How do you respond when someone doesn't know something you think they should...
Shocked? Surprised? 🤷♂️
🔴 "How do you not know that?"
🔴 "I can't believe you don't know that."
🔴 "Even my 12-year-old son knows what that is."
I received this reaction during a technical discussion once.
🔴 I got defensive - not good for open and honest discussions.
#developers #coding #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #wellbeing #mindset #mentalhealth
🔴 My contribution to that discussion dwindled to nothing.
🔴 I felt judged, I felt inferior, and it made me angry…
Afterwards, I confronted my colleague about it…
We talked it through…
We both knew he didn't mean to do it, but we were surprised at the consequences…
We'd seen it happen in almost every technical discussion we'd ever been in…
And I've been guilty of this on many occasions!
🟢 There is just so much to learn in software development; not everyone will be exposed to everything during their work…
🟢 The simplest fact is completely alien to someone who has never heard it...
Just because you think someone should know something, doesn’t mean they should…
And it doesn’t necessarily reflect on their intelligence either.
Richard Donovan