When our company adopted Agile methodologies, it was a game-changer. It brought a culture of reflection, continuous improvement, and major growth for the R&D team and the entire organization. My mentor, RP, was a great example of lifelong learning. He pushed us to break down our big monolithic structure into reusable libraries, paving the way for our move to microservices.
This shift to microservices made us rethink our processes. We realized we needed to formalize things, so we made some key changes. One big one was enforcing Code Reviews. While we had informal over-the-shoulder reviews before, we didn’t have a formal process. As the team grew, it became clear that we needed to enforce this. We also set clear coding guidelines, like aiming for at least 80% code coverage by unit tests for new code, writing well-documented code, proper indentation, sticking to design patterns, SOLID principles, KISS, and the Boy Scout rule.
For me, this was a pivotal moment. I was no longer viewed as a junior developer. I stepped into a more senior role, leading code reviews and setting examples for the team.
But leading had its challenges. At first, I was too aggressive in my code reviews. This made my colleagues hesitant to add me as a reviewer. After embracing feedback from my mentor and getting poked from time to time with sarcastic jokes from colleagues, I realized I needed to change my approach. I learned to be more empathetic, shifting from criticism to asking questions, understanding the context, and putting myself in my colleagues’ shoes. In the end, I managed to transform code review into a powerful tool for helping others learn and share knowledge. I also understood that each individual in a team is different and sees things in their own way. It doesn’t mean what they did was wrong, but perhaps just different from my perspective.
Over time, I saw that the human factor is crucial in working within or leading a team. Recognizing this has become a key part of my leadership style. I’m grateful to my teammates from that time for their patience and resilience as we worked through these changes and embraced empathetic leadership.
My journey from adopting Agile to implementing Code Review and eventually embracing empathetic leadership was more than just changing processes. It was about deepening my understanding of team dynamics. For me, formalizing a process highlighted the significance of the human element. Your journey might be different, but this is my story, and it’s unique to my experience.