4 ms·
I’ve found one of the best things I can do to help my jr devs feel more confident (and be willing to ask for help) is highlight my screwups and “basic” things I
by tpmoney 2y ago
I’ve found one of the best things I can do to help my jr devs feel more confident (and be willing to ask for help) is highlight my screwups and “basic” things I’ve just learned. It make me seem more approachable and less like everything I say is a pronouncement from on high, it makes them more willing to admit to their own mistakes, it clarifies that we’re all learning stuff all the time and it helps spread knowledge about things that folks might otherwise be too afraid to ask about for fear of looking silly.
A benefit of being a sr dev is getting the benefit of the doubt on mistakes, so I might as well use that to my advantage and let everyone learn from them, not just me.
- progmetaldev 2y agoI 100% agree with you, and have used the same technique. Showing juniors that you are also human and make mistakes allows them to be less anxious about learning and trying new things. It also helps to keep them from trying to hide their mistakes which can quickly lead to larger system issues. Of course, you have to have a culture where making a mistake doesn't immediately lead to being let go or publicly reprimanded. I have definitely learned quite a few things about people and code by helping juniors work through bugs that may not have been so obvious (including occasionally finding bugs in 3rd party libraries).
- cabidaher 2y agoPitching in to your and parent comment but from the junior side to say that yes, this definitely helps :)