Coachability/Adaptability
No one is perfect. An SE career is a journey, and it will continue to be a journey until you can either retire or decide you want to do something else. Arguably, coachability will benefit you in all aspects of life. However, for SEs, it is critical. Your mindset should be one of continuous improvement. We stated that no one is perfect, right? So, why would you ever want to stop improving? How do you know what you need to improve on unless you get the feedback?
Pride is one of an SE’s downfalls. I will never forget speaking with a fellow SE who was having issues with his AE. He was not internalizing the feedback he was receiving. In fact, he disagreed with it! He compared himself to Michael Jordan! If you think you’re the Michael Jordan of SEs, let me be the first to tell you that you’re not. It’s OK to aspire to be him, but you are not him. As soon as you think you are the greatest of all time (GOAT), you will stop learning and...
