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Developer Tea

Coaching Yourself: Career Coaching Personas for Everyday Engineers, Part Three - Shoulder Socrates

Nov 19, 2024
Explore the intriguing concept of adopting self-coaching personas, specifically the 'Shoulder Socrates,' which emphasizes the importance of questioning personal beliefs. Discover practical strategies that engineers and managers can employ to deepen their understanding and contributions in their careers. The discussion also uncovers the vital role of clear communication in team dynamics, differentiating between personal reflection and the need for coherent, effective interactions essential for successful collaboration.
16:05

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The Shoulder Socrates persona encourages critical questioning of personal beliefs, aiding self-exploration and redefining perceptions of value and contribution.
  • Effective communication requires balancing critical self-reflection with the ability to express ideas clearly in real-time discussions.

Deep dives

Understanding Self-Coaching

Self-coaching allows individuals to adopt different mental perspectives or personas to gain insights into their thoughts and behaviors. By embodying various 'hats' or voices, such as the available manager or hyper optimizer, individuals can better navigate their self-reflection and journaling processes. This practice does not require the permanent adoption of these personas; rather, it's about leveraging them as tools to prompt constructive self-discussion. Ultimately, this method aids in unpacking complex feelings and thoughts, enabling deeper personal understanding.

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