People and Practice

Breaking your own code and designs

Most developers start out their career with an aversion to knowing the failure modes of the software that they write. They treat the software that they write as their baby, and don't like to see it get hurt. This isn't necessarily a conscious decision but more a subconscious mind-set. So when I am coaching a junior, one of the things I concentrate on is breaking them out of this mind-set.

Make mini technical leads

In a previous team of mine we created mini tech leads, this entailed taking a mid-range developer and making them responsible for a junior. So that means the mini tech lead is the first port of call for the junior when they have problems or questions. Mini tech leads need to perform code reviews with the junior and work hard to iron out early problems. The technical team lead coaches the mini tech lead and reviews the code reviews of the mini tech lead. The responsibility of the team lead has only changed in that they are now coaching a select few on technical leadership. 

Being Open, Sharing Your Knowledge

If you're a team lead then being open is part of your job description, if you're not a team lead but want to be one then being open will help you get there. Sharing knowledge isn't just for team leads and senior developers, it is for everyone and should be part of the team mind-set. Sharing your knowledge with other people makes your team and organisation more successful, it makes you more successful and helps you build relationships with others. I cannot recommend more highly sharing your knowledge openly with others.

Stop time wasters and protect your knowledge sharing culture

As a senior engineer or a technical lead you need to be there for your colleagues from mentoring to helping them out with obscure problems. If done right it can make your team a lot more productive, can help your career by showing management that you are an effective leader and is generally rewarding. If done wrong it will harm your productivity and spoil junior colleagues by creating dependence behaviour.