C-A de Salaberry

Picture on the quais in Paris

Personal README

Inspired by Adrien Joly’s README, this text aims at introducing myself and sharing some information that may be helpful for us to break the ice, communicate, collaborate and adjust expectations effectively.

In it, I share my professional and personal values, what drives me, what makes me grumpy, and what my workflow looks like.

Random facts

I’m driven by efficiency and improvement in general. This makes me exigent with others, but also with myself.
I love reading more than anything. I was that guy at school who would wander in the library during recess, looking for a book to finish before the next day.
It’s hard for me to get bored. There is no such thing as “free time” in my world. it’s just time to do something else. I like keeping busy, it helps me focus.
I will always spend more time listening than speaking. I can’t/don’t want to say anything unless I have all the intel at hand.
I enjoy much very wit.
I have no musical education apart from what school taught me, but at 28 I am learning to play the guitar. We will see where it brings me.
I trust people easily but if you lose that trust, you will have a lot of work to get it back

What are my favorite things to work on

Impossible ideas. I take a lot of pleasure in thinking how to turn an idea into doable sub-tasks.
Learning. Above all, it gives sense to everything I do.
Tinkering. Building physical stuff.
Reusing code. The dev environment is a giant lego playground. You can get further by using pieces that already exist rather than building your own.
Refactoring. Make code more reliable, sustainable and easier to read / troubleshoot / reason about.
Reading code. I love to see/learn new ways to solve a problem.
Discussing solutions. I have found marvelous things at the intersection of minds.
Finding tasks for personal improvements. Applies to me or people I manage, I want to help people be better at what they do.
Writing automated tests. It frees my mind knowing that a piece of code is covered, and that I would be warned if it stops doing what it is supposed to do.

What I value from others

Efficiency & conciseness. No need to wrap your question in fluff and sugar, go straight to the point, I am a fast context switcher. If I am missing something, I will tell you.
Transparency. I can’t go anywhere if I can’t see.
Exigence. I want to be the best at what I do so you better do the same.
Traceability. So much time is lost trying to remember. Lay it down on paper once and for all and now you can safely forget it.
Benevolence. Understand what your acts actually mean for others.

What I think are my strengths

Accountability. If shit hits the fan under my watch, I will not look the other way. I will make sure to be someone you can rely on.
Laziness. You can trust me in finding the shortest path.
Pedagogy. I love to help people understand stuff, and the process of documenting and vulgarizing.
Leadership. You can’t build anything sustainable without people. As it happens I love helping people thrive.

Things I’m working to improve

Conflict management. I feel uncomfortable when conflicts happen. I prefer to say nothing until the tension is gone. I am practicing finding the right words during the conflict rather than after.
Operational constraints. Being more focused on quality, I tend to disregard or lower the importance of operational constraints. I am learning how to compromise.
Speed. My focus on quality inevitably leads to longer delays. I try to take “quick wins” more into account.

What makes me uncomfortable

Finding out things at the very last moment when you know it could have been known beforehand.
People that react badly to wit. They end up thinking I am making fun of them which makes me very uneasy.
When people recognize me but I don’t. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does It makes me feel like I do not give them the respect they deserve.
Having a conflict in front of people. 99% of conflicts I have to handle are 1 vs. 1. It makes no sense to have this conflict with an audience, apart from discrediting both sides.
When people talk too much. I won’t stop them by politeness, but it makes me feel I am wasting my time and I am afraid my attitude might show disrespect.

What makes me happy

Witnessing a small gesture of kindness in the street. (i.e. Somebody giving back a stranger’s metro ticket that fell out of her pocket…)
Helping people.
When things just work.
Movement.
Capoeira.
Light.
Fire.
When a new feature does not need a patch once sent to production.

What I expect from my managers

Defend the interests of the team.
Understand people individually.
Exigence.
Managing is to serve, not to be served.
Criticize in private, congratulate in public.
Give visibility to the team.
Exemplarity.
Set objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable & Ambitious, Realistic, Time-bound
Not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and help out when times are tough.

What I do outside of work

I am learning how to play the guitar (Started in ~November 2020)
I enjoy organizing parties, making sure to mix my groups of friends. I like introducing people to others they don’t know.
Talking about ideas, potential companies, the future.
Reading all kinds of books.
Reading/watching science fiction. I figured it deserved its own bullet.
DIY/Building stuff. I am very hands-on, and I enjoy building physical stuff very much.
Prototyping and maintaining several side projects, for fun and learning.

Things I’d love to do in the future

Build my own company
Build a family
Live in a foreign country
Give back to the Open Source world
Properly Learn Russian and Italian

How to communicate with me

Whenever you can, please send a written summary of what is to be discussed. It allows me to build a proper context to switch to when we start the discussion.

Preferred Communication Method

I rarely consult my phone during the day, it allows me to properly focus. If you send me a message, do not expect an answer within the minute. If it is REALLY urgent, you can call me right away. I am available on Slack during work time otherwise.

Working Hours

At my desk between 9:30 and 18:00, my lunch break usually starts at 12:00 to avoid rush hour. During the week-end I either work on tools to improve my productivity or on swipeme.io, a serverless side-project to discover the inner-working of the AWS mastodonte.