You are Not your code
When I was leading a project in my last job, I had to review all code merged into the new application. That means, giving feedback to each developer on the team.
With one of them, I often clashed. He was a new developer in the company, and every time I tried to align him with our guidelines, he would object and “defend” his code at any cost. Taking the feedback personally.
Those exchanges made me realize something very important for our growth as developers and lifetime learners — WE ARE NOT THE CODE.
It might seem a bit silly, but it is an easy mistake to fall into. We put some much effort, learning, and even creativity into our code, that it is only natural to become “defensive”, and we should know how to justify our decisions. But, we should remember that in the end, the code is just a tool, and making mistakes or having room for improvement does not mean the WE are a failure.
Actually, being open to feedback and criticism is one of the best ways to learn new things and get a fresh perspective. We should thank other developers (and people in general) who put the time in order to give extensive feedback on our work.
I think that reminding myself that the code is not me, and all feedback is an opportunity to evolve and learn, even if I do not 100% agree, helped me to remain open to changes and to grow faster.
So I hope it will do the same for you.
