Often at work, when someone says they have “high expectations” for a junior employee, it’s just code for “sink or swim.” But what if we actually swam with them?
At Atomic Object, we ask a lot from our early-career developers — and we should. They’re full-time consultants from day one, contributing to real projects, communicating with clients, and shipping production code. But we’ve learned that high expectations only lead to growth when they’re matched with meaningful support. That’s where coaching comes in.
Not a Performance Review
Coaching in the Atomic Accelerator isn’t a backchannel for feedback or a soft performance review. Feedback comes directly from teammates during semi-weekly feedback conversations — we keep that loop transparent and grounded in real work. Coaching, by contrast, is a space apart. It’s a standing conversation focused on the Accelerator’s goals, challenges, and professional identity. It’s where we pause the whirlwind of project work to reflect and plan.
A Space to Think, Feel, and Stretch
Many of our conversations orbit around goal-setting: what do you want to get better at, and how can you tell you’re improving? But we also talk through emotional dynamics — that awkward conversation with a coworker, or that creeping sense of self-doubt that can come with imposter syndrome. And sometimes we dig deep into technical topics that deserve more air than a Slack thread or a standup. Coaching is the catch basin for all of that.
Owning the Journey
The best growth isn’t top-down — it’s co-created. As a coach, I don’t hand out assignments or tell people how to grow. I ask questions, highlight patterns, and offer perspective. I help Accelerators name what success looks like to them — and support them in building toward it. The sense of ownership that creates is powerful. It makes the growth real.
The Right Kind of Pressure
Accelerator participants are often surprised at how quickly they become productive — and how hard the job is. That tension is intentional. We’re not trying to create comfort; we’re trying to create momentum. But we also want people to feel like the difficulty is winnable. Coaching helps keep that difficulty calibrated — in the stretch zone, not the panic zone.
Processing the Feedback
Project-based feedback is where participants in our Atomic Accelerator program (Accelerators) get their most direct input, but coaching is where that input gets processed. “They said I need to be more decisive — what does that actually mean for me?” “I keep hearing I’m doing great, but I don’t feel like it — why is that disconnect happening?” Coaching gives people the space and language to make sense of what they’re hearing, and to turn it into a plan.
Time as a Tool
One of the quiet powers of coaching is its consistency. It’s a checkpoint every week that says, “Your growth matters.” That time investment builds trust. And over time, it reveals arc — the story of how someone is changing. A one-off conversation might help someone feel better. A six-month arc of coaching helps someone become better.
Making Space for Technical Depth
Coaching also gives us a place to talk deeply about software itself — not just tickets and tools, but the craft. It’s a space to ask, “What’s the right level of abstraction here?” or “How do you think about naming?” These are questions that can get lost in the noise of deadlines. Coaching invites them back in. It reminds both of us that learning to be a great developer is as much about philosophy as syntax.
Better Together
Accelerator coaching isn’t about fixing people or preventing failure. It’s about helping early-career developers see further, think deeper, and grow faster — without losing themselves along the way. It’s about developing not just skills, but self-trust. And it’s about doing that in a relationship built on respect, curiosity, and belief.
Raising the Bar, Holding the Net
That’s what it means to coach in a high-expectation, high-support environment. We raise the bar, but we hold the net. We ask a lot, but we also stay close. Done well, this kind of coaching doesn’t just help someone succeed in their first job — it helps them build a foundation for a whole career.
Grow Your Own Gray Hairs
Hiring junior developers isn’t charity — it’s strategy. As our industry shifts under the weight of new tools like AI, we need adaptable, thoughtful software professionals more than ever. But we don’t get experienced, gray-haired consultants by magic. We get them by growing them ourselves — patiently, deliberately, and with care. Coaching is one way we make that possible. It’s an investment not just in people, but in the future of the discipline.