[As a] software engineer, [I want to] use coaching techniques [so that] team members grow professionally
When team members come to you with a problem, do you find yourself telling them how to solve their problem? Do you find yourself sharing code with them so that their doubts are immediately resolved? When asked for help, do you resort to your own technical solution before allowing others to find their own?
According to the ICF, coaching is defined as partnering (with clients) in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.
ICF’s definition of coaching encourages you not to tell or dictate the way, process or solution. It is up to the coach to ask the right questions, so that the coachee can figure out a solution, and personally and professionally grow from the experience.
To serve as an example, a Python software developer comes to you for assistance with a programming challenge. She wants to store the days of the week in a Python list data structure. Rather than immediately providing her with the answer, you start to ask her a few questions: What other data structures do you have available to store the data? (lists, dictionaries, tuples…
