Welcome to understanding development stages! Here's a key insight that will transform how you lead: development isn't just one thing.
Most engineering managers think "Alex is a strong developer" or "Jordan needs coaching." But that's oversimplifying what's really happening.
Engagement Message
Think of someone on your team who excels at coding but struggles with debugging—who comes to mind?
Development actually has two separate dimensions. The first is competence - someone's skill level and knowledge in a specific task or area.
Think of competence as their technical ability. Can they actually write the code, design the system, or solve the problem well?
Engagement Message
Which technology or technical skill do you handle so well that other engineers ask for your help?
The second dimension is commitment - someone's motivation and confidence for that specific task or area.
Commitment combines how much they want to tackle something with how confident they feel about doing it successfully.
Engagement Message
What's a technical skill you have but rarely feel like using?
Here's what makes this powerful: competence and commitment can vary independently. Someone might have strong coding skills but low motivation for debugging, or high enthusiasm for new frameworks but limited experience.
They're separate measurements, not connected.
Engagement Message
Why might confusing competence with commitment lead to the wrong engineering leadership approach?
Real example: Alex excels at algorithm optimization (high competence, high commitment) but freezes when making system architecture decisions (moderate competence, low commitment).
Same developer, same sprint - but they need completely different leadership approaches for each situation.
Engagement Message
Which technical area energizes you—and which one drains you?
