I’m Baptiste (bah•teest, IPA /ba.tist/), but everyone calls me Bap.
If we’re working together, this might be useful. It’s not a manual—more like a heads-up about my defaults so you know what to expect.
I’m a technology executive who’s worked with startups, Fortune 500s, and governments across health, finance, transportation, retail, CPG, defense, and more. I’m a developer by trade. I code almost every day and plan to keep it that way.
I’m curious. I like understanding things before acting, but once I understand, I move fast. When I feel I have a good grasp on a challenge, I prototype ideas and often use it as an excuse to try new tools. I believe if we move fast and make mistakes, we always have time to fix them.
Ask me about the love life of Antonín Dvořák. Cello. The best way to bake pâte à choux. Restaurant recommendations. Walt Disney Imagineering. Airline booking systems. How I became an accredited travel agent. Liberties and Responsibilities of Universities in France. Anything IoT, NFC, or BLE.
How I Work
Decisive, but drafting. I make quick suggestions, but they’re rarely final. I know this can throw people off—please see it as a first draft. I like offering something so we can refine it as a group. If it feels too intimidating or I need to step back, flag it.
Collaborative by default. I like discussing decisions and options, whiteboarding big stuff in a group. If there’s urgency or we can’t figure out the best path forward, I might make decisions on my own. I’ll always inform the team and I’m happy to revisit with new information.
Hands-off… when things are under control. People who’ve worked with me know I’m not always great at delegating. Once I do, though, I rarely look back. Hold me accountable to delegating more.
That said, when I join a team, I often get into the work alongside people early on. I get involved in details, more hands-on at the start of new initiatives. That way I know how to help if you need me later.
When I step back from a project, it doesn’t mean I stopped caring—just that I trust the team to move it forward. If there’s a big decision brewing, especially trapdoor decisions (hard to reverse), I’d love to know.
Accountable. I won’t chase action items one by one, but I notice when things slip. I’ll never get mad when people ask for help, tell me they’re not equipped to do something, or ask to push a deadline. I’ll be annoyed if it’s the day after the deadline with no heads-up.
Intuitive about projects, less so about people. I can jump into situations without tons of data or background. My gut instinct is decent for decisions, but I know it’s just that—gut instinct. I’m happy to consider more rational approaches.
I’m not great at reading people. I’m not great at reading faces, and it’s even worse on video calls. Tell me things. Slack me. Don’t expect me to read the look on your face. Consequently, people might read too much into my face when I’m just… making weird faces.
I like knowing what’s going on personally with people so I can see the whole picture. I believe we’re whole selves, not “work selves” and “home selves.” That said, I’m rarely the first to ask what’s brewing in your personal life—I want people to feel as private or outspoken as they need to be.
Communication Preferences
Email: I read fast and scan large chunks of text. I’m verbose—I might write large chunks back. It doesn’t mean urgency, just “I want to make sure you have all the context.”
I read every email within 18 hours but don’t always respond. I’ll only respond if you ask something directly or if I have a question. If you think I owe you a response, resend the email or ask about it. I won’t be offended.
I love FYI emails. If you write “FYI” in the subject or forward, I know it’s for information only, no response required. I’ll do the same for you.
Slack (or any IM): If something is important, timely, or super short, ping me anytime—even when my status is set to away.
I get distracted easily when I’m in meetings or presenting. If I’m talking and a notification triggers, I’ll read it and pause. This has thrown me off before. I’m working on it, but I keep notifications on because I don’t want to miss urgent messages.
Make messages actionable. I rarely answer messages that just say “Hey” when I’m busy. Once we start chatting, quick back-and-forth is fine, but provide context in your first message.
Timing: I might send messages at weird times or during weekends, especially when traveling. I do it over email, not Slack. It’s convenient for me, but I never expect immediate answers. If something is urgent, I’ll say so. If you need my immediate attention, text or call my cell. I’ll never be mad about it.
Language: My first language is French. I spend most of my working life in English and consider myself pretty bilingual. I might pronounce a word in a funny way (chances are I read it but never heard it), and I might not always find the right word but you’ll get the gist of what I’m saying. If it sounds weird, ask me again.