I’ve read Chapter 1 so far, and I wanted to share some thoughts and takeaways.
Chapter 1 hit especially close to home, since it was written by someone I’ve known for a long time — coach Bae Mun-gyo.
As I understand it, after a long career as a developer, he now works with various teams on projects at the Switch secretariat and also does team coaching.
Reading it, I got the sense that this isn’t just a book of tips and tricks. Because coach Bae himself came up as a developer, he clearly understands developers’ tendencies well — problem-solving orientation, analytical thinking, and so on — and I think the book grew out of a genuine coaching philosophy aimed at helping developers move forward, especially in terms of growth and influence.
As I read, I could feel that same coaching philosophy — a real sincerity toward building trust and growth — woven through the writing.
What struck me most in Chapter 1 was the section on ’listening and questioning,’ the core competency coaches train in. It’s the very first thing professional coaches learn and the most fundamental one, and the book lays out concretely why it matters and how to practice it — structured in a way developers can actually adopt as a workable communication strategy.
Of course, skills like this aren’t easy to pick up.
But if you practice consistently using the approach the book lays out,
isn’t it worth trying, if it means eventually internalizing a real edge — one that lets you have a positive influence on yourself and on the organization you’re part of?
I’ve only just started the book, but I’m looking forward to the remaining chapters. It seems full of angles for reflecting on myself and my organization, drawing on experience across different organizations, and I’m looking forward to it — I may come back and share more like this along the way.
#BeyondTheCode #DevRel #Coaching #Coach #Communication #ActiveListening #Questions
