The Perils of Being Attached to Your Work (At All Times)
Doing great work is like creating art. You pour yourself into a presentation, a talk, or a piece of code until the line between you and your work disappears. So when that work is scrutinized—when the code is buggy, the demo falls flat, or the impact isn’t there—it feels personal. It feels like you weren’t good enough. And that hurts.
I’ve noticed myself getting defensive in those moments, blaming clients for vague requirements, tight timelines, or lack of clarity. This past year was full of such moments — when Kelp didn’t hit the accuracy we aimed for, when Aqxle fell through, when BCG was delayed, or when clients complained about our speed. Each time, it felt like a reflection of not doing enough.
But stepping away from the work, I see these moments for what they really are — valuable feedback. They’re opportunities to refine our craft, adopt better practices, and learn from each other.
When we stand too close to our work, we risk shutting down instead of listening. We need a culture where feedback is a shared responsibility—where we review each other’s code and suggests improvements. A culture where everyone scrutinises each project and helps us cover things we might have missed.
A player in the game misses things that a coach on the sidelines can see. Maybe, from time to time, we need to step back and put on the coach’s hat.
That’s my reminder to myself.