How to continously improve with limited feedback from mentors/managers?
How do I make sure to continuously improve at a company which does not really give much feedback? We have a meeting once a year where we talk salary and the work that I've done. I have only had one meeting, but they just said they were happy with me and my work. It's a rather small company so we don't have many of the feedback loops that larger companies have (code reviews etc). Since we are a quite small company, every senior have their own view of what good code should look like and I'm not sure which one to listen to.
Discussion
(2 comments)- 4
2 years agoEng VP at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, ex-Meta, ex-YahooDo you have regular 1:1s with your manager? If not, I would highly suggest you start doing that first. You can also setup 1:1s with mentors, but ask them first. I would pick folks that you think are good role models. Even if it is someone who doesn't work with you on a regular basis.
Once that is setup, I would suggest at a regular cadence (1/month or every 6 weeks) ask them if there is anything they were expecting you to do that you didn't? Or if you could have done something differently? This language changes the dynamic and leaves the door open for things that they thought were obvious, but you didn't realize.
ProTip: Setup a calendar invite just for yourself to remind you to ask them for feedback.
- 22 years agoEng Manager at Meta, Principal Eng at Microsoft
The best way to continuously improve is by "doing" something. Take initiatives => if everyone has their own view of good code, that in itself is a good problem to address. While you do this, you will learn influencing, conflict resolution, consensus building etc. Try new things and ,may be, fail at few. Trying to do something is best way to learn. You can seek mentors outside of your company, youtube has so much content (Rahul's channel itself has so much knowledge), go through questions on Taro.
Lastly, you can ask your manager or senior eng that you want to learn more and can they provide more mentoring or topics to learn about, most companies will highly appreciate it. Wishing you well.
