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When we use the words "coaching" or "mentorship," we tend to picture one-on-one conversations with someone we respect where there are questions asked and advice given. But restricting our vision of mentorship to this type of interaction is extremely limiting! Every activity during your workday is an opportunity to support your team members' career growth, including writing code, opening pull requests, and estimating tickets. In this talk, we'll identify strategies for coaching in our everyday technical activities and open our minds to look for opportunities in non-traditional places. Mercedes Bernard Mercedes Bernard is a Principal software engineer and engineering manager with Tandem, a digital consultancy in Chicago. She's also the founder of Dev Together, a mentorship community in Chi for those starting their dev careers. Outside of work, she likes to unplug and enjoys spinning yarn and crocheting.
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In the video titled **Coaching through Coding**, Mercedes Bernard, a Principal Software Engineer and Engineering Manager, emphasizes the importance of mentorship and coaching available in everyday technical activities. Rather than viewing mentorship as limited to one-on-one conversations, she encourages a broader perspective where every coding activity offers a chance for team support and growth. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Diverse Roles**: Mercedes discusses the distinction between individual contributors and management roles, arguing that both can be equally technical and supportive of team growth. - **Metaphor of Transportation**: She uses the analogy of a bus (management) versus a bike (individual contributor) to illustrate different career paths, promoting the idea of 'tandem biking' where team success is prioritized over individual speed. - **Coaching vs. Mentoring**: She clarifies the difference between coaching, which focuses on immediate skill development, and mentorship, which is more relationship-oriented and long-term. Both are vital for professional development. - **Practical Strategies for Coaching**: Several examples are provided where typical coding tasks can be turned into coaching opportunities, including: - **Pair Programming**: Discusses how to effectively pair program to promote learning without overpowering the less experienced partner. - **Code Reviews**: Stresses the importance of providing constructive feedback and fostering discussion about coding decisions instead of merely pointing out mistakes. - **Team Meetings**: Suggests using estimation and status update meetings as opportunities to mentor by sharing knowledge about decision-making and project complexities. - **Documentation**: Advocates for the collaborative creation of documentation to solidify team knowledge and promote transparency. - **Encouraging a Learning Culture**: Finally, Mercedes underscores the idea of sharing personal learning experiences and successes with the team to foster a culture of continuous growth and to combat feelings of imposter syndrome. ### Conclusions and Takeaways: - Mentorship and coaching extend far beyond traditional boundaries; they can and should be integrated into daily technical tasks. - Through practical strategies in everyday tasks, engineers can nurture an environment where learning is a collective journey rather than an individual race. - Emphasizing joy in learning and collaboration will enhance team dynamics and overall productivity.
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