Can you single-handedly fix the most critical bug or create an overnight critical piece of application? You might be a rockstar in software development.

However, coding will get you so far. Here is what gets you further.

Beware of These Behaviors

Work with others on massive changes. Yes, if you are a great developer, you know what to do and how to do it and can just do it alone.

If it is true, that's great! But first, try to understand how the system around you works. There is a whole team around you. Communicate what you are going to do and how you are going to do it.

Communicate this to the team; don't be left in the dark for long. Put up your head from the sand from time to time.

Communication is even more essential if you're working on a critical piece of application. It is essential to communicate with the team what is right, what to do first, and what the plan is.

Even with the best intentions, you might affect the whole system's stability and the company’s reputation.

Always communicate upfront what and how you are going to do.

What To Do Instead?

I know that "communicate better" is in every management book. But what does that mean exactly?

It will have significant benefits for you and your team.

Better communication helps you display your expertise correctly. Showing others what you are working on will help you clean the idea in your head. And it makes you learn better.

You will be seen as a mentor when you guide junior developers and the whole team. You do not have to have a formal mentor role, but you will be if you act like it. This is a stepping stone to leadership roles.

The most important thing is that you will show leadership capabilities. Standing in front of others and presenting is not for everybody, but it is needed for any aspiring leader.

You will show the management and stakeholders that you are capable of communicating and planning. This is what management and stakeholders value. You have to demonstrate the value you're bringing to the table.

Be bold and explain your thinking and reasoning to all the developers or stakeholders at any time.

You get recognition from the team and the management. Communication and coordination are the traits that need to be developed gradually. When you're talking about the technical features of the product or the technical side of the project, you'll probably know it very well, and you will be more comfortable communicating this to other people.

Get used to describing your thinking in writing as well. This will give you leverage. Writing effective emails or writing clear analytical documents or descriptions of the system will give you a deeper understanding of the technical aspects and also show everybody that you love your stuff and communicate ideas.

This will also display your ability to communicate and explain yourself. You can influence your team members or people outside the team as well about your abilities.

Your Promotion Starts During the Interview

Yes, during the interview, a company, while looking for great developers, is also looking for people who can take it to the next level.

Yes, they ask you technical questions. They want to know if you know your stuff that's obvious. And obviously, you'll have to know your stuff.

The important thing, and maybe more subtle, is how they gauge your willingness to cooperate.

Because in most software companies, the important thing is cooperation and coordination within the team or with other teams in the company.

It is not just enough to produce a great piece of code. This is a basic requirement for a star developer for somebody who is going to earn six figures.

The important distinction is the willingness to work and cooperate across the company to deliver something amazing, something big.

It is easy to work alone for three days or three weeks and deliver something that is working. But this is not sustainable. This is a lone-wolf approach.

Solving problems this way might work in a small company, maybe for a while, but it's not sustainable.

It is a red sign if you show that you worked on the various projects alone or only describe what you did during the interview. Be aware the companies are looking for team players.

Yes, you can be the 10x star developer, but you should still be able to work in the team.

It is difficult sometimes when you need to work with junior developers, and they're asking a lot of questions, and it is difficult to concentrate on your work.

Yes, it is natural for developers to just write code. It is the most comfortable part of the job. That is why most people stay there. Leaders take it further.

The leverage comes when you can apply your knowledge to the rest of the team. With your knowledge, the team will be able to have them create something that you can be proud of.

How a 10X Developer Saved a Day

Once, I worked with a colleague who was an actual rockstar developer. He could single-handedly fix a large part of the code in a record time or create a new application from scratch in a few days.

We were working on a project with another team where the project was partially done, and we were added to the team to add additional features.

However, the system was designed poorly, with a new technology that was new to developers. They were unfamiliar with it, so there were many bugs and inefficiencies in the system. The system was not stable, and nobody was able to fix it.

So, we decided we needed to change the approach.

We decided to rewrite a large part of the whole application from scratch. We were going to use the technology that was stable and known to many developers on the team. And it was rich enough to support the various features we needed.

That one exceptional developer worked on rewriting the application for almost four weeks, around 16 hours per day. It was a huge effort.

At the same time, the rest of the team maintained the old code, so we had some continuity.

In the end, he was able to rewrite the applications, and we replaced the old application with a new one. And customers didn't even notice it.

We were lucky because the application was in its early stages and it was not used by many customers. That is why we decided on a bigger rewrite.

Now, I'm not saying this is how it's supposed to work.

I'm also not saying that it was useless - he obviously saved the product. He was a big hero, sometimes these things just work out, and we were lucky.

However, in the long run, working 16 hours a day it's not sustainable. After those four weeks, he was unusable for another week or two because he was completely exhausted.

Working With Lone Wolves

There is no need to worship lone-wolf developers. Yes, they're great coders and they can do great things and I'm not saying that their work is not needed, far from it.

They can save the day, and they can save the whole project.

Are you that kind of developer?

If you prefer to work alone, that is fine. Understand that you can greatly benefit from sharing your knowledge. Without communication, your reach is limited.

I encourage you to work in teams. You can be the best asset for the company, which leads to great compensation.

Communicate your work style. If you prove your competency, you can start working on bigger problems.

It is not necessary to push yourself into awkward situations. Concentrate on contributing meaningfully and adding value.

The worst is to think that you are above others or the team. This attitude will not be shown and will not work. If you have special privileges, do not abuse them.

Software development, in most companies, is a team sport. Good companies are always looking for people who play well together and share goals.

Alone Time

Working alone is fine, and every developer needs time to concentrate on coding. There's no doubt about that. They must have focus time to produce a great code.

Spend every day a few hours on focus time to produce code. But do not disappear for days or weeks.

Don't be that developer that works for days or weeks with his head down, not talking to anybody.

You should communicate clearly about what you are doing. For your code to survive, you need to teach others how it works and how to maintain it.

There's no point in creating a great piece of code that nobody understands. When you leave the company, nobody can fix or maintain it, so the only conclusion for the management will be to throw it away.