Recently, I’ve had some people joining my team. They have gotten tasks that I previously have been taking care of, and therefore I know what’s good and what isn’t. I got a file delivered for review by one of the new team members, and I wasn’t really pleased with the quality. I looked it through, marked everything I thought should be changed, and I thought to myself, “Maybe it’s better if I’m just doing this myself, at least it gets right the first time then”.
I thought that I might send the feedback to my team member together with an example of my older similar files, so he could compare his work with something that meets the specs. But, when I looked through a couple of my more former jobs done, I realized that my files weren’t near as good as his. The quality he delivered on the first try was at least 2X the quality I was ever able to offer.
It is easy to believe that you are the best at things you do, not because of arrogance, but because it’s easier to spot someone else’s faults than your own. So, when hiring or working in a team, look through your own past projects/jobs, and notice that you aren’t perfect either. We all have faults, but by working as a team, we usually deliver the best results.