Episode 471: Why does my junior engineer do so little and I fell asleep in a Zoom meeting

Episode Overview

• The episode features two main listener questions: how to encourage a junior developer who only does the bare minimum, and how to professionally recover after falling asleep during a meeting on the first day of a new job.
• The hosts analyze the potential reasons behind a junior developer's lack of initiative, discussing factors such as team culture, mentorship, and individual motivation.
• For the developer who fell asleep, the hosts offer practical advice on acknowledging the mistake, communicating effectively with the team, and taking proactive steps to demonstrate engagement.
• The episode begins with a lighthearted segment where the hosts read out humorous and creative names submitted by their Patreon supporters.

Key Concepts

• Developer Initiative and Ownership: The hosts discuss the difference between developers who simply complete assigned tasks versus those who proactively seek opportunities to contribute, take ownership, and help the team succeed.
• Team Culture and Growth: A team's culture can either encourage or stifle the growth of its members. If senior engineers always have all the answers and fill every gap, it may not leave room for junior developers to develop initiative.
• Mentorship for Junior Developers: The role of a senior engineer includes mentoring junior colleagues. This involves understanding their motivations, setting clear expectations, and creating an environment where they feel safe to step outside their assigned tasks.
• Recovering from Professional Mistakes: The discussion covers strategies for handling embarrassing workplace situations. The key is to take responsibility, apologize sincerely, provide context without making excuses, and follow up with actions that rebuild credibility.
• Vulnerability and Trust: Being open and vulnerable about a mistake, such as falling asleep in a meeting, can be an effective way to build trust and human connection with a new team, rather than trying to ignore it.

Quotes

• At 03:57 - "I'm a senior developer on a small team and I'm feeling frustrated with a junior developer I work with. They're smart and perfectly capable, but they stick very strictly to the confines of their assigned work." - A listener introduces the first problem, describing a junior developer who lacks the initiative to go beyond their assigned tickets.
• At 05:21 - "I think there's a few different shapes of junior engineers, and one of the shapes is kind of like the precocious, excited, know-it-all, maybe a bit too gung-ho... and this is kind of the opposite of just like, do what you're told exactly and not anything more." - Jameson contrasts different junior developer archetypes to better understand the behavior described in the question.
• At 06:03 - "I don't know if I've seen a not-excited junior turn into a great senior ever... I'm trying to think of the great senior engineers that I know and I'm trying to find a counter-example to your claim that great senior engineers come from overeager, ambitious, excited junior engineers." - The hosts discuss whether early-career enthusiasm is a prerequisite for becoming a highly effective senior engineer.
• At 24:16 - "I did something wrong. I'm apologizing to you... you can win a ton of credibility and clout, I think, when you go to someone and apologize for doing something wrong and be transparent about it." - Dave explains that owning up to a mistake like falling asleep in a meeting can actually strengthen professional relationships by demonstrating humility and accountability.

Takeaways

• To motivate a junior developer who lacks initiative, try creating a "leadership vacuum" by intentionally leaving some problems unsolved or questions unanswered, giving them the space to step up and contribute.
• If you make a notable mistake at a new job, address it head-on by apologizing to the relevant people. Briefly explain the situation, commit to it not happening again, and then prove your engagement through your subsequent actions.
• As a senior developer, explicitly define and communicate your team's shared responsibilities. Making it clear that tasks like on-call rotations or bug triage are part of everyone's job helps set expectations and encourages broader ownership from all team members.