, TV shows, or playing a console game. As a traditional computer nerd he also has an interest in 3D printing, home automation, and gadget geekery. If you want a conversation starter and like anything that needs a plug, start there.
To keep himself inside the recommended BMI range, he runs three times a week. He also loves mountain biking.
Of course the following profiles don’t 100% match up with him, but they do provide a nice framework.
How to Contact
In this attempt to maintain some separation between work and private life he would appreciate it if you could help him by keeping that in mind when contacting him. Talking shop? Use any medium you feel comfortable with. For complex discussions or questions, written mediums like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Meet, or email tend to not work well for him. At the cost of asynchronicity, a video call has worked much better.
Want to just shoot the breeze? Use whatever medium, whenever.
He is a big proponent of the no hello movement.
Preferred Working Style
Duncan really loves cooperation, which can take various forms: pair programming, mobbing with a group, working behind a keyboard, or gathering around a whiteboard. If you bring your enthusiasm or curiosity, give him some time and he will match it.
He does not have specific windows or a peak time when he is at his best. Even after a bad night’s sleep or when he has woken on the wrong side of the bed he can dive into a problem, although you might need to supply a lot of initial energy before you get something back.
When introduced to a new concept or problem, he might need time to wrap his head around it. This can include proof-of-concept style code spikes. He will usually choose to do that alone outside work hours, but you are still welcome to help. You may need to pull him into a pairing session and give him space to ramble and try a few random things.
What Motivates
Duncan is at his best when he is part of a motivated group. If the people he is cooperating with are enthusiastic about what they are doing, he will draw energy from that vibe. When pairing be an active passenger or a demanding driver. Share your knowledge and ideas. Your enthusiasm will be contagious.
Another big motivator for him is learning new things. Have experience with a technology, code paradigm or methodology? Please share.
Having trouble with something you think he can help you with? Ask him to help you, he will make time and try to help however he can, for as long as required. As long as you are motivated, he will be too.
He wants to get to know his colleagues on a more personal level and reach a place where he does not have to tiptoe around someone because he trusts they know him better than the guy who woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.
What Demotivates
A primary demotivator for Duncan is the lack of feedback when he is applying energy to something. He can supply great initial bursts, but that energy will quickly diminish if there is no response. He finds it draining when people keep their webcams off during a video meeting or stay silent in a discussion.
While he appreciates a good yak shaving session as well as the next guy, if he gets the feeling that there is no improvement and not a lot of support in the shaving, motivation can dwindle quickly.
Duncan really appreciates work ethic, but an environment where there is no room for joking around will give him trouble adjusting.
Values
A previous employer of Duncan put to words something that describes his professional values perfectly: “Open, Honest, Friends”. While he understands that colleagues are not friends and they don’t have to be, he chooses to define friends as people he would happily share a meal or drink with. Openness and honesty show up in many aspects of his work. If he doesn’t know something he will say so, and if he has an opinion he will voice it.
One of the greatest values Duncan believes in is personal improvement through open and honest feedback. We all have aspects of ourselves that we want to manage, improve, or change. He views feedback as a key mechanism to do so. Had an interaction that didn’t sit well with you? Found he could have handled a situation better? Found he handled a situation pretty well? He would really appreciate hearing about your experiences. He will return the favour.
Strong Opinions, Weakly Held. Duncan strives, and fails, to embody his interpretation of this. He sums it up as follows: form your opinion about something, trust your gut, and do not be afraid to share it, but keep your objectivity and adjust when new insights and facts arrive.
Blind Spots
Duncan can be very present. This opens him up to unintentionally overshadowing others. He is aware of this trait and is working on it, but it would really help him out if you make him aware of the fact that he is doing it.
When he feels his idea or opinion is the correct or best one, it might be tough to persuade him. He is aware of this trait and would love it if you help him get a handle on it.
Duncan has a very dark and self-deprecating sense of humour. This can be misconstrued. If you feel uncomfortable and/or personally attacked please give him a heads up. It’s not his intention to hurt anyone’s feelings.
When he has lost his motivation, it can be quite hard to get his head back in the game. Calling him out on this and offering some energy of your own can help. Sometimes simply offering to call it a day is the best option.
Pet Peeves
- Doing the same thing while expecting different results. Or as the saying goes: If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.
- People who have strong opinions but are completely unwilling to reflect upon those opinions.
Other
- He really appreciates feedback. If the feedback is based on any of the blind-spot areas please take him aside for a one-on-one as soon as possible, as this will help keep the context top of mind.
- Having lost a substantial amount of weight, his diet is a continuing source of struggle. Please don’t be offended if he rejects your offer of any caloric intake.
- Don’t assume he’s not interested in your random facts or points of interest. He most definitely is.
- If you notice a spelling mistake, it makes sense as he’s quite dyslexic.
- If he misses a new haircut, glasses, or an anniversary, he’s sorry. He can notice the smallest of things and miss the big stuff.