So, I was watching the Celtics game the other night. You know how it is. And Derrick White, that guy, he’s not always the flashiest, but his assists? Man, they’re something else. Smooth, smart, always seems to make the right pass at the right time. Gets the ball where it needs to go, helps the team score. Made me think, you know?
It got me reflecting on my own stuff, especially at work. For a long time, I was the kind of guy who’d just grab the ball and try to score myself, if you catch my drift. Easier to just do it, I always thought. Less hassle. But watching White, it kinda clicked. Maybe being the assist man has its own rewards, its own skill.
My Little Experiment
So, I decided to try a little experiment. A conscious effort to be more of an ‘assister’. There was this new project, a bit of a mess, and a younger colleague, let’s call him Ben, was really struggling to get his part working. My old self would have sighed, taken over his module, and fixed it in a couple of hours. Quick and dirty.
But no, this time I thought, “Okay, Derrick White. Let’s assist.” My plan was to guide Ben, not do it for him. I’d sit with him, ask questions, point him in the right direction. Sounds good, right? Like a perfect bounce pass for an easy layup.
The Nitty-Gritty of “Assisting”
- First day, I sat down with Ben. Asked him to walk me through his code, his thinking. He was all over the place. I tried to nudge him, “What about this? Have you considered that?” He’d nod, say “uh-huh,” but I wasn’t sure it was sinking in.
- Next few days, same thing. I’d point out a clear issue, explain the concept. He’d try something, but it felt like he was just throwing stuff at the wall. It was taking way longer than if I’d just done it. Patience, I told myself. Derrick White doesn’t get flustered.
- Then there was the system itself. Oh boy. Some of the tools we were using were just plain clunky. So, part of assisting Ben meant I first had to wrestle with these ancient setups, find workarounds, just so he could do his job. That wasn’t in the coaching manual.
- One afternoon, after explaining a particular logic flow for the third time, Ben just kinda shut down. Said he preferred to figure it out himself. Okay, fair enough. But then the deadline loomed, and his part was still broken. The pressure started mounting.
I realized something then. Making a good assist isn’t just about me wanting to pass the ball or knowing how to pass it. The receiver has to be ready to catch it, to know what to do with it. And sometimes, the court itself is uneven, or the ball is deflated. It’s not as clean as a well-executed play on TV.
What I Took Away
So, did my Derrick White experiment make Ben a superstar coder overnight? Nope. Not even close. I eventually had to step in more directly to meet the deadline, but I tried to do it with him, explaining my steps in a sort of “live fix” session. It was a compromise.
What I learned, though, was pretty valuable. Assisting well is hard. It takes more patience than just doing the thing yourself. It means understanding the other person, the environment, and knowing when to nudge, when to teach, and yeah, sometimes when to just help carry the load for a bit to keep things moving.
It’s not always about the perfect, elegant assist that leads directly to a score. Sometimes it’s about clearing the path, offering a bit of support, or just being there so the other person doesn’t feel like they’re fumbling in the dark alone. It’s messier than basketball. But I guess I’m still trying to get better at it. Every now and then, I even manage to make a good pass.
