Nice to be talking to a fellow tech lead then. I think dictating exactly how people need to work is counter productive if you work with highly skilled people.

Nice to be talking to a fellow tech lead then. I think dictating exactly how people need to work is counter productive if you work with highly skilled people. I like working with people that I can give a goal and we can talk about how to achieve it best together, try some things and see if it makes it better or not. E.g. we've tried pair programming in the team and most people didn't like it at all, just like myself. I am not going to force it on them. To your point, which is very valid, if someone did that to me after the fact, I'd quit. Personally I don't think the solution is to force every new hire to 100% pair program, while I myself would then not pair program when I do code. That sends the wrong signal. Do as I say not as I do. And yes that does mean I'm constrained in who I can hire or work with. Not everyone will "make it" on my team. E.g. as people progress I will progressively expect them to communicate about being stuck by themselves instead of me asking if any help is needed. They either learn how to do that and work in a team or they are not made for mine. A Senior Developer I need to nanny every 2 hours is not a Senior Developer. It doesn't mean we have zero process of course. I just don't believe in a process that enforces 100% pair programming ;)