Alright, thinking about Tim Mickelson today. You know, Phil’s brother, always there on the bag. It got me thinking about those kinds of roles, the support crew that doesn’t always get the spotlight.
It’s funny how that works. We see the big shot making the play, but we often forget about the guy whispering advice, checking the wind, just being a steady presence. It kinda reminds me of stuff I’ve seen in my own work, my own practice, really.
My Own “Caddie” Moment
I remember this one project, must’ve been a couple of years back now. I was banging my head against the wall on this particular piece of it. Seriously stuck. It wasn’t even the most complex part, technically, but I just couldn’t get it right.
- First, I spent days, maybe close to a week, just spinning my wheels. Rewriting code, testing, debugging, the whole nine yards. Late nights, fuelled by bad coffee. You know the drill. I was convinced I had tried everything.
- Then, my buddy Dave, who worked on a totally different team, happened to swing by my desk. He wasn’t involved in my project at all. He just saw I looked wrecked.
- Next, instead of diving into the code, he just pulled up a chair and asked me to explain the problem. Like, explain it to him, someone completely fresh to it. Simple questions, nothing fancy. “What’s it supposed to do?” “What’s it actually doing?” “What was the last thing that kinda worked?”
- So, I started talking. Laying it all out. And somewhere in the middle of explaining it, forcing myself to put it into simple terms, the solution just clicked in my own head. It was like the act of verbalizing it, stepping back, brought the obvious mistake right to the surface. Dave didn’t even suggest anything specific code-wise. He just listened and prompted.
- Finally, after he left, I went back, made the change – took maybe ten minutes – and bam, it worked perfectly. Felt like an idiot, but also hugely relieved.
Looking back, Dave was totally my Tim Mickelson that day. He didn’t write the code, he didn’t fix the bug directly. He just helped me see the course clearly, helped me choose the right club, you could say. He provided that crucial support, that different perspective. It really drove home for me how important those roles are, the people who help you think, who offer support without needing the glory. It’s a practice, learning to be that person for others sometimes, and learning to lean on them when you need it yourself. You don’t always need someone carrying your load, sometimes you just need someone walking alongside you, helping you see straight.
