Ask HN: What lessons did you learn from your best or worst colleagues?

Thank you for your detailed answers, I appreciate them.

> Sure, but I don't agree that touch typing is "the" technique and that it's impossible that someone else has come up with a better one independently. Touch typing is a good way to type well, but I don't think it's distinct from "typing", it's one way to type. Just like you can play the guitar even if you don't know the technique.

I think you have a point here. Touch typing may not be "the" technique. We should always be open to new and better techniques and not embrace touch typing as a dogma, of course. And okay, it's only one way to type, and there are surely other ways to type.

I'm not saying that everybody has to learn touch typing because it was sent by the gods. I'm not even the biggest fan myself. I agree that it has its problems and I know for a fact that there are a lot of people out there with their own techniques who easily outperform touch typists.

So I'm not defending touch typing "at all costs".

I was praising it because I have an educator's perspective here and have the general public in mind, especially when I offer general advice in a forum like this. At the start of this thread I was replying to a person who seemingly didn't know much about touch typing.

While there are reports of other techniques that easily outperform touch typing in terms of wpn, accuracy and comfort; there are other properties of a technique that may or may not be important depending on one's perspective.

Let's call them "teachability" and "time of mastery". Touch typing is a very valuable tool not just because it allows one to perform sufficiently in terms of wpm & accuracy, but also because it is very easy to teach it. One doesn't even need a teacher as it's completely public and straightforward knowledge. There are very clear instructions on how to master it, and the mastery happens in 3-6 months. All very predictable and guaranteed. I don't know of any other technique that is comparable in this regard.

And there are so many people out there who don't know about touch typing or realize how much better it can make their lives. Touch typing is their quickest path to better productivity.

I cannot tell those people that: "There is this established typing technique that you can master in 3 months, but maybe don't learn it, because there are reports that there are people who developed their own better techniques in a couple of years, and there is a possibility that you can end up like them".

Obviously, the expert's and the educator's perspectives are different here, so I don't really think we're in a big disagreement.

This particular use of an if statement is subset of what's called a "guard clause", and I'm also a major fan of them. Other guards include an early return for edge cases or that would make the more general path more complicated, rather than just exceptions.

https://wiki.c2.com/?GuardClause/

You're referring to things like home-row touch-typing. My experience matches GP, which is touch-typing, but not home-row.

Best:

* Be supportive and non-judgemental, not dismissive.

* Really listen, hear the other person out and validate them, even if their concept or idea sounds dumb. Personal goodwill combined with strengths in the domain go a very long way.

* Be willing to share, explain and help others understand things that are new without treating someone like a dummy.

* Be thorough, systematic and organized, and keep working to improve ourselves, our systems, and our efficiency.

* Take the effort to make personal connections, and more importantly, to nurture and grow them.

* The past is the past - though some bad stuff may have gone down, look to the future, to how we can build and grow.

* If things are not working out, make changes, get it working, and don't be afraid to cut my losses and change track.

* Take responsibility for growing myself, I am accountable for my career and well being, invest in myself for the medium-term and for the long-term, keep learning and make sure it's something strategic. Time is always limited and there are a million things where I can waste time. Figure out what gives me the best ROI and invest there. These are the sort of time and energy investments that take time to bear fruit, and when planned and executed strategically they are well worth the effort.

Worst:

* There's a huge laundry list here, and I'd rather not go into the details. Others have covered this.

>One of my mentors at the first company I worked for in Silicon Valley never said “no” to one of my ideas

This is key to mentorship and building an actual team. Junior Engineers need help in building their Self-Confidence and grow into Leadership positions and this is the way to do it.

Note that asking you to come up with ideas and entertaining them does not automatically mean accepting it.